Haier sent one of the laptops from its Thunderobot gaming series – the 911 Air D – to our editors. We’re starting fresh with a brand-new look at this model, outlining its features and testing how it performs under gaming workloads.
The 911 Air D sports a 15.6-inch display, an 11th-generation Core i5 processor, an NVIDIA GTX 1650 graphics card, and 8GB of RAM. Through a mix of synthetic benchmarks and real-world gaming tests, the device’s capability to handle varying loads will be assessed.
More information about the laptop
Appearance and build
The design adopts a futuristic aesthetic, featuring narrow light-blue accents and a logo embedded in the matte black chassis. The surface remains largely smooth with no noticeable ridges. Ventilation openings appear on the bottom and rear, along with the ports that support external devices. The matte finish resists fingerprint marks effectively.
Build quality feels solid, with only a subtle creak when the lid is opened or closed, possibly due to a hinge mechanism that could benefit from refinement. There are no noticeable gaps, the keyboard is securely fixed, and all body parts align precisely.
The display doesn’t hinge back beyond about 120–125 degrees. The device weighs 2.1 kg without the power brick, and its dimensions measure 35.9 x 25.3 x 2.39 cm.
Key features are integrated into the keyboard area: a large 107×62 mm touchpad, a numeric keypad, arrow keys, and an ANSI layout with a longer left Shift key and a single-row Enter. The function keys handle brightness, volume, and media controls, along with enabling or disabling Wi-Fi. This is a familiar setup for most laptops. There are no additional game-specific controls. Backlighting can be adjusted or completely turned off, and all keys respond crisply without sticking.
The 15.6-inch display runs at 1920×1080 with a 60 Hz refresh rate. The image is clear and free from glare, making it suitable for gaming and productivity. A standard 720p, 30 FPS webcam sits at the top bezel, adequate for video calls on Zoom or similar platforms.
On the left side, you’ll find a Kensington lock, RJ45 Ethernet port, USB 3.1 Gen 1, a 3.5 mm headset jack, and an SD card reader.
On the right side are the power input, HDMI, USB 3.1 Gen 1, and a USB-C port with support for DisplayPort and HDMI 1.4 or USB 3.1 Gen 1. The back panel remains unused for ports.
The speakers span the full width of the chassis above the keyboard. With Nahimic software by SteelSeries, the sound remains clear at high volume and is pleasant for most music tracks. However, bass is limited, and the audio may feel a touch hollow in complex musical passages. It’s well-suited for gaming, though audiophiles may crave more depth.
The cooling system draws air from underneath. Under light office tasks the laptop stays quiet, but under gaming load the fans become audible and noticeable.
The internals include an Intel Core i5-11260H processor with 6 cores and 12 threads, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory, 8 GB of DDR4 memory at 3200 MHz, and a Realtek RTL8168/8111 network module with Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 (upgradable to later standards in some configurations).
The primary storage is a 256 GB NVMe SSD from Kimtigo MG981K, with 237 GB available to the user. There is an empty SO-DIMM slot for RAM expansion and a free 2.5″ SATA slot for adding another drive. The currently installed drive is straightforward to replace.
Battery capacity stands at 51 Wh. With the display at maximum brightness, typical usage can run for about two hours, and gaming will shorten this significantly. The bundled power adapter is a 120W Lite-On unit.
Specifications
- Display: 15.6 inches, 1920×1080, AHVA IPS, 60Hz
- Processor: Intel Core i5-11260H
- Memory: 8GB (1x8GB) DDR4-3200 expandable
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6 Notebook
- Disk Subsystem: 256 GB NVMe SSD with free memory expansion module
- Sound: Nahimic Audio
- Connectivity: Realtek RTL8168/8111, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 with stated 5.0 support
- Connections: 1x Type-C, 2x Type-A USB3.1 Gen 1, 1x RJ45, 1x SD Express, 1x HDMI 2.0 (2K@144Hz / 4K@60Hz)
- Battery: non-removable, 51 Wh
- Dimensions: 359.2 mm (W) x 253.8 mm (D) x 23.9 mm (H)
- Weight: 2.15 kg
Performance. Synthetic Testing
The notebook underwent Cinebench R23, CPU-Z, and CrystalDiskMark benchmarking. Proof of results appeared in the accompanying screenshots.
Additional tests included 3DMark, Time Spy Extreme, Fire Strike Extreme, Wildlife Extreme, CPU Profile, Mesh Shader Bump Test, and VRS Bump Test.
Performance. Gaming Tests
Gaming tests ran at both maximum and balanced settings. With a stable power supply in the most demanding titles, CPU temperatures reached around 98 degrees Celsius and the GPU up to about 82 degrees. The central area of the keyboard heated noticeably, though the WASD zone remained cooler thanks to an efficient cooling system.
Cyberpunk 2077. Even with the latest patch, this title taxed the notebook heavily. In the highest settings, frame rates dipped to around 30 FPS, while medium settings yielded roughly 38 FPS, offering a smoother experience.
Project Cars 3. At the top settings, the frame rate hovered near 45 FPS, delivering a comfortable ride with responsive controls.
Under typical high-quality presets offered by the game, the system maintained a steady 60 FPS with rare dips.
Elden Ring. Despite patches, occasional frame drops persisted, especially during action sequences involving fire and item usage, indicating uneven optimization on certain scenes.
Overall, the maximum settings hovered around 40 FPS with minor fluctuations. On high and medium presets, frame rates stayed in the 50–60 FPS range indoors and averaged around 46 FPS in open areas.
Results and pricing
The Thunderobot 911 Air D isn’t a top-tier gaming beast, but it remains a strong contender in its segment. It’s important to manage expectations: budget hardware will handle modern titles primarily on high or medium settings, with ultra settings often out of reach. In the most demanding games, graphic levels may need to be reduced further, though the performance gap is not dramatic.
Pricing is listed on the manufacturer’s site.
The device offers a futuristic look, a responsive keyboard, fast storage, and a price tag that many buyers will find appealing.
Value buy. A laptop at a reasonable price that lets users enjoy games on medium to high settings.
Design-forward pick. The bold, science-fiction inspired body with blue accents will attract attention from enthusiasts.
Source: VG Times