The budget Poco Pad is a better tablet than you might expect

Xiaomi’s Poco model has been steadily constructing a fame for high-performing finances smartphones over the previous few years, however it’s determined 2024 is the time to broaden into finances tablets.

Such a transfer comes at a time when mid-range and finances tablets are plentiful, with Xiaomi Pad 6, Lenovo Tab M11, Samsung Galaxy A9 and Google Pixel Pill all providing one thing for customers who need an Android pill with out having to spend an excessive amount of.

Whereas the Poco Pad does clearly transfer away from the compact type of the F6 and X6 Professional smartphones, it retains most of the hallmarks featured in these Poco units, together with an enormous 120Hz show, sturdy battery life, and strong efficiency. However simply how a lot worth for cash does it supply? And is it value selecting over extra established names?

We put it to the take a look at on this evaluate, discovering simply how a lot of a premium pill expertise Poco can supply for a fraction of the standard value.

Design & Construct

• Squared design with aluminium body and rear
• Pin-hole selfie digicam mounted in bezel
• No IP ranking

The Poco Pad sports activities an understated but quietly trendy design, characterised by flat sides, rounded corners, and a modern aluminium body.

The pill’s rear incorporates a vertical lens-and-flashlight array in its top-left nook, with the remainder of the floor taken up by nothing greater than the Poco emblem within the backside left. As for the entrance, it’s equally minimal, with the 12.1-inch show surrounded by pretty thick 8mm bezels, which on the rear digicam aspect home the selfie lens.

The pill is offered in solely two colors, Gray or Blue. These each match the pared-down aesthetic of the machine nicely, even when the absence of livelier choices might disappoint some potential patrons.

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Nonetheless, the Poco Pad definitely punches above its weight within the look division, though when it comes to literal weight, it’s really comparatively heavy. In comparison with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 and Lenovo Tab M11, which weigh in at 332g and 465g respectively, the Poco Pad ideas the scales at 571g (or 1.26lbs).

Stemming from the larger show and battery, this additional baggage arguably provides to the premium really feel of the machine. And on condition that the burden is evenly distributed, holding the pill for extended intervals of time doesn’t actually really feel like a chore.

The Poco Pad may even show pretty sturdy, because it contains a sturdy aluminium body and a Gorilla Glass 3 display screen. One draw back, nonetheless, is that there’s no official IP ranking for water and mud resistance, though that is just about commonplace for the huge bulk of tablets.

Display & Audio system

• 12.1-inch IPS LCD show
• 120Hz refresh charge
• Quad audio system

Maybe it’s not shocking for a pill at this value level, however the Poco Pad’s show is a blended bag. On the one hand, its 12.1-inch display screen is huge and shiny, and it even comes with an adaptive 120Hz refresh charge, making it good and easy for scrolling.

However, its use of an IPS LCD panel means it lacks the sharpness and vividness of extra luxurious OLED tablets. Certain, you’ll be able to simply watch Netflix, YouTube and different streaming companies on the machine because of the dimensions of its display screen, however when you’re a correct movie buff, you’ll miss a few of that readability and element. 

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

That is even supposing its decision is fairly beneficiant at 2560 x 1560 pixels, which supplies roughly 249 pixels per inch. That is higher than that provided by many different tablets (together with one thing just like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9), but watching on the Poco Pad by no means actually takes your breath away, even whether it is largely ok.

Nonetheless, as a result of Poco Pad boasting such an ample 12.1-inch show, it does make for extra comfy internet looking and common productiveness. This isn’t one thing that many tablets in its vary can lay declare to, so even when its display screen isn’t dazzling, it positively performs.

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

What additionally performs are the Poco Pad’s 4 stereo audio system, which help Dolby Atmos encompass sound. It accordingly produces some appreciably full and wealthy audio, with a pleasant steadiness of EQs (equalizers) and the flexibility to layer clearly.

Whereas it could not attain the volumes that some folks would love, it’s greater than sufficient to serve for informal residence listening and viewing.

Specs & Efficiency

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2
• 8GB RAM and 256GB storage
• Slot for microSDXC card: expandable as much as 1.5TB

The Poco Pad hides the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 beneath its hood, with the mid-range chip a newer sibling to the 7 Gen 1 and seven+ Gen 2, that are all constructed utilizing a 4nm manufacturing course of.

In principle, this could make the Poco Pad extremely succesful for a tool in its vary, with the pill additionally carrying 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM.

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

But in observe, the Poco Pad isn’t as nimble as you may think. Sure, on a regular basis duties and apps are often dealt with with relative ease, with the machine serving nicely for looking, social media and light-weight productiveness.

However once you transfer as much as video games, notably among the extra power-hungry titles, you’ll discover slowdown and lag.

To be truthful, most informal video games I attempted ran fairly easily, however staples resembling Fortnite and Asphalt 9 may typically stutter. In the meantime, graphically formidable video games resembling Genshin Impression and Sky: Youngsters of Mild had been extra irritating, affected by frequent points.

It is a disgrace, however the Poco Pad hardly payments itself as a devoted gaming machine, so its audience in all probability gained’t be too bothered. They are going to discover the pill completely usable for streaming, messaging, and even working.

Poco Pad benchmarks

The machine additionally makes up for its relative weaknesses by coming with a beneficiant 256GB of RAM as commonplace. Maybe much more generously, it does have a Micro-SD card slot, enabling customers to increase this inside storage to 1.5TB. As such, you’ll be able to take as many photographs and obtain practically as a lot as you need with the machine.

Cameras

• 8Mp primary rear digicam
• 8Mp selfie digicam
• 1080p video at 30fps

Now, tablets hardly have the perfect fame for his or her cameras, so it is going to maybe come as no shock to study that the 8Mp rear lens on the Poco Pad doesn’t measure as much as its nearest smartphone equivalents. Nonetheless, having come to the pill fearing the worst, I used to be pleasantly shocked to search out that you may take shareable photographs in kinder environments.

You will want to point out a bit endurance and faucet the display screen once in a while for focusing, however panorama photographs beneath good daylight do end up fairly nicely. The rear 8Mp lens additionally captures element and texture properly at nearer ranges, although the digital zoom is just about redundant, sadly.

The pill’s entrance digicam additionally affords a portrait mode and varied filters that, in principle, make for extra flattering selfies than it might usually seize.

In my expertise, it wasn’t as efficient as mid-range and high-end smartphones in attaining this purpose, with most of my selfies wanting a bit washed out and nonetheless not solely flattering.

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Whereas the portrait mode is usually usable, the identical can’t actually be stated for the night time mode. Regardless of the title, it nonetheless wants a bit of sunshine to operate correctly, and even then its photographs are usually so grainy and missing intimately that most individuals in all probability gained’t wish to maintain them, besides maybe as items of avant-garde images.

There’s additionally an 8Mp front-facing lens, which (very like the rear digicam) is serviceable with out being notably spectacular. It really works nicely for video calls and selfies, but there’s additionally a definite drop-off in readability, even when in comparison with the pretty modest rear lens.

The Poco Pad may also seize HD (1080p) video at 30 frames per second. Once more, that is nothing to shout about, though it does imply that the machine retains tempo with its opponents within the finances style, such because the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 and Lenovo Tab M11.

Battery Life & Charging

• 10,000mAh battery
• 33W wired charging
• No wi-fi charging

The Poco Pad comes with a hefty 10,000mAh battery, with Xiaomi promoting as much as 16 hours of steady video playback.

This was achieved beneath lab circumstances, in fact, but my time with the pill discovered that it does have fairly good endurance, even when an enormous chunk of the capability is taken up supporting such a big display screen (with an adaptive 120Hz refresh charge).

Mild utilization of the Poco Pad allows the machine to only about make it into a 3rd day with no need a recharge, though the overwhelming majority of customers will get solely as far as a second day. As for the declare that you would be able to play 16 hours of video with out the pill dying on you, I discovered that watching Netflix on the pad will deplete its battery pretty rapidly. So, my estimate for steady playback is extra within the area of 12 hours on a very good day.

Nonetheless, that is fairly respectable efficiency for a reasonable pill, and an identical story applies to charging. The pill comes with a 33W fast-charging adapter (although my pattern had a European/Swiss adapter slightly than a UK one), and it does cost pretty rapidly. In our checks it went from 0% to 30% in about quarter-hour, and from 0% to 64% in half an hour.

Some could also be upset that the Poco Pad doesn’t help or supply wi-fi charging, however for such an inexpensive pill this shouldn’t actually be a problem.

Software program & Apps

• Android 14 and HyperOS
• 3 OS updates, 4 years of safety updates
• Stylus help

As with different Poco units launched in 2024 (e.g. the F6 Professional and X6 Professional), the Poco Pad operates on HyperOS, Xiaomi’s rebranding of its MIUI system. Returning customers will due to this fact be acquainted with its tackle Android 14, together with its iOS-aping residence display screen, app dock and notification shades.

In comparison with Poco’s telephones, bloatware is pretty minimal on the pill, with the consumer capable of uninstall most of Xiaomi’s native apps (e.g. Mi Canvas, Mi Mover, Xiaomi House). Whereas some have criticised it for being a bit niggly, I discovered the stripped-back structure and design of the HyperOS software program comfy to make use of.

It’s customisable to a helpful extent, with out providing a wealth of choices which will confuse or overwhelm informal customers. There’s the flexibility to decide on between utilizing old school Android buttons or gestures for navigation, as an example, whereas it’s also possible to add or take away the app drawer for additional simplicity. 

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Simon Chandler / Foundry

Additionally welcome is the inclusion of help for the POCO Good Pen, which AliExpress is promoting for £33.36 on the time of writing. You should utilize the Good Pen to attract and take notes with Mi Canvas and different appropriate native apps, whereas it’s additionally good for taking fast screenshots.

The stylus does have fairly low latency and likewise 4096 ranges of stress sensitivity, so whereas it doesn’t have as many potential makes use of as different pens, it’s enjoyable and rewarding to make use of. It additionally goes properly with the Poco Good Keyboard (additionally bought individually, unavailable on the time of writing), which inserts snugly with the pill and has satisfyingly strong keys.

Lastly, Xiaomi is treating the Poco Pad to 3 years of core Android updates, in addition to an additional 12 months of safety updates. This isn’t particularly lengthy, however it’s commonplace throughout practically all Poco merchandise, whereas there may be much less of a value concerned in upgrading to new finances tablets extra typically than you’ll with a premium mannequin.

Value & Availability

The Poco Pad is offered by way of AliExpress, and prices £239.79 for UK patrons on the time of writing, although it typically fluctuates. It’s out there solely as an 8GB and 256GB model.

As typical for Poco merchandise, the machine isn’t out there within the US.

The finances and mid-range pill market is turning into more and more busy, so the Poco Pad isn’t in need of rivals and attainable alternate options. These embody the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE, Xiaomi Pad 6, Lenovo Tab M11, Honor Pad 9, Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ and Nokia T21, with all however the Nokia popping out in both 2023 or 2024.

Must you purchase the Xiaomi Poco Pad?

The Xiaomi Poco Pad is a good possibility for anybody in search of a dependable Android pill that gained’t price an excessive amount of however will do most issues nicely sufficient. For lower than £300, it affords a generously sized 12.1in show, a high-stamina battery, usable primary digicam and uncomplicated software program, offering a rewarding total package deal.

Certain, its efficiency can generally fall quick when you attempt to play extra superior video games, however it’s succesful for many functions. It additionally affords some helpful extras – resembling its Good Poco Pen and Keyboard – for anybody wanting to make use of the machine for work or research, making it an unassumingly versatile pill.

Specs

• 12.1-inch IPS LCD (2560×1600) 16:10, 120Hz;
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2
• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 256GB RAM UFS 2.2 inside storage;
• Cameras:
• 8Mp primary/huge sensor
• 8Mp entrance going through
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/a/6 2.4GHz+5GHz
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 10,000mAh battery
• 33W wired charging
• 280 x 181.9 x 7.5 mm
• 571g