The Pro model in Redmi’s Pad 2 series landed in India earlier this month, four months after its global launch. Last year, we reviewed the base model in the lineup and found it to be a great budget tablet for media consumption. Now, we turn our attention to the Pro model, which is equipped with a more powerful chipset, a bigger display, and sharper cameras. The midrange tablet comes in WiFi (Rs 24,999) and cellular (Rs 27,999) avatars. We’ve been using the latter variant for the last week for media streaming, video calling, gaming, and other routine tasks. Here is our Redmi Pad 2 Pro review.
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In This Article
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G Review: Design and Display
First, let’s take a look at what you get inside the Redmi Pad 2 Pro’s retail box:
- Tablet
- 33W power adapter
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- Quick start guide
The Pad 2 Pro gets a few cosmetic tweaks over its previous-generation (our review here) counterpart. The individual cutouts for the main camera and LED flash are now a part of a 2-step camera island. Redmi has stuck with the dual-tone colour scheme for the aluminium back panel, but the darker upper section now has a ridged texture. The lower section retains its matte finish. The ‘REDMI’ lettering can be found on the bottom left side.
The upper edge of the aluminium frame houses the volume rocker, two microphones, and SIM + SD card tray. The side button is mounted on the left edge, accompanied by two of the speakers that form a part of the quad-speaker setup on this tablet. The 3.5mm audio jack and USB-C port are sandwiched between the two speakers on the right edge of the frame. The bottom edge has been left empty.
The 12.1-inch IPS LCD panel is surrounded on all sides by thick bezels. We don’t mind this on tablets with big displays, as the bezels keep accidental touches at bay. The upper bezel houses the 8MP front-facing camera. The display has a 120Hz refresh rate and can reach 600 nits in High Brightness Mode. It is able to maintain legibility outdoors. The tablet does not have a fingerprint scanner. Your only unlocking options are password/PIN/pattern and face unlock.
We used the Redmi Pad 2 Pro as our primary media streaming device during the review period. It proved to be a great tablet for entertainment needs – its large display producing a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience. The visuals were replete with vivid colours. The 2.5K panel relays excellent details while playing HD content. The output from the quad-speaker setup is loud enough to fill a small room. The audio quality is quite rich. There is no boxiness to be heard.
There are 3 official accessories available with the Redmi Pad 2 Pro: Cover (Rs 1,499), Keyboard (Rs 3,999), and Smart Pen (Rs 3,999). We used the latter two to maximise our experience. Since there are no magnetic connectors on the tablet, the keyboard relies on a Bluetooth connection. It has its own charging port and power switch. The key caps have a nice finish and offer decent travel. The typing experience is quite satisfying. The case is fixed to one position, with no incline options. It comes with a detachable smart pen holder. However, it does not have an integrated trackpad, which, in our books, is a big miss.
The smart pen also uses Bluetooth to connect with the tablet. We did not come across any latency issues while using this stylus to take notes and draw rough sketches. However, the display did register touches from the resting palm. It didn’t amount to a big issue, but its presence was noticeable. Having said that, we would recommend this accessory to students and budding artists.
Redmi Pro 2 5G Review: Performance and Cameras
The Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 SoC lies at the heart of the Redmi Pad 2 Pro. The 5G tablet is equipped with an 8GB (LPDDR4X) RAM and comes in 2 storage (UFS 2.2) variants:
- 128GB: Rs 27,999
- 256GB: Rs 29,999
We ran a couple of benchmark tests on this tablet. Here’s how it performed.
- Geekbench 6: 1,242 (single-core) | 3,330 (multi-core)
- AnTuTu 3D: 1,038,302
The tablet puts up a fine display in everyday use. It is easily able to handle routine tasks like video calling, instant messaging, web browsing, and media streaming. Drafting emails and articles is a breeze with the keyboard case. The apps take fractionally longer to load since the UFS 2.2 configuration isn’t the fastest one out there. Multi-tasking on this device is a breeze with its LPDDR4X RAM. If your primary needs are media consumption and web browsing, this tablet has enough power to fit your usage.
We played Call of Duty Mobile and BGMI on this tablet, sticking to medium graphics and a 60fps frame rate. While the graphics weren’t as punchy as they’d be on an AMOLED display, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro managed to deliver a pleasant gaming experience. There weren’t any pesky frame drops to be seen. The back panel started warming up after 20 minutes of gaming, but it did not create any throttling issues.
The Android 15-based HyperOS 2 handled the software duties on this tablet. Xiaomi has promised 5 major OS upgrades and 6 years of security patches, which is excellent coverage for a tablet in this price range. HyperOS 2 is well-optimised for the larger form factor, offering useful features like split-screen setup and floating windows for apps. You can browse Reddit on one pane while watching live football on the other. We highly recommend getting a folio case to maximise your viewing experience.
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro comes with basic AI features for photo-editing. You can use the native image editor to remove objects and highlights from your pictures. On top of that, the device runs Google’s Gemini Assistant and Circle to Search out of the box. If you own a Xiaomi/Redmi smartphone, you get access to internconnecitivty features for seamless sharing.
The Pad 2 Pro packs a larger battery than its predecessor. The 12,000mAh battery pack can last up to 2 days on a full charge. The overnight battery drain is very minimal. If you intend to keep this tablet in your house as an entertainment device, this battery pack can hold enough juice to meet your demands. The 33W power adapter provided in the box takes 2 hours to fully charge the tablet.
The 13MP rear camera takes fine pictures in outdoor daylight conditions. The images are clear and vibrant. While they are not as sharp and detailed as pictures taken with a midrange smartphone, they do the job of taking the odd shot when you don’t have your phone on you. In limited lighting conditions, the Night Mode is able to illuminate the shots, but a fair bit of noise manages to creep into the images.
The front-facing 8MP camera takes good selfies in natural and artificial lighting. The images are on the softer side, but they showcase good colours. The camera does a good job on video calls and conferences. The two cameras on this tablet are capable of recording 1,080p and 720p videos at 30fps.
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Verdict
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro ticks all the essential boxes for a midrange tablet. Its large 12.1-inch display met our entertainment needs, offering a fine viewing experience across all the major OTT apps. We were very impressed by the rich audio output produced by the quad-speaker setup. Another thing we like about this tablet is that it still offers a 3.5mm jack to plug in your headphones. On top of that, you get the old-school hybrid SIM tray that supports microSD cards with a storage capacity of up to 1TB.
When it comes to performance, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset doesn’t leave you hanging for power. It goes through everyday tasks like a hot knife through butter. Its gaming performance doesn’t disappoint either. To tie things up, the 12,000mAh battery pack offers enough juice to last 2 days.
Pros
- Big display
- Good processor
- Smart Pen does not lag
- Great software support
Cons
- Keyboard case does not have a trackpad
- Runs Android 15 out of the box
