Xiaomi is best known for its mobile phones, but the Chinese company also sells other devices, including smart speakers, home security accessories, wearables and headphones. For some time now, its catalog has also included the 12.4-inch Xiaomi Book S tablet, sold for 699.99 euros. There are also two accessories to accompany the tablet: the Xiaomi keyboard at 149.99 euros and which turns the tablet into a 2-in-1 machine, as well as the Xiaomi Smart Pen at 99.90 euros. We were able to test the three devices together, for a total price of 950 euros.
Powered by the Qualcomm Arm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 SoC, the tablet comes with Windows 11S. The device is not for those looking for a powerful computer, but there are some interesting ideas for those who want to acquire an efficient 2-in-1 machine.
The machine is divided into three parts, the tablet (which weighs 720 g), the keyboard (317 g) and a stand sold as an option.
Features
- Operating system : Windows 11 (Smode)
- Processor : Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage : 256 GB
- Screen : 12.35 inch LCD touch screen
- Resolution : WQHD+ (2560 x 1600, 16:10, 244ppi)
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- Brightness: 500nits
- Color space: 100% DCI-P3
- Angle of vision : 178°
- Screen protection: Gorilla Glass 3
- Ports: USB-C, 3.5mm audio out
- Connectors: TF card slot
- Rear camera module: 13MP
- webcam: 1080p (Windows Hello compatible)
- Bluetooth: 5.1
- Wireless : WiFi 5 (802.11ac)
- Autonomy (claimed): 13.4 hours
- Dimensions: 294 x 197 x 8.95mm
- Weight : 720g
- In the box : Xiaomi Book S 12.4 inch Quick Start Guide
- Accessories : Xiaomi Smart Pen (99.90 euros), Xiaomi Book S 12-inch keyboard (149.99 euros).
- Price : €699.99
A machine running Windows 11S
It is important to note that the Xiaomi Book S 12.4 uses Windows 11 S mode. An OS that, according to Microsoft, is “designed for security and performance, while offering a familiar Windows experience”.
The S allows users to download apps only from the Microsoft Store, and the only browser allowed is Microsoft Edge. You can exit S mode if you want, but you can’t go back afterwards.
We kept the machine in S mode for the duration of this test, in order to judge the device as it will arrive in the hands of users. However, this means that we did not have access to certain applications, in particular the Geekbench 5 benchmark application.
A well-built 2-in-1
Image: Sandra Vogel/ZDNET.
The shell of the device is made of plastic and is encircled by an alloy of aluminum and magnesium. Although it looks quite sturdy, it can be useful to install a protective cover when traveling – especially since the screen is only Gorilla Glass 3.
The kickstand magnetically sticks to the back of the tablet quite effectively, and the keyboard part also has a strong magnet connection. We never had the impression that the accessories were going to come apart during transport. However, as with all devices of this type, it is impossible to work on your knees or on another non-flat surface. It is also not possible to change the angle of the keyboard.
The keyboard (optional) of the Xiaomi Book S 12.4 inches is also comfortable to use. The keys are large, with great travel and good feedback for a keyboard of this type. They emit only a slight thud when in use. QWERTY keys and special keys all have a slight bend, but the row fn and other function keys, like tab, caps lock, shift, backspace, and enter, and the entire bottom row are flat. Visually, the appearance is somewhat disjointed, but that makes little difference to typing speed and accuracy.
Image, sound and connectivity
The 12.4-inch screen is surrounded by thin bezels. The 2560 x 1600 px (244 ppi) panel has an aspect ratio of 16:10. The 60Hz refresh rate is barely sufficient, but the maximum brightness of 500 nits allows this tablet to be used outdoors without a problem. Colorimetric support is good, with Xiaomi claiming 100% DCI-P3 coverage.
The touchscreen is easy to use, and Xiaomi also provides an optional Smart Pen that attaches to the left edge with magnets. The device charges wirelessly when stuck to it. There’s no permanent slot for the stylus though, so you’ll have to be careful not to misplace it.
The various ports and connectors are all on the tablet. One of the slices hosts volume buttons, a power button, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, a MicroSD card slot and one of the two speaker grilles. The other grid is on the other slice. The machine has a 1080 p webcam for video calls, while another 13 MP photo module is present on the back. There’s no fingerprint sensor, but face authentication via Windows Hello is available via the webcam.
The audio output from the speakers is of good quality and offers a reasonable volume. There’s not much to complain about the sound, except bass that could be stronger.
Performance and autonomy
The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 chip is aided by 8GB of RAM. The machine handled the tasks we gave it – serving content in the browser and writing to web apps – without flinching, but these are low-level workloads. As mentioned earlier, we weren’t able to run Geekbench 5 to see how the Xiaomi Book S fared against other tablets. Using the Geekbench browser, however, one can see that the single-core scores are around 750, while the multi-core scores are around 2,900. These results are, unsurprisingly, in the same range as the HP’s Elite Folio, which uses the same chipset.
The internal storage space is 256 GB, which should be enough for daily uses. In addition, it is possible to add space via the MicroSD card slot.
Xiaomi touts up to 13 hours of battery life and provides a 65W charger in the box. In our tests, we worked for three hours with a fully charged battery. Following this, the tablet still showed 61% charge, which suggests a total autonomy between 7 and 8 hours.
When the battery reached 28%, we plugged in the tablet. After 15 minutes, the battery was back up to 40%. After another 15 minutes, it reached 53%, and after 45 minutes, 66%. The charger heats up quite noticeably during this phase.
Conclusion
The 12.4-inch Xiaomi Book S is a compact and well-built device. The keyboard is comfortable to use (although its angle cannot be changed) and the screen offers good brightness. The 1080p webcam quality is good, and there’s a MicroSD card slot for adding storage. Windows S mode is automatically installed, but it is possible to deactivate it for free (however, it is impossible to return to it later).
Cons include less durable Gorilla Glass 3 than newer displays, a modestly performing processor, no pen slot, a lack of ports and connectors, and no support for 4G/5G.
All in all, the Xiaomi Book S 12.4 may be fine for undemanding users, but the small screen and mid-range specs mean it’s not powerful enough to handle heavy workloads.
Xiaomi Book S 12.4 inch – Best prices:
Amazon699.99
Amazon Marketplace764.95
Alternatives
At 950 euros (with all accessories), the 12.4-inch Xiaomi Book S is well placed against its Windows Arm competitors. Microsoft’s 13-inch Surface Pro X, featuring the SQ1 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, Surface Pro Keyboard and Surface Slim Pen 2, costs over $1,000.
HP’s 13.5-inch Elite Folio, with similar specs, will set you back about the same.
If you want to pry beyond the Windows ecosystem, you can get a 10.2-inch iPad with Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard for under $700.
Source: ZDNet.com