To this day, not many Android tablets can match the iPad. However, many cannot afford to buy an iPad because the price is quite expensive even for a basic model. I recently tested the Xiaomi Pad 6, a premium mid-range tablet from Xiaomi that gave me a satisfactory user experience.
Although this tablet is still not perfect, it is probably the best Android tablet I have ever used and in this article I will give you reasons why you should buy it.
SPECIFICATIONS
Xiaomi Pad 6
11″ LCD screen, 2880 x 1800, 144Hz,
Dolby Vision
Snapdragon 870 processor (7nm)
1x 3.2 GHz Kryo 585 chip
3x 2.42 GHz Kryo 585
4x 1.80 GHz Kryo 585
Adreno 650 Graphics Chip
8GB LPDDR5 RAM
Internal Storage 128/256 GB UFS 3.1
Main Camera 13 Megapixel, f/2.2
4K 30fps
Front Camera 8 Megapixel f/2.2
1080p 30fps
8840mAh battery
33W wired charging
SIM/WiFi Telephony
Dolby Atmos Stereo Speaker Audio
Face Scan Scan System
Sale Price RM1399 (8/128 GB, WiFi)
RM1499 (8/256 GB, WiFi)
SCREEN AND DESIGN
The screen of this tablet is 11″ and uses an LCD panel that supports a refresh rate of 144Hz and a Dolby Vision display. This is the best tablet screen in the mid-range category that I have used so far. The very fast screen gives a good illusion that this device has a very smooth performance with no lag issues.
In terms of color, it is also quite sharp and attractive, especially when watching videos on Netflix and Prime Video. I have no problem spending hours on marathons on streaming platforms. The bezel design, although not very thin, at least it is even and provides a satisfying use experience.
At a glance, this Pad 6 looks like my iPad Air M1 which is also liquid blue and the build quality is also about the same. For a tablet that is sold at a price starting at RM1299 (during the promotion), I was quite surprised by the quality that Xiaomi can provide.
The default shape of this tablet is horizontal with the forehead having a selfie camera, the left side with the power button and speaker grill. The right side has a USB-C port as well as a microphone hole. Finally, on the side there is another physical button for adjusting the volume with a magnetic dock for charging the stylus.
On the back of the Pad 6 is the Xiaomi logo with a magnetic pin for accessory connection. In addition is a camera hump similar to the Xiaomi 13 but only has one sensor with an LED flash because the other "lens" is just a mockup without a sensor behind it.
Xiaomi Pad 6 is a tablet that is easy to handle. Using without any accessories is quite comfortable and the finish is also not very smooth. This is a pretty good tablet design for the mid-range category.
USE AND SOFTWARE
The Pad 6 runs MIUI Pad Global based on MIUI 14. Believe it or not this is the best MIUI device I've ever used. This is because the operating system is free from silly and inappropriate fat applications. It is the purest version of MIUI I have ever seen which is my dream version to run on a Xiaomi smartphone.
Xiaomi offers several special features for tablets such as Floating windows to do multi-tasking, supporting Connected devices to be connected to other Xiaomi phones (the Chinese version can be connected to a laptop) and also Conference tools which are special tools for teleconferences such as beauty mode. Xiaomi also includes a Parallel windows feature to force selected apps to be displayed in two-column mode.
Other features of the tablet are Stylus & Keyboard for the control of the second generation Xiaomi Smart Pen and also a protective frame that doubles as a keyboard. In these settings there are some controls that the user can do to ensure the best user experience.
XIAOMI SMART PEN 2ND GENERATION
The stylus isn't as good as the Apple Pencil or the Samsung S Pen. Despite that Xiaomi is still trying to give the best so that users can take advantage of it like having a shortcut button to screenshot and also write notes. What I hope Xiaomi can change in the future is the tip of the stylus with pressure sensing sensors for more precise and comfortable writing and drawing capabilities. It's a bit strange that in 2023 the Xiaomi stylus is still too basic while pressure detection has been supported by the S Pen since 2011.
XIAOMI PAD 6 COVER & KEYBOARD
Xiaomi also provides two official frame options. The basic one is just to protect the screen. While the other is like the Apple Magic Keyboard but with a magnet that is less strong and easy to detach. The small size of the keyboard also makes it difficult for me to do typing work and the close layout is very annoying. What I like is the fast magnetic connection without having to do settings on Bluetooth.
BENCHMARKS AND PERFORMANCE
This tablet is powered by a Snapdragon 870 processor chip paired with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM memory and internal storage up to 256GB UFS 3.1. Of course, when compared to the iPad, the performance of this tablet will lag behind. Even so in my use, this tablet is able to carry out daily tasks and entertainment very well. So far I haven't experienced any problems, especially with virtual memory support up to 5GB which helps memory management make this tablet more efficient.
I tested on two benchmark applications namely Geekbench 6 and also AnTuTu 3D. The score obtained was beyond my expectations and so far it has been positive. These benchmark scores are also in line with real-world usage experiences when playing games and performing heavy tasks. The tablet doesn't heat up and any game I play like Asphalt 9 or Marvel Snap stays fast and smooth with high graphics games like PUBG Mobile no problem playing on high graphics.
Geekbench 6 – 1,293/3,279
AnTuTu 3D – 657,448
3DMark – 1,227
CAMERA
The camera of this tablet is not the best. Although it is not a key feature, a quality camera is very important for the use of teleconferencing such as in Zoom or Google Meet. MIUI does provide a teleconferencing feature with beauty mode but that doesn't help enough. The quality is too soft, the picture still has some noise and doesn't have a good focus system. It's more disappointing that Xiaomi still doesn't include a feature like Center Stage for a more satisfying use of teleconferencing.
AUDIO
Xiaomi Pad 6 uses a quad-speaker system with Dolby Atmos. For a tablet whose selling price does not reach RM1.5k, it offers the best quality. The audio produced is quite balanced, loud, tasty, has good bass and clarity that makes the experience of watching videos or listening to music exciting.
BATTERY
The Pad 6 battery is quite large at 8840mAh. It's a shame this big battery doesn't provide good durability. Since MIUI now doesn't display SOT, I had to calculate it manually. What I get is around 5 hours of SOT usage a day with light activity. If you play first it lasts around 4 hours SOT only.
Charging is limited to 33W which is quite slow for a tablet with a large battery. The Pad 6 takes nearly two hours to fully charge and it's frustrating. I expect it to at least support 65W for faster charging times.
CONCLUSION
If you can't afford an iPad but still want a powerful enough tablet with fast performance, good multi-tasking features, solid screen and audio – Xiaomi Pad 6 is the tablet you should have. There are several competitors in the market right now, but all of them are far behind in terms of specifications and software. Even worse, these competitors also sell at roughly the same price and indirectly show the Xiaomi Pad 6 as a more worthwhile Android tablet.
Pro
Beautiful screen and fast.
Very smooth performance for an 8GB RAM tablet.
Good software free of silly fat apps.
Nice and loud audio system.
Cons
The camera is not of good quality.
The battery cannot withstand slow charging.
Accessories sold separately with weak magnetic system.