After a short hiatus, Xiaomi reentered the pill section with the launch of the Pad 6 final yr. That exact mannequin was aimed on the mid-range class, and continues to be a strong alternative if you would like a big pill with highly effective {hardware} and stellar battery life. The model’s newer Pad 6s Professional 12.4 has even higher {hardware} and a 3K panel with 144Hz.
However Xiaomi is at all times at its finest when making price range merchandise, and that is true in the case of tablets as properly; final yr’s Redmi Pad was one of many finest price range tablets round, and the newest Redmi Pad SE has a couple of tweaks to the design and upgraded {hardware}. Xiaomi is constructing on that basis with the introduction of the Redmi Pad Professional, which has a bigger 12.1-inch panel with an elevated QHD decision, 10000mAh battery, and a brand new design that makes use of aluminum liberally.
What’s fascinating is that Xiaomi has retained the three.5mm jack and MicroSD slot, and the Redmi Pad Professional remains to be aimed on the price range section, making it among the best value-focused tablets you should purchase at present. My favourite function is that it runs Android 14 out of the field; Xiaomi has been underhanded on this regard, launching a number of units — together with the Redmi Pad SE and Redmi Word 13 Professional+ — with Android 13 so it would not need to roll out as many software program updates, and that fortunately is not a problem with the Redmi Pad Professional.
When you’re seeking to purchase a price range pill with a large display screen, this is why the Redmi Pad Professional could be the best choice at present obtainable.
Redmi Pad Professional: Pricing and availability
Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi Pad Professional in China on April 10, 2024, and the pill made its world debut on Could 20. It’s obtainable in three configurations: a base mannequin with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, an 8GB/128GB model, and a mannequin with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Xiaomi sells the Redmi Pad Professional with the keyboard case and stylus as a bundle in China, however that is not the case in world markets. The pill begins at £269 ($340) for the 6GB/128GB model within the U.Ok., going as much as £299 ($380) for the 8GB/256GB mannequin. Xiaomi is bundling a case in addition to the Redmi Buds 5 with each order within the U.Ok. The stylus prices an extra £59 ($75), and the Redmi Sensible Keyboard is debuting at £89 ($113).
In different international locations within the area, the Redmi Pad Professional is about to begin off at €299 ($325), with pre-orders kicking off Could 21 and basic availability from June 3. Xiaomi will launch the pill in India, however as of now, there isn’t any telling when that would be the case.
Redmi Pad Professional: Design
The Redmi Pad SE has a definite resemblance to the Xiaomi 12 collection, and whereas the Redmi Pad Professional has the same aesthetic, the brand new digital camera housing is visually distinctive. The outsized rings across the digital camera evoke recollections of the Zenfone 10, and so they dominate consideration on the again.
There is a single 8MP digital camera on the again, so the LED flash will get the identical adornment, and contemplating the digital camera lens and flash module are somewhat small, the outsizes housing appears to be like nearly comical. However what issues is that it does not protrude an excessive amount of from the chassis, so there is no such thing as a wobble when utilizing the Redmi Pad Professional on a desk.
Xiaomi sells the Redmi Pad Professional in three shade variants — Gray, Mint Inexperienced, and Ocean Blue — and the inexperienced and blue fashions have very delicate pastel shades. That is comprehensible provided that pill designs are usually extra conservative, and to Xiaomi’s credit score, there are completely no points with the construct high quality.
Though the pill is aimed on the price range section, you get an aluminum chassis that feels nice to carry and use. The rounded edges and beveled sides make an enormous distinction on this space, and whereas it’s heavy at 571g, the pill balances the burden evenly, so it does not get uncomfortable with prolonged use.
The ability button is situated on the high, with the quantity buttons on the correct. You do not get the flexibility to fit in a SIM card and hook up with mobile networks, however there’s a MicroSD slot that permits you to lengthen the storage by an extra 1.5TB. What I like is that the Redmi Pad Professional has a 3.5mm jack, and there aren’t any points when utilizing IEMs just like the Fiio FA19.
On the audio aspect of issues, Xiaomi affords 4 audio system on the Redmi Pad Professional — two on both aspect — and so they sound nice in their very own proper. Total, the pill will get rather a lot proper on the design entrance, and it does not really feel like a price range product.
Redmi Pad Professional: Display
The Redmi Pad Professional comes with a 12.1-inch IPS LCD panel that’s perfect for streaming content material. The panel has a decision of 2560 x 1600 with a normal 16:10 ratio, and it has Dolby Imaginative and prescient integration and a layer of Gorilla Glass 3. The utmost brightness is not significantly excessive at 500 nits, however I did not have any points utilizing the Redmi Pad Professional open air. The pill goes as much as 600 nits in HBM mode, however there isn’t any noticeable distinction when streaming movies.
On that observe, the Redmi Pad Professional has Widevine L1, and it is ready to stream 1080p and HDR content material from the likes of Netflix and YouTube with none problem. Whereas shade constancy is not clearly pretty much as good as an OLED panel, the Redmi Pad Professional has lots to supply on this space, and Xiaomi’s manufacturing facility calibration continues to be among the many finest round. The default Vivid mode has vibrant colours and good distinction, and you’ll tweak the colour steadiness in response to your tastes.
Bigger tablets are nice for studying, and the Redmi Pad Professional contains Xiaomi’s glorious Studying mode. The function lets you change the depth of the colours, or swap to a monochrome palette, and that is perfect if you wish to learn an e-book. The pill is first rate sufficient in the case of taking part in video games as properly — you’ll be able to join a Bluetooth controller with ease — however the {hardware} does not have as a lot grunt, limiting the potential to take pleasure in demanding titles.
The most effective half in regards to the display screen on the Redmi Pad Professional is that it has a 120Hz refresh price; navigating the UI is easy, and the distinction is noticeable even when switching from the 90Hz Redmi Pad SE. That mentioned, you may want to enter the settings to allow 120Hz mode, as it’s set to Auto out of the field.
I haven’t got any points with the panel on the Redmi Pad Professional, and my solely quibble has to do with the appreciable bezels across the display screen. I get that it is a price range pill, however Xiaomi ought to have executed extra to trim the bezels. Speaking in regards to the bezels, the entrance digital camera is situated on the vanguard, and whereas it is not the very best I’ve used, it holds up properly in video calls.
Redmi Pad Professional: {Hardware}
Xiaomi outfitted the Redmi Pad Professional with a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, and though the chipset is nice sufficient in day by day use, it is not precisely highly effective. I observed lag sporadically in mundane duties like looking in Chrome or switching between apps, and whereas it does not hinder usability an excessive amount of, it’s irksome.
The reminiscence and storage modules are equally dated, with Xiaomi utilizing LPDDR4X modules with each the 6GB and 8GB fashions, and UFS 2.2 storage throughout the board. Fortunately, there’s Wi-Fi 6 this time round, and also you get Bluetooth 5.2. There is not any NFC, you aren’t getting any high-res codecs, and there isn’t any ingress safety.
| Class | Redmi Pad Professional |
|---|---|
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Total) | 12296 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Internet Searching) | 10859 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Modifying) | 6867 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) | 14612 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Picture Modifying) | 22420 |
| Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 950 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 2926 |
Annoyingly, you aren’t getting fingerprint authentication on the Redmi Pad Professional both; you may want to make use of face unlock or the same old passcode to log in to the gadget, and that is annoying. Xiaomi makes use of a side-mounted fingerprint reader that is baked into the facility button on loads of its price range and mid-range telephones, and that may have been perfect on the pill. That mentioned, face unlock has been dependable, and whereas it is not as safe,
The cameras are strictly common as properly, and outdoors of video calls, the 8MP digital camera on the entrance does not have a lot utility. The 8MP digital camera on the again has a devoted Night time mode and takes usable pictures in daylight, however you are higher off utilizing your cellphone cameras as an alternative.
Switching over to the battery, the Redmi Pad Professional has a 10000mAh unit that’s among the many largest on this section. I have not used the pill sufficient to guage battery life, however in lower than every week of utilization, it has lasted significantly longer than the Redmi Pad SE and another price range pill I used not too long ago. I additionally like the truth that it has 33W charging, and whereas it takes practically two hours to cost, it’s noticeably sooner than the 18W tech that Xiaomi affords on the remainder of its price range tablets.
Redmi Pad Professional: Equipment
Xiaomi sells two equipment with the Redmi Pad Professional: a normal folio case that has first rate safety, and a keyboard accent dubbed the Redmi Sensible Keyboard. I used the Xiaomi Pad 6 extensively with its keyboard case, and Xiaomi is doing issues a bit otherwise with the Redmi Pad Professional; the case does not hook up with the pill utilizing pogo pins on the again, as an alternative counting on Bluetooth.
Pairing the case to the Redmi Pad Professional is about as seamless because it will get; there is a toggle on the correct that permits Bluetooth connectivity, and it mechanically reveals up within the gadget listing. The case securely holds the Redmi Pad Professional, and the keys have good tactility. There is not any backlighting, however exterior of that, the Redmi Sensible Keyboard nails the fundamentals.
The opposite accent is a stylus known as the Redmi Sensible Pen, and it’s equally first rate. It has 4096 ranges of strain sensitivity, and there isn’t any noticeable latency when utilizing the stylus to take notes or doodle. The bundled sketching utility is fairly primary, however you need to use one thing like Infinite Painter and make detailed sketches.
Whereas the stylus itself is kind of good, it does not connect magnetically to the Redmi Pad Professional, and that limits its usability. I additionally observed connectivity points, and needed to toggle the Bluetooth modem on the pill to have the ability to use the stylus once more.
Redmi Pad Professional: Software program
There is not an excessive amount of to speak about on the software program aspect of issues, with Xiaomi providing HyperOS 1.0.3.0 primarily based on Android 14 out of the field. That in itself is an enormous deal, as Xiaomi has to date been unwilling to pre-install Android 14 on its 2024 price range units.
You get a lot of the similar options because the cellphone construct, and there’s a first rate quantity of customizability. Xiaomi does not embody many tablet-focused utilities; you continue to get a break up notification pane with the toggles accessible through the correct aspect, and there is not a gesture to launch split-screen multitasking.
You will have to press down on an app card inside the overview menu and choose the mode manually, however when you pull up two home windows side-by-side, you’ll be able to simply resize and alter the width of every window, and shut each on the similar time. The overview menu makes use of Xiaomi’s commonplace vertical configuration, and there is not a setting to modify it to horizontal scrolling.
The leftmost pane reveals Google’s Uncover feed, and there isn’t any strategy to disable it. The interface is in want of a visible overhaul, however it’s higher optimized than MIUI; Xiaomi now wants to show its consideration to sprucing the visuals. On the entire, it’s simple to navigate and use, and though there’s numerous overt styling, it is not anyplace as cumbersome as earlier variations of the pores and skin. My largest quibble is that the toggles within the Management Middle haven’t any labels.
On the subject of updates, the Redmi Pad Professional will get two platform updates together with three years of safety updates. That’s in step with different price range tablets, however contemplating Xiaomi’s lackadaisical angle in the case of platform updates, the pill is unlikely to make the swap to Android 15 someday this yr — and even in Q1 2025. That mentioned, no less than you may get the replace in some unspecified time in the future, in addition to Android 16 when that turns into obtainable.
Redmi Pad Professional: The competitors
There is not any scarcity of price range tablets, and for those who’re seeking to maximize worth, Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad SE ticks numerous the correct packing containers. It additionally has a big display screen, and whereas the {hardware} is not as highly effective because the Redmi Pad Professional and also you miss out on the equipment, it’s far more reasonably priced.
When you want highly effective {hardware}, the Xiaomi Pad 6 remains to be an important alternative in 2024. It has a brighter panel, is terrific at gaming, and whereas the battery does not final as lengthy, it has a leg up over the Redmi Pad Professional in all different areas.
Redmi Pad Professional: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You want a big pill
- You need the very best battery life on this section
- You desire a good keyboard accent
You should not purchase this if:
- You want biometric authentication
- You need long-term updates
Xiaomi did all the correct issues with the Redmi Pad Professional. The swap to a bigger display screen, 120Hz panel, and rising the battery measurement provides the pill a definite benefit over the Redmi Pad SE. Whereas it will not dethrone the iPad, it’s noticeably higher to make use of than most price range tablets, and that in itself is a sizeable achievement.
The Redmi Pad Professional does an important job on the fundamentals, and whereas you aren’t getting the equipment bundled with the pill, the keyboard is definitely worth the funding for those who want a price range pill for productiveness. In the same vein, the stylus is an efficient alternative if you wish to sketch on the go.
I haven’t got many negatives to share; the {hardware} is not perfect for gaming, and the shortage of a safe authentication system is irksome. However exterior of that, there actually is not a lot lacking right here, and for those who want a dependable price range pill with a 12.1-inch display screen, the Redmi Pad Professional is a standout possibility.