MSI shows off X340 and X320 ultra-thin notebooks

The X340 and X320 bear a close resemblance to Apple's MacBook Air

MSI has announced that its ultra-thin X340 and X320 notebooks will be released in the UK at the end of May.

In size, design and weight, the new laptops ape the Apple MacBook Air. Both the MSI models weigh 1.3Kg and measure 330mm x 224mm x 19.8mm, tapering to only 6mm at the front edge. This is slightly thicker than the MacBook Air’s thinnest point at 4mm.

The X340 and X320 both offer widescreen 13.4in displays and, while they have no inbuilt media drives, an external Blu-ray drive is offered as an option at just under £200. Connectivity includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and both models boast webcams, 2GB of DDR2 memory and a two-in-one memory card reader.

The X340 is MSI's first model based on Intel's Centrino Ultra Low Voltage processor, and comes with a 320GB hard drive. The X320 includes a 250GB hard drive and a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor.

The laptops will be sold through the MicroAnvica web site, according to MSI.

The X340 is expected to cost in the region of £850, while the X320 will be priced around £650.