RedmiBook is interesting in our market at least because it is the first redmibook officially sold in Russia. But, besides this, he has something to interest: as is typical for Xiaomi devices, the cost of the novelty is relatively low – at the time of writing the review, the model with Core i3 and 256 GB storage costs 39,990 rubles (Redmi Buds 3 headphones as a gift), and the version with Core i5 and 512 GB of memory is priced at 49,990 rubles (as a gift for Redmi Buds 3 Pro). It is all the more interesting to evaluate what this kind of debut “redmibook” is capable of.
Specifications
- Display: 15.6 inches, 1920×1080 pixels, 220 nits, 90° viewing angle (horizontal).
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 (3.0GHz, 2 cores, 4 threads, 6MB cache) or 11th Gen Intel Core i5-11320H (4.5GHz, 4 cores, 8 threads, 8 MB cache).
- Video Card: Intel Iris UHD Graphics or Intel Iris Xe Graphics.
- RAM: 8 GB, DDR4, 3200 MHz.
- Storage: 256 or 512 GB SSD.
- Front camera: 720p.
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 5 2.4/5 GHz.
- Battery:
- Ports: 1× HDMI 1.4, 2× USB 3.2 Gen1, 1× USB 2.0, 1× Kensington lock, 1× RJ45, 1× optical digital audio output, 1× headphone jack, 1× SD slot.
- Preinstalled operating system: Windows 11 Home.
- Dimensions: 363.8 x 243.5 x 19.9 mm.
- Weight: 1.8 kg.
Design and build quality
The design of the RedmiBook 15 is quite simple. We can say that its appearance is inspired by all-metal competitors from higher price segments, and it all looks quite simple. However, in spite of everything, he was well thought of. With a simple top cover engraved with subtle Redmi branding, it’s sure to be a hit with minimalists.
There is no large sticker with the technical characteristics of the laptop, and instead, only two miniature badges on the case, located in the corner.
You immediately feel that the case is really plastic, thanks to its smooth and flat surface. Luckily, it doesn’t feel like it will break easily – on the contrary, it seems to be able to withstand daily use.
The top cover opens with one hand by about 90%, and with practice it will be possible to open it completely.
The laptop has rather thin dimensions and rather small weight. It even fits in my 14-inch laptop bag, but without much room.
As for connectors, we appreciate that this laptop has a lot of them, but their choice could be a little better. There are three USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, an RJ45 LAN port, a 3.5mm combo audio port, and a full-sized SD card reader. Unfortunately, there is no USB-C connector.
Keyboard and trackpad
The RedmiBook 15 features a full-size keyboard that looks a little ordinary without any backlighting or fancy features. The plastic keycaps feel relatively rough to the touch, which is similar to the implementation in other entry-level laptops.
Luckily, the key spacing is quite generous, and each press feels good. A little unexpected for me, but this laptop is really comfortable to type on. I actually wrote this review on it and didn’t run into any of the issues I expected to experience (such as accidentally pressing the power button).
People who don’t prefer to plug in an external mouse will also enjoy using the trackpad on the RedmiBook 15. It’s huge and has good cursor tracking. Tap and swipe gestures are also responsive, making navigating the Windows user interface a breeze.
Display
The 15.6-inch Full HD display has a matte anti-glare finish and is framed by fairly thin bezels, with a 720p webcam on top.
This is a fairly average display for an entry-level laptop. Color rendition leaves much to be desired. It often looks faded and it’s hard to tell which color you’re looking at as it differs depending on the viewing angle.
It took me a while to find the optimal viewing angle, but I found that the best way to view was to push the display far back at an angle of 100 to 110 degrees. But even this does not make the entire screen perfectly clear. In addition, if you deviate slightly from the axis, then it will be even more difficult for the eyes to concentrate.
I don’t recommend doing photo editing or color grading on this monitor, but web browsing and other tasks that aren’t particularly affected by screen quality will be fine.
Performance
Xiaomi RedmiBook 15, which we have been using for about a month, is equipped with a 10nm Intel Core i3 processor, it has 2 cores and 4 threads, and a clock speed of 3 GHz. The graphics card is Intel UHD Graphics, the RAM is 8 GB, and the storage is 256 GB. The specs aren’t too special. However, in our opinion, this is enough for school / university and office tasks that do not require too much computing.
Redmibook 15 provides three familiar performance modes, namely: Silent (quiet), Balance (balanced) and Turbo (maximum). You can select the appropriate mode with the FN + K keys. We can also set it from the BIOS. According to the official information on the Xiaomi website, the RedmiBook processor frequency can be increased from 3 GHz to 4.1 GHz using the Turbo mode. To test this claim, we tested the RedmiBook 15 with PCMark and 3DMark. By the way, all tests were carried out in the maximum mode.
The RedmiBook test results above are not bad when compared to other laptops at a similar price.
Sound
For sound reproduction, we get two 2-watt speakers with DTS function, located under the device. They sound mediocre, especially when playing music, but they are enough for an online conversation.
They are quiet, but the left/right sound panning is noticeable in games.
autonomy
In Balanced Battery Mode, we managed to achieve approximately six hours. We think this is a pretty good result for a laptop of this size. But we could probably squeeze in another hour or more if we were running in power-saving mode or holding back some tasks.
In terms of charging, the included 65W adapter was able to charge the RedmiBook 15 from 11% to 22% in 15 minutes. A full charge took 2 hours and 46 minutes, which is also not unusual.
Review
Despite some shortcomings, we think the RedmiBook 15 strikes the right balance in many ways. The minimalist design, large trackpad, good keyboard and sufficient performance are undoubtedly its main selling points.
In our opinion, people of different professions as professionals (application developers, writers, teachers and even students) will be able to appreciate it. It has just about everything it takes to be a powerful and affordable creative work companion – it’s just a pity that the display holds it back a lot.
For the price it sells for, there are other options with less performance but better displays. Still, if your priorities fit into the categories mentioned, I think the RedmiBook 15 is definitely worth considering.
This is a combined translation of reviews from GadgetMatch and World Today News.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
