Xiaomi Pad 7 review: The best value tablet you can buy

Iterative updates are the secret for cellular units in 2025 and Xiaomi’s flagship pill vary is not any totally different. The Pad 7 comes together with an analogous design and set of specs to its predecessor.

That’s not an inherently dangerous factor, nonetheless. The Xiaomi Pad 6 was a wonderful Android pill and iPad different and the brand new mannequin is available in on the identical worth, £369, and it’s not utterly missing in upgrades.

You get a giant soar in software program to HyperOS 2, a brighter display screen, a brand new(er) processor and sooner charging. Xiaomi additionally has a variety of equipment accessible together with its first floating hinge keyboard design, serving to the Pad 7 to rival the iPad Professional as a laptop computer alternative.

Design & Construct

• Premium styling
• Properly-made
• On the heavy facet

The size could be a couple of millimetres totally different from the Pad 6 right here and there, however you’d wrestle to decide on between the 2 tablets in a line-up. Nonetheless, that’s no dangerous factor because it means it is a fashionable pill with nothing wanting a premium really feel.

From the entrance, the Pad 7 appears to be like like most trendy tablets, together with Android, however with its 3:2 side ratio, it most carefully resembles the iPad. On the again, nonetheless, it has a way more distinctive Xiaomi design.

The aluminium rear cowl is available in three colors – Gray, Blue and Inexperienced – and the sq. digital camera module appears to be like similar to the Xiaomi 15 cellphone, giving a pleasant coherent look.

The draw back, for those who don’t use a case, is that the digital camera module means the pill wobbles on a flat floor.

The Pad 7 is suitably skinny at simply 6.2mm nevertheless it’s placed on a bit of little bit of weight, now hitting the 500g mark. I’d say this the most important draw back right here because it does begin to really feel on the hefty facet whenever you add issues just like the official Cowl case and Focus Pen stylus.

Positive, the 2025 iPad Air is 40g lighter, nevertheless it prices much more and for those who’re on the lookout for the Pad 7 to interchange your laptop computer, then it’s seemingly nonetheless lighter in complete even for those who add one of many keyboard instances.

There’s little else necessary to say concerning the design. A small quirk is that the facility button and quantity rocker are on totally different sides and it’s one thing I’m nonetheless getting used to.

General, it’s a wonderful package deal for the worth with comparable rivals from Samsung and co dearer.

Equipment

• Fundamental Cowl
• Focus Pen
• Two Keyboard instances

We don’t at all times have a piece in opinions for equipment and that’s mostly as a result of we haven’t been capable of take a look at them, however Xiaomi despatched me three instances and the Focus Pen stylus, so I can inform you about all of them.

In the event you’re shopping for the Pad 7 from Xiaomi’s official retailer, you’ll seemingly get the fundamental cowl (value £45) included and it’s first rate. Defending the pill throughout journey apart, it folds right into a stand, allows good get up and likewise has a loop to carry the Focus Pen.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The stylus is £89 however on the time of writing is an non-obligatory further at £39 when shopping for the pill. At that worth it’s effectively value it even for those who’re not knowledgeable illustrator. I can’t draw for toffee however I’ve used it greater than anticipated, together with only for navigation.

The Focus Pen snaps onto the facet with magnets for storage and charging and might go both means spherical. Two buttons on the facet permit you to do numerous issues like change between drawing implements in Mi Canvas and a distant shutter for the digital camera.

There are different options resembling screenshots and a digital laser pointer however the latter doesn’t work so effectively.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

If you wish to kind with an actual keyboard, Xiaomi has two choices for you. The extra primary keyboard case which is £119 and gives a correct keyboard for an honest typing expertise, it simply goes proper the sting and the Pad 7 can solely sit at one angle.

These desirous to do greater than faucet out fast emails ought to go for the Professional Focus keyboard. It’s £179 however effectively value it if you would like a laptop-like expertise on an Android pill.

You get the identical wonderful keyboard because the cheaper mannequin nevertheless it’s positioned higher supplying you with someplace to relaxation your palms. That is due to a floating hinge design within the case in addition to the addition of a small trackpad which helps navigation gestures.

General, it really works very well, even when I do with the angle adjustment on the hinge would permit the Pad 7 to tilt again a bit additional.

Display screen & Audio system

• 11.2-inch
• 144Hz
• Brighter and crisper
• Quad audio system

The show on the Pad 6 was wonderful so it’s comprehensible to see Xiaomi has made solely minor tweaks.

It’s nonetheless a 3:2 side ratio (which can be considerably divisive) with a 144Hz refresh price. It’s not OLED however the high quality continues to be top-notch total, and Xiaomi has bumped the decision to three.2K and the brightness to 800 nits.

At 11.2-inch it’s barely bigger and it a candy spot for actual property with out feeling like an enormous system. Decision has been bumped to 3200 x 2136 and, for my cash, it’s top-of-the-line LCD pill shows on the market with a crisp and vibrant picture.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Maybe an important factor, although, particularly when in comparison with iPads (not Professional fashions) is that top refresh price. It makes utilizing the Pad 7 silky easy basically operation and lends itself to duties like gaming, too.

One tweak I’d make to the spec sheet is the addition of a fingerprint scanner. There isn’t one within the display screen or the facility button right here, so you will need to depend on face unlock (or older strategies) as a substitute.

I’d additionally wish to see an possibility for a matt end show, nevertheless it’s comprehensible Xiaomi holds this again for the Pad 7 Professional.

The pill packs a punch as soon as once more within the audio division with quad audio system (two on either side in panorama orientation) with Dolby Atmos assist. They’re nice for streaming, listening to audio, gaming and, effectively, absolutely anything.

Whereas not flawless, they’re higher than laptops which price twice as a lot. Do be aware, nonetheless, there may be not headphone jack right here which is a disgrace.

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3
• 8GB RAM
• As much as 256GB storage

Within the engine room is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 processor – a 2024 chip we’ve seen in loads of telephones – backed up by 8GB of RAM. In terms of storage (UFS 4.0), there’s a easy alternative of 128- or 256GB and I’d suggest investing within the latter for under £30 extra.

It means upgrades in all three departments because the Pad 6 ran a Snapdragon 870 and got here in just one 6/128GB mannequin within the UK.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Efficiency is completely easy more often than not, with that top refresh price show serving to issues really feel zippy. The Pad 7 is completely able to operating every kind of apps and options like floating home windows for those who want.

It’s not completely proof against stutters however they’re few and much between and in my expertise only a barely jerky animation when closing apps.

Xiaomi Pad 7 benchmarks

When it comes to different core specs, you get Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port. It’s pretty trendy if not the newest variations throughout the board however that’s acceptable at this worth and unlikely that anybody would even discover.

There’s no LTE mobile knowledge possibility right here, not even with eSIM, so that you’ll have to look elsewhere if that may be a dealbreaker. It’s not even an possibility on the Pad 7 Professional so look to the likes of the Galaxy Tab S10 FE.

Cameras

• 13Mp rear
• 8Mp front
• 1080p for webcam usage

The camera module at the back of the Pad 7 might suggest you get a selection of cameras and it wouldn’t be a surprising move from Xiaomi either considering devices like the Xiaomi 15 Ultra.

However, there’s the same 13Mp camera as the Pad 6 and also the same 8Mp front facing camera.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

As you might expect from a tablet costing this much, they are fine and hopefully you won’t need the rear camera much apart from perhaps to scan the odd QR code or take some basic snaps of something you want to sell online.

The front camera is likely more important so it’s always a shame this isn’t prioritised, but it offers very good quality including 1080p for video calls. Still higher resolution than most laptop webcams which are still stuck, somehow, at 720p.

Battery Life & Charging

• 8850mAh
• Faster 45W charging

The Pad 7 comes with a marginally larger battery than its predecessor at 8850mAh. That’s only 10mAh but it’s still a healthy capacity even if it didn’t change.

The figure from our usual PCMark battery benchmark isn’t very impressive at just six hours and 34 minutes. However, that doesn’t line up with real world usage where you should expect to get around 10 hours of screen time, depending on factors like screen brightness.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

A larger upgrade in this area is charging which is not 45W and Xiaomi says you can get 40% charge in 30-minutes. The firm has undersold this as my testing with a Xiaomi adapter with more than enough oomph (90W) saw the tablet reach an impressive 54% in half an hour.

Note that there isn’t a charger in the box, though, just a cable.

Software & Apps

• Android 15
• HyperOS 2
• 4 years support

When it comes to software, you get Android 15 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 over the top. While the company has improved in this area over the last few years, it’s still something of a mixed bag.

It’s like a hybrid of iPadOS and Android rivals, starting with the Apple-esque wallpaper. Of course, that is easily replaced but other elements are not such as the split notification and quick settings panels.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

It’s much easier to get to grips with than MIUI ever was and looks much more visually pleasing, too. I like the app bar at the bottom which includes app suggestions, and your Google Discover feed is a swipe away from the homescreen.

There are a few too many pre-installed apps, such as LinkedIn, but you can uninstall them without much hassle. Xiaomi includes a lot of its own, some of which are duplicates of Google’s far better options – the Mi Browser as a prime example – while others have potential like the Mi Canvas for using with the Focus Pen.

On the AI front (it is 2025 after all) Google Gemini is onboard as well as Xiaomi HyperAI, though like its phones, this isn’t implemented very well. You might not even notice it in the settings menu and there’s no icon for it on the homepage either.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

HyperAI can theoretically help with writing, art, speech and more, but in all honesty, I just didn’t come across it in my usage. Especially with Gemini baked in, most users will have no need for both.

Fortunately, this year Xiaomi has made a specific software promise, which is four years. You can get longer with rivals like Samsung, but it’s far better than no promise and knowing you’ll get to Android 19 is reassuring.

Price & Availability

As mentioned at the top, the Pad 7 comes in at the same price as its predecessor. It’s £369 for the entry-level model which gets you 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.

I’d recommend doubling the storage to 256GB as this model is only £399.

Those are the RRPs, but you can already get £90 off from the Mi Store on both models, making them even more of a bargain, as well as freebies and discounts on extras such as the Focus Pen.

You can also buy it from Amazon UK and although, like most Xiaomi merchandise, you possibly can’t formally purchase it within the US, the worldwide model is on the market on Amazon US for beneath $500.

The worth is available in a bit of greater than the freshly introduced primary iPad, which is £329, however lower than the additionally new iPad Air in its 11-inch dimension, which might set you again a minimum of £599.

When it comes to Android competitors, there are many choices such because the Google Pixel Pill, Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE and OnePlus Pad 2. All of that are dearer and don’t supply the identical worth for cash because the Pad 7.

Take a look at extra choices in our record of one of the best tablets and greatest Android tablets.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Must you purchase the Xiaomi Pad 7?

In the event you’re on the lookout for a wonderful worth Android pill then, sure, the Pad 7 completely suits the invoice.

It truly is a flagship-level pill in so some ways and there’s good likelihood that for those who purchase it from the official retailer, you’ll get it cheaper with issues thrown in without spending a dime and non-obligatory reductions on equipment.

Positive, there are different good choices on the market and if you would like the comfort of the most affordable iPad’s software program and app choice you gained’t be dissatisfied by taking place that route. Android rivals have benefits too like non-obligatory 5G if that’s necessary or the Google Pixel’s speaker dock.

However for those who’re on the lookout for a well-made, high-spec pill with out breaking the financial institution then the Pad 7 is the highest possibility.

Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset
• 6/8GB RAM
• 128/256GB storage
• 11in 144Hz 2.8K (2880×1800) IPS LCD show
• Quad audio system
• 13Mp foremost 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