Redmi Pad 2 Review: The Budget Tablet Done Right

The high-value, do-it-all Redmi Pad is lastly again after a 3-year wait. Aptly known as the Redmi Pad 2, the pill seems to be barely completely different and options some important additions that had been lacking from the primary mannequin. There’s a brand new processor, a barely extra pixel-dense show, and a barely larger battery, all of which I discovered to be questionable at finest. However, there are additionally some new additions, equivalent to stylus assist and mobile connectivity, which appear to make it much more enticing than the earlier mannequin. I’ve been utilizing this pill for a few weeks, and I really feel that regardless of the minor upgrades, the Redmi Pad 2 affords good worth, and this is why.

Redmi Pad 2 Design: More of the identical

• Dimensions – 254.58 x 166 x 7.36mm
• Weight – 510 / 519g (Wi-Fi / Cellular)
• SIM tray – Hybrid (nano SIM + nano SIM/ 2TB microSD)

We acquired the top-end 8GB RAM variant of the Redmi Pad 2 for evaluate. The structure of the exterior {hardware} parts seems to be the identical as with the Redmi Pad, however we now have a barely fancier two-tone end. The design of the Redmi Pad 2 stays the identical as earlier than, that includes flat surfaces on the show, rear, and sides. What’s modified is the digicam module. It has gone from a rectangle to a mirror-finish capsule. At the alternative nook is the brand new Redmi brand, which has been capitalised with a daring font.

At 7.63mm, the pill seems slim however is kind of heavy, weighing simply over half a kilogram. Holding it in a single hand is not superb regardless of its small (not compact) total dimensions.

 

The new brand is printed on a colour-matched plastic strip, which runs the size of the machine till the digicam module on the different nook. This plastic cowl provides the rear panel a dual-tone end. It additionally accommodates the hybrid SIM card tray and offers enough area for mobile connectivity.

I like that Xiaomi has retained the three.5mm headphone jack, which additionally helps you to entry FM radio

 

We acquired the non-compulsory Redmi Pad 2 Cover (Rs. 1,299) together with our evaluate unit. Made primarily from exhausting plastic (the flap is coated with silicone), it does not really feel too low cost however affords good safety across the corners, particularly if you’re the clumsy sort. Apart from permitting the pill to face upright for media consumption or at a slight angle for stylus utilization, the foldable cowl (flap) additionally mechanically places the pill to sleep, which is a pleasant characteristic to have.

Available at Rs. 5,999 in India, it has a Type-C USB port for charging, two buttons (India mannequin) and a spare tip within the field. It connects to the pill utilizing Bluetooth and affords glorious responsiveness (requiring little strain), however may also detect very intricate ranges of strain when wanted, which is helpful for inventive sorts. It’s additionally good for taking notes.

(*2*)

As for the Xiaomi Focus Pen, it feels a bit over-engineered for this humble pill

 

The buttons have a stunning clicky suggestions and require little strain to press down. One of them (known as the Writing button) can be utilized to rapidly entry the Mi Canvas app to take prompt notes and in addition permits for switching between brush sorts. The second button (Screenshot button) helps you to take screenshots wherever you’re within the software program interface, and will also be used to modify between colors in Mi Canvas rapidly.

Redmi Pad 2 Display: Gets the job completed

• Display measurement – 11-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 pixels (2.5K)
• Display sort – IPS LCD, 60-90Hz
• Stylus assist – Yes

The Redmi Pad 2’s show has acquired a notable improve from the Redmi Pad’s barely smaller 10.57-inch panel to an 11-inch panel with a better pixel density. Given that the processor and underlying {hardware} powering it have not modified, the additional pixels could find yourself including extra load to the system. But extra about this within the efficiency part of this evaluate.

The show outdoor with Outdoor mode enabled, which does warmth the pill

 

Xiaomi claims that its show has turn into brighter, reaching 600 nits (up from the earlier 400 nits), however I wasn’t very joyful utilizing it outdoor. The show is barely legible outdoor (particularly when watching video), and it’s a must to consistently maintain reorienting it to keep away from reflections getting in the best way of your content material as a result of it is extremely reflective.

One workaround is the particular Outdoor mode. It turns off the Auto Brightness toggle and cranks up the brightness a wee bit extra, making the show legible outdoor. But it is buried inside Display settings, so few will trouble activating it when wanted, and to make issues worse, there’s a clear warning stating that the pill “will heat up and consume more power”. And sure, the pill did get noticeably heat when utilizing this mode.

Indoors, the show labored as anticipated and was sufficiently vivid

 

Another concern with the show is the auto brightness characteristic. Just just like the Poco C71 I lately reviewed, the Redmi Pad 2 additionally lacks an ambient mild sensor to regulate the brightness. Instead, the pill depends on its front-facing digicam to set the show brightness. Unfortunately, this concern solely happens when the pill is unlocked, and in consequence, you can be left with a show that’s both too dim or unnecessarily vivid if you happen to transfer out and in of the shade. So, if you happen to want the show to re-adapt to your present settings, you’ll have to lock and unlock your machine to set off the adjustment. And on condition that this pill doesn’t have a safe biometric authentication system, be ready to punch in that passcode each time that occurs.

As for positives, the colors look simply effective, even when they aren’t correct. The pill additionally helps Widevine L1, permitting you to get pleasure from high-resolution full-HD video playback in OTT apps. Dolby Atmos by way of the quad audio system can be supported, and it does make the audio sound immersive.

Redmi Pad 2 Software: Not unhealthy in any respect

• Android model – 15
• Software – HyperOS 2.0
• Software dedication – 5 years OS + 7 years SMR

Since we acquired the top-end variant of the Redmi Pad 2 with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, our expertise could range from that of consumers trying to buy the fundamental 4GB variant of the machine.

Xiaomi‘s HyperOS on a pill structure is surprisingly good and succesful. Software operation is clean sufficient with hints of lag noticeable every so often. This is most evident when launching apps, the place one has to attend an additional second for the app to begin up.

Multitasking is properly applied and really very similar to Apple’s iPadOS. You can have two apps open in split-screen and one app open in a floating window, which could be resized. Depending in your split-screen structure, you may as well get two navigation tabs on the backside, which may be very distinctive to HyperOS, in comparison with different Android pill producers.

Swiping up from the underside will deal with one half of the show like a separate homescreen and even present the recents menus if wanted in that part. Since this is not a high-end pill, however a finances one, I observed some stuttering when scrolling by way of two apps directly. However, total, I actually love what Xiaomi has completed with HyperOS for tablets.

I additionally tried out the preinstalled bekids Colouring app, and it labored fantastically

 

There are not any AI instruments current anyplace within the interface, so Gemini is the one solution to get the pill speaking. In some methods, I really feel it is a lot higher than having to take care of two AI fashions, the best way it is at present applied on Motorola (Moto AI, Perplexity, Gemini) or on Samsung (Galaxy AI, Gemini) units, which might get messy or complicated.

The buttons are a bit stiff and require some strain to function

 

As for the remainder of the OS, it is enterprise as common. I like Xiaomi’s Mi Sans font and the way it’s pressured throughout apps and settings in all places. It offers a way of uniformity and consistency that’s typically missing on most Android units right now. There are a number of preinstalled apps out of the field, however these could be uninstalled. The third-party apps didn’t throw any spammy notifications in the course of the check interval.

For a finances pill, I used to be a bit stunned to see a relatively prolonged software program dedication. 5 years of working system updates and seven years of safety updates are an enormous deal, however I’m not too satisfied that the underlying {hardware} will have the ability to deal with heavier future updates until they’ve been properly optimised.

Redmi Pad 2 Performance: Just about proper

• Processor – MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra, 2.2GHz, 6nm
• RAM – 4/6/8GB, LPDDR4X
• Storage – 128/256GB, UFS 2.2
• MicroSD card growth – Up to 2TB

The MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra is principally a rebranded Helio G99 and comes with practically the identical specs and clock velocity, with higher Bluetooth and the flexibility to deal with greater decision digicam sensors. Since neither of the above two upgrades is being exploited to the fullest on the Redmi Pad 2, it is protected to say that its efficiency is similar to the older mannequin ,as could be seen from the benchmark comparability chart beneath.

Indeed, the decrease GPU scores of the GFXBench check suites point out that the brand new higher-resolution show does take a little bit of a toll on the system’s efficiency. Given the relatively poor graphics scores within the above exams, I used to be a bit stunned once I tried out some informal video games and the pill carried out as anticipated.

Asphalt Legends managed to run with the body charge set to 60 fps and all graphics settings maxed out. Despite some stuttering and loads of skipped frames, the arcade racer nonetheless managed a decently clean, playable expertise with a lower-than-usual decision and textures.

Redmi Pad 2 Cameras: The common

• Primary digicam – 8-megapixel, f/2.0
• Selfie digicam – 5-megapixel, f/2.2
• LED flash – Yes

Given that this pill weighs practically half a kilo, it’s a bit tiring to carry it up for use as a digicam. But so far as tablets go, the digicam setup will not be very promising, extra so as a result of it is a sub-Rs. 15,000 finances machine. Given the relatively poor seize capabilities of this pill (together with the selfie digicam), it’s best used for video calls in well-lit environments. Imaging capabilities are common for a tool at this value level, with gentle, noisy and overexposed photos in daylight.

Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 daylight digicam pattern (faucet picture to develop)

 

Redmi Pad 2 low-light main digicam pattern (faucet picture to develop)

 

 

Redmi Pad 2 selfie digicam pattern (faucet picture to develop)

 

Redmi Pad 2 Battery: All in a day’s work

• Battery capability – 9,000mAh
• Wired charging – 18W
• Charger within the field – 15W

Despite the beneficiant bump in battery capability, our battery benchmarks indicated barely underwhelming efficiency in comparison with the older mannequin. The Redmi Pad 2, with its bigger 9,000mAh battery, managed to final 10 hours and 48 minutes in our HD video loop battery check, which performs a regionally saved video till the battery is drained. The older Redmi Pad in the identical check circumstances managed a significantly better 14 hours and 53 minutes, which signifies that the marginally larger (and brighter), pixel-dense show does have a damaging impression on the Redmi Pad 2’s battery life.

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2’s rear digicam stays the identical as earlier than, however the front-facing digicam will get downgraded to a 5-megapixel sensor

 

In our PC Mark Battery Life check, which runs a collection of day by day utilization situations, equivalent to net searching, picture modifying, and extra, on loop, the pill managed a superb rating of 15 hours and 31 minutes. Long story brief, the pill can simply final a day of video streaming, which will likely be its main use case. It additionally has sufficient juice in order for you it to deal with your electronic mail, some net searching and extra on an enormous display screen.

Charging speeds stay the identical as with the older mannequin, and given the bump in battery capability, issues can solely get slower. Our unit shipped with the bundled 15W charger, which took its personal candy time to cost the machine, managing a full cost from a lifeless battery in a leisurely 3 hours and 16 minutes.

Redmi Pad 2 Verdict

The addition of stylus assist is a welcome change, and the identical applies to mobile connectivity, which is lastly an possibility. Both of those options will certainly entice new finances pill consumers as Lenovo’s Tab K11 (Rs. 15,999 onwards) is the one different pill to supply stylus assist at this value level. However, Lenovo’s providing will solely obtain upgrades till Android 15, and due to this fact, Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad 2 (Rs. 13,999 onwards) is a better option at a horny value.

But as an improve, the Redmi Pad 2 has barely improved over the older Redmi Pad, because it hardly outperforms the earlier mannequin. And so, if you happen to already personal the earlier mannequin, there are only a few causes to improve to the brand new one. Cellular connectivity could persuade a number of current house owners to improve to the brand new Redmi Pad 2. But on condition that the core product has barely seen any worthy enhancements, and given {that a} stylus will not be a necessity, it is best to keep away from doing so.