Xiaomi Pad 6 review

For an organization that primarily focuses on premium merchandise, Apple has been surprisingly good at making low cost(ish) tablets. 

The common iPad was lengthy thought of the gold normal, although the 2022 mannequin noticed a big value enhance. Even on the time of writing, the cheaper 2021 model is a greater decide for most individuals.  

It means there’s now a chance for an Android pill to fill the void. Samsung has acquired the premium pill area principally cornered off, and there are a number of good choices underneath £250/$250, however what in order for you one thing in between?  

That’s the place the Xiaomi Pad 6 is available in. At £369, it’s not the most cost effective system round, however nonetheless has the potential to supply nice worth for cash. Finally, it delivers on that potential, although that doesn’t imply it’s the precise pill for everybody. 

Design & Construct

• iPad-style design
• Premium construct high quality
• No fingerprint sensor

If Xiaomi needs the Pad 6 to be the Android equal of the iPad, it makes an excellent begin with the design.  

From the entrance, you might simply mistake this for considered one of Apple’s tablets, with rounded corners and a slim, constant bezel across the show. Whereas just a little uninspiring, it displays nicely on such an inexpensive system. 

And the construct high quality hasn’t been compromised, both. The aluminium again and body feels impressively sturdy, whereas Gorilla Glass 3 ensures the display is nicely protected towards drops and scratches. I had no downside utilizing the Pad 6 with out a case, which may’t be mentioned for each pill. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

The system additionally has an IP53 score, which means it’s protected towards most publicity to mud and sprays of water. Basically, it’ll be nice within the rain or on the seashore, however nothing extra excessive.

In truth, the one genuinely fragile space is the digital camera module, which protrudes from the again of the system inflicting a wobble when making an attempt to make use of face up on a desk. I really feel like Xiaomi may have made them sit flush with the again of the system – I personally wouldn’t thoughts a slight enhance to the present 6.5mm thickness. 

Regardless of the premium supplies, the Pad 6 stays impressively light-weight. At 490g, it’s simple to carry with one hand or use for an prolonged gaming session.  In fact, that weight will enhance for those who mix it with the official cowl, which is offered individually for £29.  

Nevertheless it’ll cowl up the Pad 6’s engaging rear design. I notably just like the ‘Mist blue’ model I examined, which shimmers within the gentle and is usually good at avoiding fingerprint smudges. The end on ‘Gold’ and ‘Gravity Grey’ variations seems to be comparable. 

Nonetheless, the shortage of a fingerprint sensor is an actual disappointment. There’s an indent on the precise facet of the system which seems similar to one, nevertheless it’s merely a part of the design. As a substitute, face unlock is your solely different to an old school PIN, sample or password. It’s very quick at unlocking, however nowhere close to as safe.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Display screen & Audio system

• 11-inch LCD show
• 144Hz refresh price
• Spectacular quad audio system

The Pad 6’s show is essentially the most spectacular factor about it. That’s regardless of the display being LCD somewhat than OLED, proving that not all compromise is dangerous. 

As a substitute, Xiaomi has centered on maximising just about every little thing else. The 2880×1800 decision may be very excessive for an 11-inch panel, and means textual content and pictures look clear and crisp. You additionally get wealthy, vibrant colors, making it preferrred for searching social media or watching movies. 

Nevertheless it’s the 144Hz refresh price that units the Pad 6 aside from most rivals (up from 120Hz on the Pad 5). It’s one of the responsive tablets I’ve ever tried, zipping between screens and throughout menus with wonderful fluidity.  

With LTPO tech solely accessible on OLEDs, it will possibly’t mechanically regulate all the best way all the way down to 1Hz (to avoid wasting battery life) although. As a substitute, the default dynamic mode merely strikes between 60-, 90- and 144Hz relying on what you’re doing, or you possibly can manually choose any of those. 

Given how moveable the Pad 6 is, you would possibly wish to use it outdoors. And that’s very potential right here, with a powerful most brightness of 550 nits. There’s additionally a separate ‘Daylight mode’, which helps to enhance visibility even additional. 

Total, the Pad 6’s show is a pleasure to make use of. Whereas not fairly top-tier, it’s higher than the overwhelming majority of tablets round this value (the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is £449 and solely 90Hz LCD). And I’m glad to say that the identical applies to audio.  

The quad stereo audio system – one in every nook – pack an actual punch. They’re notably sturdy for music, the place most tracks have a powerful heat and depth to the sound. However the readability of voice-based content material can also be superb. 

The primary factor missing is bass, however the audio system are nonetheless an incredible different to Bluetooth headphones or a speaker. There’s no 3.5mm audio jack for wired connections, although. 

Specs & Efficiency

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 and 6GB RAM
• Spectacular efficiency, together with gaming
• Solely 128GB of storage

The Pad 6 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 chipset. 

It’s an improve in comparison with the Snapdragon 860 on the Pad 5, however nonetheless debuted in telephones again in 2021. In consequence, I used to be involved that it is likely to be beginning to present its age. 

However I needn’t have apprehensive. Efficiency may be very sturdy, and a key cause to purchase the Pad 6 over many different mid-range tablets. 

The one mannequin accessible within the UK pairs it with simply 6GB of RAM, however I discovered that to be a lot for nearly all on a regular basis duties.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

I used the system for net searching, messaging, emails, watching movies and listening to music, typically shortly switching between them. There have been some slight hesitations at instances, however every little thing nonetheless felt easy and responsive, particularly when mixed with that 144Hz show. 

Xiaomi markets the Pad 6 as a tool for work. I feel it’s a more sensible choice for leisure than productiveness, however the spectacular efficiency does make split-screen multitasking simple. 

It’s additionally superb for cellular gaming. I attempted among the most demanding titles on the Google Play Retailer, together with Name of Obligation: Cell, PUBG Cell, Asphalt 9 and EA Sports activities FC Cell.  

Other than a few dropped frames right here and there, gameplay was simply as easy as a flagship pill. And the system solely ever acquired barely heat to the contact, so the cooling system is doing an excellent job.

Xiaomi Pad 6 benchmarks

By way of inner storage, you’re restricted to simply 128GB. This will likely be sufficient for most individuals, however round 25GB of that’s taken up with system recordsdata, and there’s no possibility for growth through microSD. 

The Snapdragon 870 chip has a built-in 5G modem, however there’s no assist for cellular information connections on the Pad 6. As a substitute, you’ll should make do with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, although each work very nicely. 

Cameras

• 13Mp rear and 8Mp entrance cameras
• First rate stills in good lighting
• Disappointing video

Let’s face it, you’re not shopping for a pill for the standard of its rear cameras. However whereas there’s only one 13Mp shooter on the again of the Pad 6, the pictures it produces are a nice shock. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

In well-lit environments, you may get spectacular photographs of each landscapes and structure with out an excessive amount of effort. Element and dynamic vary are typically good, whereas publicity is dealt with nicely. 

Like Xiaomi telephones, pictures are often extra contrasty and saturated than actuality. I personally like this, because it means you typically don’t should edit pictures earlier than printing or posting to social media. Look elsewhere in order for you photographs which might be true to life, although. 

On all cellular units, there’s a distinction between what you see within the viewfinder and the top outcome. Nevertheless it’s notably dramatic right here, so don’t be delay by the underwhelming picture you see initially. 

Nonetheless, what you lose out on in comparison with smartphones is versatility. No telephoto lens means you’re restricted to low-quality digital zoom, whereas the shortage of an ultrawide sensor could be irritating. You’ll additionally should make do with out portrait or macro modes, although close-up photographs are nonetheless surprisingly good. 

The one different core characteristic you’re getting is Night time mode, which does an excellent job of brightening the picture and preserving key particulars. 

On the entrance, an 8Mp lens can seize first rate selfies. Element and color accuracy are often good, although backgrounds are typically overexposed – notably skies. There’s additionally a synthetic magnificence mode that’s utilized by default, so I’d extremely suggest turning it off for extra genuine outcomes. 

See a variety of digital camera samples within the gallery under:

The rear digital camera can take video as much as 4K at 30fps, however the default 1080p at 30fps is okay for many conditions. Sadly, a mixture of washed-out colors and no picture stabilization (footage is wobbly with any important motion) means it’s solely actually good for the occasional informal residence video. 

Nonetheless, the Pad 6 continues to be an honest possibility for video calls. 1080p footage from the front-facing digital camera is first rate, and motion shouldn’t be an enormous situation right here for duties like video calls. 

Battery Life & Charging

• 8840mAh battery
• Common battery life
• First rate 33W charging

The Xiaomi Pad 6 is supplied with an 8840mAh battery. That’s barely bigger than its predecessor, the Pad 5 (8720mAh), and the common Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 (8400mAh). 

Whereas all three are 11-inch tablets, the Pad 6 has the very best decision and refresh price. This appears to have a transparent impact on battery life, which isn’t fairly nearly as good as I used to be anticipating. 

How lengthy it’ll final on a single cost relies on what you employ a pill for. With simply a few hours of net searching or watching movies within the night, it’ll proceed for 2-3 days. However for those who’re utilizing the Pad 6 all through the day, or for an extended gaming session, be ready to cost it earlier than mattress. 

That’s mirrored in PCMark’s battery check, which simulates real-world duties at 200 nits of brightness. A time of 8 hours and quarter-hour isn’t dangerous, however a transparent step down from one of the best you’ll discover on tablets.

In fact, there are some things you are able to do to increase battery life. Turning down the brightness, setting the display refresh price to 60Hz or enabling battery saver mode will all assist, however in addition they make the Pad 6 much less pleasing to make use of. 

Happily, charging is quicker than you’d count on for a pill. The Pad 6 helps 33W speeds through USB-C, and the mandatory adapter is included within the field. From lifeless, it reached 21% in quarter-hour and 40% by the half-hour mark, with a full cost taking just below 90 minutes.

Not dangerous in any respect. There’s no wi-fi charging, however that’s not a shock. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Software program & Apps

• MIUI 14 over Android 13
• Simple to get used to
• No particular dedication to updates

The Pad 6 has {hardware} that may go toe-to-toe with the iPad, however don’t count on the identical from its software program.  

Android merely isn’t optimised for the massive display in the identical method as iPadOS, with many builders not viewing it as a precedence. So, whereas many Xiaomi apps profit from the big show, most third-party ones are merely magnified variations of the smartphone app. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Nonetheless, it is a downside that impacts all Android tablets, and it’s certainly not distinctive to Xiaomi. The corporate’s MIUI 14 pores and skin (over Android 13 right here) actually is, although. 

I’m not a fan of MIUI on Xiaomi smartphones, however the pill model is way simpler to get together with. The break up notification shade and fast settings makes a variety of sense right here, whereas the two-column Settings app is way simpler to navigate.

Elsewhere, intuitive floating home windows and split-screen multitasking instruments will let you profit from the big show. With smaller icons, their vibrant colors are nowhere close to as distracting.  

In fact, MIUI is much from excellent. There are nonetheless a great deal of annoying further apps pre-installed, a lot of that are not so good as the Google equal. And I actually want the ‘Clear all’ apps button didn’t depart one open. However on the entire, it’s no much less intuitive than every other Android pill. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Nonetheless, it’s not clear how lengthy Xiaomi will assist the system with updates for. Its official article on smartphones mentions at the very least two years, so it’ll most likely be the identical for tablets. However with no particular dedication, you’ll be shopping for the pill with out realizing for certain. 

It additionally often takes some time for the brand new model of Android to reach. For instance, on the time of writing, there’s no phrase on when the Pad 6 will get Android 14. 

Worth & Availability 

At launch, the Pad 6 prices £369 within the UK. That will get you 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and it’s accessible from Xiaomi, Very or Amazon. 

Whereas not formally accessible within the US, you possibly can nonetheless purchase one through Amazon. Costs begin at $349.99, although there are additionally choices for 8GB of RAM and/or 256GB of storage right here.

There’s no possibility for LTE connectivity, and so no networks are promoting the system on contract. 

The obvious different continues to be the ten.2-inch iPad from 2021 (from £369/$329. On the Android facet, think about the Lenovo Tab P12 (from £399.99) or OnePlus Pad (£449/$499). 

Take a look at our charts for one of the best tablets and finest Android tablets for extra choices.

Must you purchase the Xiaomi Pad 6?

Need an inexpensive Android pill that also performs to a excessive normal? The Xiaomi Pad 6 is the system for you. 

Its Snapdragon 870 chip is likely to be just a little dated, however you possibly can nonetheless count on superb efficiency – together with gaming. Mixed with a wonderful 144Hz show and good audio system, it’s acquired the basics of an incredible leisure pill coated. 

If there’s one factor that may put you off the Pad 6, it’s the middling battery life. And I can’t perceive why Xiaomi hasn’t included a fingerprint sensor. 

However in contrast to its smartphones, the superb {hardware} right here isn’t let down by software program. And that makes the Pad 6 simple to suggest if an iPad is off the playing cards for no matter cause.  

Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset 
• 6/8GB RAM 
• 128/256GB storage 
• 11in 144Hz 2.8K (2880×1800) IPS LCD show 
• Quad audio system 
• 13Mp essential digital camera, f/2.2 
• 8Mp entrance digital camera, f/2.2 
• USB-C 
• WiFi 6 
• Bluetooth 5.2 
• 8840mAh battery 
• Wired charging as much as 33W 
• 490g 
• 253.9 x 166.2 x 6.5mm 
• Android 13 with MIUI Pad 14