Xiaomi’s entry into the tablet market saw a golden run last year with the release of the Pad 5. The brand was also surprised by the overwhelming response the device received, which flew off the shelves in minutes. The supply was unable to meet the demand. Xiaomi is back this year with the Xiaomi Pad 6, riding on that success. Taking cues from the Pad 5’s response, the brand claims we can expect a different experience here. So, are these modifications incremental? And can it compete with the likes of the OnePlus Pad or the mighty iPad Pro? This is addressed in my review.
Price
The Xiaomi Pad 6 will be available in two models. Price of the variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage is INR26,999. Then there’s a INR 28,999 variant with the same 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The keyboard case and smart pen 2 are available separately for INR 4,999 and INR 5,999, respectively. The new Xiaomi Pad and its accessories are available from Amazon and Xiaomi’s own D2C website.
Design
The blueprint for the latest Xiaomi Pad was established last year. Since then, the Pad 6 has not only felt more premium, but also lighter in the hand. The weight distribution is commendable, and regardless of size, I had no trouble keeping a grip on it. The flat edges also aid in better grip, which the iPad is well known for.
Xiaomi appears to be drawing inspiration for the tablet camera module from their flagship smartphones. The camera module on the Pad 5 resembled that of the 11 Pro, while that on the Pad 6 resembled that of the Xiaomi 13 Pro. Given the massive real estate on the back, it appears subtle here, but there is some wobble. Something that quickly fades away. The tablet’s build quality is also satisfactory. It has an IP53 dust and water resistance rating, which is useful if you travel with your devices. The Xiaomi Pad 6 lacks a fingerprint scanner.
Display
The Xiaomi Pad 6 has an 11-inch 2.8K display. It has an IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 1800×2880 pixels. Xiaomi has addressed the bezel issue this time, as they are slimmer than what we saw last year. This is a welcome change, but it is still an LCD panel, not an OLED. The viewing experience on the Xiaomi Pad 6 is similar to that of the Pad 5. The display’s vibrant illumination and capacity to render natural colours while preserving intricate details explains itself. It should be noted, however, that the black levels, particularly in the corners, could be improved, despite the fact that this is a common feature of LCD screens.
Across all compatible apps, the Xiaomi Pad 6 supports HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos. So, if you’re primarily interested in using the tablet to watch content, you’re in good hands.
Smart Pen 2
To go along with this display, we have the newly designed Xiaomi Smart Pen 2. The design change is functional, with two hard press buttons for added convenience. The SmartPen 2 is more democratic in its usage, from clicking screenshots to switching between different pen styles. It’s also very responsive, whether you’re taking notes or doodling in general. You can also design with it, which is especially useful given the battery life of 150 hours. Furthermore, a minute of charging can provide you with 7 hours of battery life.
Software
Xiaomi Pad 6 has MiUi 14 skin and runs Android 13. MiUi is optimised for tablets here, as we saw on the Xiaomi Pad 5. Xiaomi has managed to keep what I liked about the Xiaomi Pad 5 last year in this iteration. Some extra features are included as a bonus; many of them are useful, but some are not. Before we get there, the MiUi 14 looks great on the tablet, and the lack of bloatware is always appreciated. It retains its usability, requiring little effort to understand how it works.
In the UI, we’re now moving on to the upgrades. You can open up to two apps on the screen at the same time, just like last year. While that was excellent given the screen size, you can now pin another app to the top and move it around. This is very useful for workflow management. For instance, I keep a spreadsheet for our Amazon Live Streams. This necessitates addition, table creation, and the use of video files. I could get rid of my laptop and do everything on the Xiaomi Pad 6.
Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC in the Xiaomi Pad 6 is a two-year-old processor. While individuals may object to the processor’s relevance in this context and claim that it is too old, I tend to disagree. The new processor argument works better with a smartphone than a tablet. Mostly because the use case for a tablet is relatively limited. While there may be other reasons to avoid the Xiaomi Pad 6, the processor should not be one of them. Moving on to the actual performance output of the Pad 6, I can summarise it in one word: excellent. The tablet is capable of performing routine tasks easily.
Camera
The camera on the tablet is useful for two things: video calls and document scanning. The Xiaomi Pad 6 excels in these areas, as it did last year. Its main camera has a 13MP resolution and can capture decent images. While the main camera can shoot 4K videos at 30 frames per second, the results are disappointing. The front camera is an 8MP shooter that works well for video calls.
Verdict
The Xiaomi Pad 6 strengthens the brand’s future in the tablet market. The upgrades are mostly incremental, but they can be useful in the right situation. The design and user interface stand out. The smart pen 2 enhances the experience by making it simple to interact with. However, if you don’t want to compromise on performance, consider the OnePlus Pad.
