Buying a low-cost Android tablet is a chore, let’s face it. You never know what you’re getting yourself into. If you like how it looks, the hardware doesn’t do it justice. The software is a mess if you get the right hardware and design. You can’t have everything. We generally recommend the entry-level iPad for everyone, regardless of their status; however, with the 10th generation model, we recognize that this may no longer be the case (the Rs 44,900 base price simply does not cut it). As you might expect, this basically means that we are back at the beginning.
However, there is always a silver lining, right? The Redmi Pad from Xiaomi is that glimmer of hope. This tablet costs just under Rs 20,000, which, given its feature set, seems like a great deal on paper. However, for reasons we’ll discuss in this review, you might want to avoid that and instead invest in one of the more expensive models. You get a sleek metal body, a high-resolution screen with a fast 90Hz refresh rate, a capable processor, quad speakers, a large battery, and a pretty well-off user experience that all work together well. After all, it turns out that you can have it all.
Display & Design
The Redmi Pad would, in all the right ways, remind you of the iPad. The squared-off edges, top-seated power button, landscape speakers, and even the physical dimensions (approximately 7mm and 450g) are all very similar to those of an iPad. Whether you like it or not, there is also no headphone jack. One could always argue that there are only so many ways to make a rectangular slab, and there is a good chance that you will make mistakes, especially if you want to save money. Fortunately, Xiaomi made good use of all that inspiration.
It would be hard to tell that this tablet is cheap. It appears to be much more expensive than it actually is. In addition, it feels nice and high-quality from every angle. While maintaining a solid and reassuring appearance, the metal construction adds some flair. However, contrary to its spec sheet, it is not even remotely heavy. No matter which way you hold the tablet, it doesn’t feel too big or too small. This means that you can actually hold it for longer periods of time without feeling awkward, unlike with most tablets.
bringing us to the display.
The 10.61-inch display on the Redmi Pad seems to strike a good balance between portability and productivity, in our opinion. It is more than ideal for the expected TG. The LCD panel has a 2K resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels, a 15:9 aspect ratio, and a peak brightness of up to 400 nits. In case you were wondering, off-axis viewing is not a significant issue in this case. It can also go above and beyond in certain situations. For instance, a tablet with a refresh rate of 90 Hz is uncommon in this price range. The Redmi Pad’s screen has some “smart” features as well, including the ability to periodically make dynamic adjustments to extend battery life.
The camera placement is one area where Xiaomi has outperformed Apple. The front camera on the Redmi Pad—it has 8 megapixels—is positioned in landscape, as it should be, rather than portrait, as is the norm for tablets. Through a software update, Xiaomi claims to be bringing a feature called Focus Frame to the Redmi Pad in the coming days. This feature will enable the camera to also track your movement and widen the field of view by up to 105 degrees in order to keep the subject or subjects in the frame. In theory, this appears to be somewhat comparable to Apple’s Centre Stage, but we were unable to test it because it is currently unavailable.
Battery Life & Performance
The software experience of the Redmi Pad is also unlike anything else in this price range. even according to Xiaomi’s standards. MIUI 13 for Pad, which is based on Android 12, is used on the tablet. There are three major conclusions.
Except perhaps for its Android One phones of yore; the interface is the cleanest we’ve seen on any Xiaomi product to date and is free of bloatware and spammy notifications.
On top of that, you get a decent list of tablet features like a split screen, floating, and multi-window support. An iPad-like dock has also been added at the bottom by Xiaomi, allowing users to pin apps and quickly access the most recent ones from the home screen.
The tablet is eligible for two additional Android versions and three years of security updates (13, 14).
If you ask us, that gives Xiaomi a triple advantage over its competitors. But the Redmi Pad’s behavior is even more important. Obviously, MediaTek’s Helio G99, the underlying hardware, has a lot to do with this, but it may be one of the few occasions when everything works perfectly, which is rare for budget Android tablets and Android tablets in general.
The Redmi Cushion is just restricted by Android’s own deficiencies which is to say from time to time some application would simply neglect to resize richly or have all the earmarks of being blown/loosened up to fit a specific window or direction. Even though those instances disrupt the overall sense of unity, the Redmi Pad’s low price and Xiaomi’s determination to provide the best Android experience possibly make it easy to overlook those peculiarities. Because when this budget tablet works, things don’t run; rather, they fly, which is quite remarkable.
Even though the hardware is quite capable of basic use, multitasking, and even some gaming, before purchasing the Redmi Pad, you might want to be sure of your use case. The entry-level model with 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM should be sufficient for most multimedia use. Since the tablet is compatible with micro-SD, long-term storage won’t be a problem. However, if you want to multitask, Xiaomi explicitly states that models with 4GB of RAM or more will only support split screen, floating, and multi-window. If you don’t have much money, we think you should at least get the 4GB/128GB model instead of the base model.
During our testing, battery life was generally satisfactory. The 8,000mAh battery inside the Redmi Cushion should endure most clients daily and a half to two days to some extent on moderate use. The tablet can be charged quickly with 18W.
Should You Buy It ?
The Redmi Pad is like the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max for smartphones on tablets. Every subsequent tablet will be measured against this new standard, the gold standard. The Redmi Pad has virtually no competition, as the entry-level iPad will embark on a brand-new journey with the 2022 model. It is, to a large extent, the most cost-effective tablet currently available.