Xiaomi introduced two affordable laptops! They entice with a 120Hz display and a large battery

Most of us associate the Redmi brand primarily with affordable smartphones and headphones, but Xiaomi has also been offering laptops under this name for several years. Now, two new additions to the Redmi Book 2026 series have joined the lineup, intended to serve as a more affordable alternative to the more expensive Xiaomi Book Pro series.

Main draw: 120 Hz display

Xiaomi is evidently well aware that the average customer in a store judges a laptop by its display. And the new Redmi Books have a lot to offer there. The smaller of the two, Redmi Book 14 2026, comes with a 14″ panel with a resolution equivalent to 1800p, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 120 Hz refresh rate. 500 nits brightness, 100% sRGB coverage, and full DC dimming are a nice bonus for a more affordable laptop.

The larger Redmi Book 16 2026 isn’t quite as impressive. Yes, it also has a 120Hz panel with 1600p resolution, but with a brightness of only 400 nits. This can be noticeable when working outdoors or by a sunny window.

A small disappointment awaits inside

However, once we look away from the display, the euphoria quickly fades. Xiaomi has equipped both laptops with the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor, which is a mainstream representative of the Meteor Lake architecture. However, this generation has been on the market since the end of 2023, and Intel has since released two successors – first the energy-efficient Lunar Lake series and this year the even more powerful Panther Lake. Seeing an older caliber chip in a model line designated for 2026 is therefore at least a strange decision.

The rest of the configuration brings no major surprises. The processor is accompanied by up to 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM with a speed of 7,467 MT/s and an SSD storage on the PCIe 4.0 bus with a capacity of up to 1 TB. The Redmi Book 14 weighs around 1.49 kg, while the larger 16-inch model weighs 1.86 kg. Both house an 80Wh battery, and a 100W GaN charger is included in the box.

Yes, you read that right – both models have the same battery despite the 16-inch model having a two-inch larger display and logically demanding more power. Therefore, battery life will almost certainly be noticeably shorter on the larger diagonal.

Only for the Chinese market, others are out of luck

But let’s get to the key point – prices. The Redmi Book 14 2026 starts at 5,499 CNY, which is roughly 17,000 CZK at the current exchange rate. The sixteen-inch model will be slightly more expensive, specifically 5,699 CNY, or about 17,600 CZK. These amounts cannot be taken as definitive, as both laptops are aimed purely at the Chinese domestic market, and there is no official path to Europe.

Anyone who still wanted to acquire a Redmi Book 2026 would have to rely on grey importers, an unfriendly Chinese keyboard, pre-installed Chinese Windows, and, hyperbolically speaking, a prayer that nothing needs to be claimed under warranty. This is unfortunately the reality for practically all Xiaomi laptops.

However, in the context of the Chinese market, the new Redmi Books make sense. They are noticeably cheaper than the higher-end Xiaomi Book Pro 2026 series, and for an undemanding user who cares about the display, a decent body, and basic office performance, they can be an interesting choice.

What do you think of the new Redmi laptops?

Source: notebookcheck