Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 Tablet: A Comprehensive Review

The Wintel alliance, once thought to be unbreakable, has crumbled with the rise of smartphones and the surge in sales of ARM processors. The gap in performance between ARM and X86 processors has become increasingly evident, with ARM processors outperforming X86 by several orders of magnitude. In response to this change, Microsoft has been working to seamlessly integrate ARM and the Windows ecosystem.

This shift is exemplified by the evolution of the Surface RT and Surface Pro X. The Surface RT, first released a decade ago, was equipped with an ARM processor and could not run any X86 applications. However, the latest generation of Surface Pro X can now run 64-bit X86 programs, demonstrating the progress that has been made in integrating ARM into the Windows ecosystem.

Let’s take a closer look at the impressive configuration of the Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 tablet!

Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 processor:

The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 is built using 7nm process technology and adopts ARM architecture. The CPU consists of four Cortex-A76 large cores and four Cortex-A76 energy-efficient cores, and the GPU is the Adreno 690. This processor offers an 18% improvement in performance compared to the mobile version of the 10th generation i5, yet with a maximum power consumption of only 7W, it is less than 1/3 of the latter. It is important to note that Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 is not the same as Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, as they are two distinct models.

High brightness and high color gamut screen:

The Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 tablet features a 12.4-inch 2.5K Super Retina touch screen. With a static contrast ratio of 1500:1 and a brightness of over 500nit, this screen is easily readable even in bright outdoor light. This is a significant advantage, as most notebooks priced below 5000 yuan have a screen brightness below 300.

In addition, the screen has a 100% sRGB color gamut, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and 90 NTSC color gamut. The screen is also factory calibrated for color accuracy, with a Delta E<2, making it an exceptional value for its price of 2999 yuan. In fact, there are very few screens available at this price point that can compare, even with the Surface Pro X SQ2 priced at 8000 yuan.

38.08Wh lithium battery and 13 hours battery life:

The Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 tablet is equipped with a 38.08Wh lithium battery, which is equivalent to 10300mAh on a mobile phone. This capacity is close to that of a 13-inch thin and light notebook. Combined with the low power consumption of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 processor, the tablet can achieve a comprehensive battery life of 13 hours, even with its ultra-high brightness screen.

Full-size magnetic backlit keyboard:

Unlike other 2-in-1 tablets, such as the Surface, the Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 comes standard with a full-size magnetic suction backlit keyboard, eliminating the need for additional expenditures. The keyboard is full-sized and the keycaps have a 0.3mm curved surface concave design, ensuring comfortable and accurate typing for long periods. The size and spacing of the keys are consistent with a notebook, with a standard spacing of 19mm and a keystroke of 1.5mm. With this keyboard, the Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 tablet can easily switch between tablet and notebook.

Design

The Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 is a highly compact and lightweight device, making it an ideal choice for those who are always on the go. Its tablet state weighs only 685g and has a thickness of 8.95mm, making it easy to carry around. The magnetic keyboard, back clip, and gallium nitride fast charge do not add too much weight to the device as the total weight of the device is only 1.1kg.

The 12.4-inch display of this 2-in-1 device is nothing short of impressive, with a resolution of 2560*1600 and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The brightness of the screen can exceed 500nit, the contrast ratio is 1500:1, and it supports DC dimming. The screen uses a 100% sRGB color gamut, 100% P3 color gamut, and 90% NTSC color gamut, ensuring that the colors displayed are accurate with a Delta E<2.

One of the standout features of this device is its front-facing 5-megapixel camera, which supports Windows Hello, allowing you to unlock the device with facial recognition. The symmetrical speakers on the left and right sides of the device are equipped with dual microphones and support Qualcomm Aqstic audio technology, as well as echo cancellation and noise suppression functions.

The back of the Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 is made of metal frosting, with the “XiaoMI” Logo in the middle and a row of certification labels below. There is also a 13-megapixel rear camera in the upper left corner, which supports autofocus. The device comes with a magnetic back clip, and the main interfaces and buttons are located on the right side of the device, including a speaker, volume key, power key, 3.5mm headset, and a Type-C interface, as well as a Micro SD card slot.

The magnetic keyboard of this device is made of a leather-like material, which is not only skin-friendly but also provides better friction on the desktop to prevent sliding. The device comes with a 65W GaN fast charging and a 1.5mm Type-C charging cable. The charging head has a USB-A and a Type-C interface, and the A port supports 5V2.4A, 9V2A, and 12V1.5A with a maximum charging power of 18W, while the C port supports 5V3A, 9V3A, 11V5A, 12V3A, 15V3A, and 20V3.25A, with a maximum charging power of 65W. This charging head can also be used to fast charge mobile phones, making it an ideal choice for travelers.

Display

The XiaoMI Book 12.4 2-in-1 boasts a high-quality Super Retina screen measuring 12.4 inches. To thoroughly test its performance, we utilized the Starscream x tool to measure its color gamut coverage and brightness contrast. The results were impressive, with 100% sRGB color gamut coverage, 90% AdobeRGB color gamut, 99% P3 color gamut, and 89% NTSC color gamut. This exceeds the color gamut standard of most professional graphics monitors.

In terms of brightness, the screen measured a maximum of 521nit, which is nearly twice as bright as a typical notebook screen. The contrast ratio was also noteworthy at 1500:1. The average Delta-E value of the screen was 1.3, with the highest value being 2.44 and the lowest being 0.75. These results indicate that this screen produces a high-quality and accurate color display.

Battery life

For battery life, we conducted a straightforward test by watching a 4K video on station B. We adjusted the screen brightness to 40% (260nit) and observed the battery performance. After 2 hours and 17 minutes of continuous video playback, the battery had only dropped by 12%. This suggests that the XiaoMI Book 12.4 2-in-1 can last up to 10 hours of 4K video playback on a single charge.

Performance

In terms of the system experience, the Xiaomi Book 12.4 2-in-1 performed exceptionally well. Office applications, such as Word, ran smoothly, and there were no issues playing 4K online video. The notebook also did well during a 48-minute video conference using Tencent Conference, with a CPU usage rate of 30% and no overheating issues. To our surprise, even the demanding game League of Legends could be played smoothly, with a frame rate of close to 60FPS under high-quality 1080P settings. Although, when cleaning, the frame rate did drop to around 34FPS.

Verdict

Most of the notebooks on the market that cost less than 3,000 yuan rely on outdated processors, which unfortunately leads to poor power efficiency. When using these older notebooks to run demanding applications such as Tencent Video, users will often experience a significant increase in heat output. However, this problem is not present in the XiaoMI Book 12.4 2-in-1 tablet.

Thanks to its Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 processor, the XiaoMI Book 12.4 2-in-1 boasts a low-power ARM architecture that not only reduces heat generation but also enhances battery life. Even when playing 4K high-definition videos on station B, this tablet can last for up to 10 hours of continuous use. Even with heavy usage, it can still be charged once a day.

When it comes to application compatibility, the XiaoMI Book 12.4 2-in-1 can run common software such as QQ, WeChat, Office, WPS, and Tencent Meeting with ease. It even supports popular games such as LOL, although the frame rate may be slightly lower (around 34FPS).

While the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 processor can support some 64-bit X86 applications, it is unfortunate that it cannot run larger programs such as those in the Adobe family or other large-scale 64-bit programs. It is hoped that Microsoft will address these compatibility issues in the future.

For those looking for a notebook for online classes, online videos, and daily office work, the XiaoMI Book 12.4 2-in-1 tablet is an excellent option. Not only is it thin and light, with a thickness of less than 9mm and a net weight of less than 700g, but it also supports ten-point touch. Furthermore, its screen boasts an impressive 500nit brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and 1500:1 contrast ratio. It is hard to find a notebook with such features, especially considering its budget-friendly price of less than 3,000 yuan. In fact, even notebooks that cost 5,000 yuan may not have a screen as advanced as this one, and the 8,000-yuan Surface Pro X may not even offer this level of screen quality.

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