Xiaomi made a splash in the tablet market last year with the launch of the Pad 6. Along with the OnePlus Pad, the Xiaomi Pad 6 was one of the best Android tablets to come out in 2023. Last month, the Chinese manufacturer launched a new tablet under the Redmi banner. While Redmi is supposed to be an affordable subsidiary of Xiaomi, the 5G variant of the Pad Pro matches the price of the Xiaomi Pad 6. The WiFi-only variant is Rs 3,000 cheaper. If you’re browsing Xiaomi’s catalogue and can’t decide which tablet to go for, this review of the Redmi Pad Pro 5G will make your choice easier. We also recommend reading our review of the Xiaomi Pad 6. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!
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In This Article
Redmi Pad Pro 5G Review: Design and Display
One of the better things about buying a Xiaomi or Redmi product is that it doesn’t skimp on the essential accessories. Here’s what you get inside Redmi Pad Pro’s retail box:
- Tablet
- 33W adapter
- USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- SIM ejector
- Quick start guide
The flip cover for this tablet costs Rs 1,500 while the Bluetooth keyboard and Smart Pen fetch Rs 4,000 each. In comparison, the Xiaomi Pad 6’s keyboard and Smart Pen (2nd-gen) cost Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 respectively. The flip covers for the two tablets cost the same amount.
Redmi Pad Pro’s design language is different from that of its Xiaomi counterpart. It has a segmented back panel and two individual cutouts for the camera and LED flash. A polycarbonate strip runs around these cutouts, covering 1/5th of the width of the tablet. The rest of the back panel is made out of aluminium. Both segments have a matte texture, which elevates the in-hand feel of the device.
The aluminium frame houses the quad speaker setup along its shorter edges. The USB Type-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack are positioned between the two speaker grilles on the right edge while the power button is placed on the top half on the left edge. This power button does not double up as a fingerprint scanner. The tablet does not have an under-display fingerprint scanner either. The bottom edge of the Pad Pro is keyless while the top edge has the volume rocker keys, primary and secondary microphones, and the hybrid SIM tray.
The 12.1-inch IPS LCD panel has a 120Hz refresh rate and can reach 600 nits in High Brightness Mode. The 16:10 aspect ratio of the tablet makes it more suited for use in landscape mode. There are thick, uniform bezels around the display. These bezels prevent accidental touches while holding the tablet with both hands. The LCD panel offers a snappy touch response and a smooth browsing experience thanks to its refresh rate.
We were treated to a fine viewing experience by the Redmi Pad Pro. We streamed several titles across platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar and were pleased by the colour richness and the image quality replicated on the screen. Of course, the blacks produced by this display aren’t as deep as its AMOLED counterparts, but that is a limiting factor on all LCD panels. The quad-speaker setup, on the other hand, leaves a little more to be desired. While it produces an output loud enough to fill the room, it lacks the optimum low-end frequencies to make the audio well-rounded.
In comparison to the Xiaomi Pad 6, the Redmi Pad Pro has a couple of advantages. It has a larger and brighter display which immediately bumps the viewing experience. While the Pad 6 may have a higher refresh rate, the difference doesn’t create a world of a difference in standard usage. The Pad Pro also earns brownie points for sporting a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the flipside, the Pad 6 has HDR10 support, which is strangely missing from the Pad Pro.
Redmi Pad Pro 5G Review: Performance and Cameras
The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset lies at the heart of the Redmi Pad Pro. In Qualcomm’s hierarchy of processors, this chipset sits below the Snapdragon 870 SoC which powers the Xiaomi Pad 6. On the Geekbench 6 app, the Redmi Pad Pro scored 1,036 points in the single-core test and 2,965 points in the multi-core test. The Pad 6 scored 1,259 and 3,033 points respectively when we reviewed the tablet last year.
Redmi Pad Pro uses LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 Storage. Meanwhile, the Xiaomi Pad 6 makes use of LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 Storage. The difference in the performance of the two tablets is small but noticeable. The apps take a fraction of a second longer to load on the Pad Pro and juggling multiple apps is much smoother on the Pad 6. Having said that, the Pad Pro is fun to work with. We used our review unit of the Redmi Pad Pro to stream movies, send emails, make video calls, and browse the web. The seamless and stutter-free experience offered by the tablet was ideal.
We even tried a bit of gaming on the Pad Pro, playing titles like Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt Legends Unite. On average graphics, the tablet produced a satisfying gaming experience, devoid of any lags or frame drops. The device’s back panel started warming up after hitting the 30-minute mark. The tablet’s long form factor elevates the gaming experience in landscape mode. But if it’s high-end graphics that you’re after, you’ll need to shop in a higher price category.
Xiaomi’s HyperOS carries out the software duties on this tablet. Right off the bat, we were pleased to see no bloatware on the device. A clean and ad-free software experience always earns extra points from us. The next-gen HyperOS gets the most out of the tablet’s screen real estate and makes multitasking more fun.
For starters, you can use two apps in split-screen mode on this tablet. Watching a football game while reading its match thread on Reddit at the same time was a very fun experience for us on this tablet. You can also open up to two apps in popup windows at one time. The HyperOS offers a bunch of ‘Interconnectivity’ options for Xiaomi users. If you own a Xiaomi smartphone, you can mirror its home screen on the tablet and interact with its apps without needing to install a third-party app. You can also receive your phone notifications on the tablet and share the clipboard between the two devices.
Android OS for tablets at large still struggles with the old familiar issues. Some apps are just stretched-out versions of their smartphone counterparts, failing to utilise the large display on offer. We hope more developers follow Instagram and WhatsApp and adapt their apps to the larger form factor.
Moving on, the 10,000mAh battery pack on this tablet is sufficient enough to take it through two days of standard usage. During the week-long review period, we used the Redmi Pad Pro for tasks like video calling, media streaming, instant messaging, emailing, social media browsing and gaming. We spent an average of 2 hours with the tablet every day. After two days of use, the tablet hit the 15% battery mark. The 33W power adapter provided in the box took just under 2 hours to fully charge the device.
Redmi Pad Pro’s camera performance is nothing out of the ordinary and we are fine with it. A state-of-the-art camera system is not our biggest priority on a tablet. The 8MP rear camera on this tablet takes decent images in outdoor daylight conditions. The results showcase vibrant colours. The pictures are noticeably soft and do not have the best dynamic range but they’re passable for a tablet.
The front-facing 8MP camera takes good selfies but applies a smoothening effect to the skin texture. However, its performance in indoor and outdoor lighting is satisfactory. What we want out of a tablet’s camera system is its ability to hold up well on video calls and the Redmi Pad Pro handled this task expertly. The selfie camera on this tablet is placed on the top bezel, which means you need to hold it in landscape mode during video calls. The camera relays a steady and well-composed video feed, which is what we want out of the device.
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Verdict
The Redmi Pad Pro is a rock-solid midrange Android tablet that is ideal for home use. The tablet handles media streaming with expertise and provides a satisfying viewing experience. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset ensures that the device isn’t out of its depth while multitasking and handling demanding tasks. Sure, it is not the most powerful tablet out there, but if you’re not concerned with heavy gaming, the Redmi Pad Pro will serve you well.
Redmi Pad Pro 5G: Pros
- Big display
- Premium build quality
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Good software experience
Redmi Pad Pro 5G: Pros
- Does not support HDR10
- No fingerprint scanner
