After a quick hiatus, Xiaomi reentered the pill section with the launch of the Pad 6 final yr. That specific mannequin was aimed on the mid-range class, and continues to be a strong alternative if you’d like a big pill with highly effective {hardware} and stellar battery life. The model’s more moderen Pad 6s Professional 12.4 has even higher {hardware} and a 3K panel with 144Hz.
However Xiaomi is all the time at its greatest when making funds merchandise, and that is true in terms of tablets as properly; final yr’s Redmi Pad was top-of-the-line funds tablets round, and the newest Redmi Pad SE has just a few 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 funds section, making it top-of-the-line value-focused tablets you should purchase at this time. 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 should roll out as many software program updates, and that fortunately is not a difficulty with the Redmi Pad Professional.
In the event you’re seeking to purchase a funds pill with an enormous display screen, here is why the Redmi Pad Professional may be the best choice presently out there.
Redmi Pad Professional: Pricing and availability
Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi Pad Professional in China on April 10, 2024, and the pill made its international debut on Could 20. It’s out there 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 international markets. The pill begins at £269 ($340) for the 6GB/128GB model within the U.Okay., 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.Okay. 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 an identical aesthetic, the brand new digital camera housing is visually distinctive. The outsized rings across the digital camera evoke recollections of the Zenfone 10, they usually 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 relatively small, the outsizes housing appears to be like virtually comical. However what issues is that it would 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 colour variants — Gray, Mint Inexperienced, and Ocean Blue — and the inexperienced and blue fashions have very delicate pastel shades. That is comprehensible on condition 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 funds section, you get an aluminum chassis that feels nice to carry and use. The rounded edges and beveled sides make a giant distinction on this space, and whereas it’s heavy at 571g, the pill balances the load evenly, so it would not get uncomfortable with prolonged use.
The ability button is positioned on the prime, with the amount buttons on the appropriate. You do not get the power to fit in a SIM card and connect with mobile networks, however there’s a MicroSD slot that allows 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 facet of issues, Xiaomi gives 4 audio system on the Redmi Pad Professional — two on both facet — they usually sound nice in their very own proper. General, the pill will get lots proper on the design entrance, and it would not really feel like a funds product.
Redmi Pad Professional: Display screen
The Redmi Pad Professional comes with a 12.1-inch IPS LCD panel that’s excellent for streaming content material. The panel has a decision of 2560 x 1600 with a typical 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 outdoor. The pill goes as much as 600 nits in HBM mode, however there isn’t any noticeable distinction when streaming movies.
On that be aware, 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 colour constancy is not clearly pretty much as good as an OLED panel, the Redmi Pad Professional has a lot to supply on this space, and Xiaomi’s manufacturing unit calibration continues to be among the many greatest round. The default Vivid mode has vibrant colours and good distinction, and you’ll tweak the colour steadiness in keeping with your tastes.
Bigger tablets are nice for studying, and the Redmi Pad Professional contains Xiaomi’s wonderful Studying mode. The function lets you change the depth of the colours, or change to a monochrome palette, and that is excellent if you wish to learn an e-book. The pill is first rate sufficient in terms of taking part in video games as properly — you’ll be able to join a Bluetooth controller with ease — however the {hardware} would not have as a lot grunt, limiting the potential to take pleasure in demanding titles.
The perfect half concerning the display screen on the Redmi Pad Professional is that it has a 120Hz refresh price; navigating the UI is clean, and the distinction is noticeable even when switching from the 90Hz Redmi Pad SE. That stated, you will 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 this can be a funds pill, however Xiaomi ought to have carried out extra to trim the bezels. Speaking concerning the bezels, the entrance digital camera is positioned on the forefront, and whereas it is not one of the 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 seen lag sporadically in mundane duties like looking in Chrome or switching between apps, and whereas it would 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 no NFC, you do not get any high-res codecs, and there isn’t any ingress safety.
| Class | Redmi Pad Professional |
|---|---|
| PCMark Work 3.0 (General) | 12296 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Net Shopping) | 10859 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Modifying) | 6867 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) | 14612 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 (Photograph Modifying) | 22420 |
| Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 950 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 2926 |
Annoyingly, you do not get fingerprint authentication on the Redmi Pad Professional both; you will want to make use of face unlock or the same old passcode to log in to the machine, and that is annoying. Xiaomi makes use of a side-mounted fingerprint reader that is baked into the ability button on loads of its funds and mid-range telephones, and that might have been excellent on the pill. That stated, face unlock has been dependable, and whereas it is not as safe,
The cameras are strictly common as properly, and out of doors of video calls, the 8MP digital camera on the entrance would not have a lot utility. The 8MP digital camera on the again has a devoted Evening 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 every other funds pill I used just lately. I additionally like the truth that it has 33W charging, and whereas it takes almost two hours to cost, it’s noticeably quicker than the 18W tech that Xiaomi gives on the remainder of its funds tablets.
Redmi Pad Professional: Equipment
Xiaomi sells two equipment with the Redmi Pad Professional: a typical 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 in a different way with the Redmi Pad Professional; the case would not connect 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 appropriate that permits Bluetooth connectivity, and it routinely exhibits up within the machine listing. The case securely holds the Redmi Pad Professional, and the keys have good tactility. There is no backlighting, however outdoors 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 stress 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 sort of good, it would not connect magnetically to the Redmi Pad Professional, and that limits its usability. I additionally seen 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 facet of issues, with Xiaomi providing HyperOS 1.0.3.0 primarily based on Android 14 out of the field. That in itself is a giant deal, as Xiaomi has to date been unwilling to pre-install Android 14 on its 2024 funds units.
You get a lot of the identical options because the cellphone construct, and there’s a first rate quantity of customizability. Xiaomi would not embody many tablet-focused utilities; you continue to get a break up notification pane with the toggles accessible by way of the appropriate facet, and there is not a gesture to launch split-screen multitasking.
You will want 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 identical time. The overview menu makes use of Xiaomi’s customary vertical configuration, and there is not a setting to modify it to horizontal scrolling.
The leftmost pane exhibits 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 a variety of overt styling, it is not anyplace as cumbersome as earlier variations of the pores and skin. My greatest quibble is that the toggles within the Management Heart haven’t any labels.
In the case of updates, the Redmi Pad Professional will get two platform updates together with three years of safety updates. That’s consistent with different funds tablets, however contemplating Xiaomi’s lackadaisical angle in terms of platform updates, the pill is unlikely to make the change to Android 15 someday this yr — and even in Q1 2025. That stated, a minimum of you will get the replace sooner or later, in addition to Android 16 when that turns into out there.
Redmi Pad Professional: The competitors
There is no scarcity of funds tablets, and should you’re seeking to maximize worth, Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad SE ticks a variety of the appropriate bins. 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 way more reasonably priced.
In the event you want highly effective {hardware}, the Xiaomi Pad 6 remains to be an excellent alternative in 2024. It has a brighter panel, is terrific at gaming, and whereas the battery would not final as lengthy, it has a leg up over the Redmi Pad Professional in all different areas.
Redmi Pad Professional: Must you purchase it?
You can purchase this if:
- You want a big pill
- You need one of the 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 appropriate issues with the Redmi Pad Professional. The change to a bigger display screen, 120Hz panel, and growing the battery dimension offers 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 funds tablets, and that in itself is a sizeable achievement.
The Redmi Pad Professional does an excellent job on the fundamentals, and whereas you do not get the equipment bundled with the pill, the keyboard is definitely worth the funding should you want a funds pill for productiveness. In an identical 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 excellent for gaming, and the dearth of a safe authentication system is irksome. However outdoors of that, there actually is not a lot lacking right here, and should you want a dependable funds pill with a 12.1-inch display screen, the Redmi Pad Professional is a standout choice.