Laptops

Xiaomi has made a low-priced MacBook Air, sort of

Published

July 28, 2016

Alora Uy Guerrero

Well, that took us by surprise. Xiaomi, after announcing a Redmi phone with dual cameras, did its own version of Apple’s “one more thing” — it launched a 13.3-inch laptop that looks like a MacBook Air. No, seriously.

Named the Mi Notebook Air, it adopts the clean lines, aluminum body, and backlit, full-sized keyboard of its Apple counterpart. However, it is 13 percent thinner at 14.8mm and 11 percent smaller. And while the MacBook Air costs as high as $1,199, Xiaomi’s first laptop retails at only 4,999 yuan or about $750.

The Mi Notebook Air already comes with an Nvidia GeForce 940MX dedicated graphics card for faster graphics processing and ultimately, overall computer performance, something which the MacBook Air and most other ultraportables can’t claim.

Underneath the hood is an Intel Core i5 processor with an 8GB DDR4 RAM, a 256 PCIe SSD, and an expandable SSD slot for when you want more storage.

Key specs of the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air’s 13.3-inch version

It runs Windows 10 and ships with Mi Cloud Sync pre-installed, so you can easily sync your phone contacts, photos, and other files. When paired with the company’s Mi Band 2 wearable device, it will automatically unlock when you are near. Cool, yes?

This is classic Xiaomi — throw in high specs and many features into the plate and make the price palatably low. In this case, the SRP can go as low as 3,599 yuan or around $540 if you don’t mind getting the 12.5-inch version with an Intel Core M3 processor with integrated graphics, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SATA SSD.

The upside to that is the smaller model’s 11.5 hours of battery life. The higher-end version can only run 9.5 hours in between charges.

Key specs of the Mi Notebook Air’s 12.5-inch variant

It remains to be seen whether Xiaomi’s foray into the notebook market pays off, especially since the outlook for the global PC market — including the one in China, where the Mi Notebook Air will be available starting August 2 — is not exactly rosy.

[irp posts=”8953″ name=”Xiaomi’s ‘MacBook killer’ now has a 4G variant”]

Laptops

Samsung Galaxy Book6 series coming to the US on March 11

Samsung’s most powerful AI PCs yet

Published

February 25, 2026

GadgetMatch

Samsung’s most advanced AI-powered PC lineup yet, the Samsung Galaxy Book6 series, will be available in the United States starting March 11.

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra, Book6 Pro, and Book6 are all powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors to deliver improved CPU, GPU, and NPU performance.

Galaxy AI features like AI Select and Intelligent Search streamline workflows, while Multi-Control and Second Screen enable seamless productivity across Galaxy devices.

Users can connect the Galaxy Book6 series to their Galaxy smartphone or tablet for multi-screen productivity. This includes accessing one’s phone storage straight from the Book6 PC.

And similar to Circle to Search on Galaxy mobile devices, the upcoming PCs have a feature wherein users can just trace whatever is on their screen and search.

In addition, the series combines ultra-thin designs with up to 30 hours of video playback.

Price, availability

Here are the pricing of the three devices under the series:

Galaxy Book6 Ultra: Starts at US$ 2,449.99
Galaxy Book6 Pro: Starts at US$ 1,599.99
Galaxy Book6: Starts at US$ 1,049.99

They will be available nationwide at Samsung.com and Samsung Experience Stores beginning on March 11. Customers who reserve early will get a US$ 30 credit.

More details will be unveiled during the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25 at 10:00 A.M. PT / 1:00 A.M. ET.

Laptops

Are you ready for a more colorful MacBook?

Apple is experimenting with quirkier colorway options for the MacBook.

Published

February 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

In recent years, Apple has relented on limiting the colors of its devices to only the more premium-looking options. Users can now pick quirkier colors for their iPhones, highlighted currently by the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Max. Soon, the same splashes of color might make its way to the MacBook lineup.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has been testing different colorway options for its upcoming entry-level MacBook. The unannounced lineup might come in pink, light yellow, light green, and blue.

It’s a big change for MacBooks. Currently, the only “quirky” option that users can get is the MacBook Air’s Sky Blue, which honestly looks more silvery than blue. Other than that, the MacBook simply seesaws from different shades of gold, silver, and black.

To be fair, the upcoming MacBook will still have the traditional colorways of the current lineup. Additionally, it’s unclear whether Apple will ultimately include all its experimental colors into the final lineup.

Reportedly, the new lineup will cost somewhere between US$ 699 to US$ 799. Of course, the lower price tag will come at the expense of some specs. Although, it should still be good if we’re talking about an entry-level laptop.

It’s even more interesting if it’s hinting at the return of truly colorful options but for the notebook. The iMac already got a similar renaissance back in 2024, which mimics the classic computer’s colorful history.

SEE ALSO: M5 MacBook Pro review

Laptops

ASUS, Acer PCs are banned in Germany

And it’s all because of Nokia.

Published

February 16, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Brands getting banned are commonplace in today’s tech landscape. These usually happen because of geopolitical reasons, especially if it’s in the United States. In Europe, brands sometimes get banned for anticompetition reasons. Today, however, a commonly used codec, HEVC, is at the center of a controversy that has led to the banning of ASUS and Acer in Germany. Even crazier, Nokia is involved.

For context, Nokia owns several patents for video codecs. One of those codecs, HEVC (or High-Efficiency Video Coding) is ubiquitous in every PC, which means that every PC maker must purchase a license to include the codec in their machines. It’s an essential these days, so it’s unusual for ASUS and Acer to miss it.

In Germany, where licensing is stricter, both companies were found guilty of infringing the patent, as reported by German outlet Hardwareluxx. As a result, ASUS and Acer must stop selling PC and laptop sales until they obtain a license from Nokia.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that the two brands have disappeared from the country. Third-party retailers can still sell their remaining stock. However, the companies cannot import or sell any new stock, pending a conclusion to the issue.

Naturally, the easiest fix is to just buy the license. Hisense, another company that found itself in the same mire, bought a license last month. Either ASUS and Acer are running into more technical issues, or they just didn’t feel the license was worth it for a single market.