The high-value, do-it-all Redmi Pad is lastly again after a 3-year wait. Aptly referred to as the Redmi Pad 2, the pill seems to be barely completely different and options some important additions that have been lacking from the primary mannequin. There is a new processor, a barely extra pixel-dense show, and a barely larger battery, all of which I discovered to be questionable at finest. Nevertheless, there are additionally some new additions, comparable to stylus assist and mobile connectivity, which appear to make it much more enticing than the earlier mannequin. I’ve been utilizing this pill for a few weeks, and I really feel that regardless of the minor upgrades, the Redmi Pad 2 presents good worth, and here is why.

Redmi Pad 2 Design: Extra of the identical

• Dimensions – 254.58 x 166 x 7.36mm
• Weight – 510 / 519g (Wi-Fi / Mobile)
• SIM tray – Hybrid (nano SIM + nano SIM/ 2TB microSD)

We obtained the top-end 8GB RAM variant of the Redmi Pad 2 for evaluation. The structure of the exterior {hardware} elements seems to be the identical as with the Redmi Pad, however we now have a barely fancier two-tone end. The design of the Redmi Pad 2 stays the identical as earlier than, that includes flat surfaces on the show, rear, and sides. What’s modified is the digicam module. It has gone from a rectangle to a mirror-finish capsule. On the reverse nook is the brand new Redmi emblem, which has been capitalised with a daring font.

At 7.63mm, the pill seems slim however is sort of heavy, weighing simply over half a kilogram. Holding it in a single hand is not preferrred regardless of its small (not compact) total dimensions.

 

The brand new emblem is printed on a colour-matched plastic strip, which runs the size of the system till the digicam module on the different nook. This plastic cowl offers the rear panel a dual-tone end. It additionally accommodates the hybrid SIM card tray and gives enough area for mobile connectivity.

I like that Xiaomi has retained the three.5mm headphone jack, which additionally enables you to entry FM radio

 

We obtained the optionally available Redmi Pad 2 Cowl (Rs. 1,299) together with our evaluation unit. Made primarily from exhausting plastic (the flap is coated with silicone), it would not really feel too low cost however presents good safety across the corners, particularly in case you are the clumsy sort. Aside from permitting the pill to face upright for media consumption or at a slight angle for stylus utilization, the foldable cowl (flap) additionally mechanically places the pill to sleep, which is a pleasant characteristic to have.

Accessible at Rs. 5,999 in India, it has a Kind-C USB port for charging, two buttons (India mannequin) and a spare tip within the field. It connects to the pill utilizing Bluetooth and presents wonderful responsiveness (requiring little stress), however can even detect very intricate ranges of stress when wanted, which is helpful for artistic sorts. It is also good for taking notes.

As for the Xiaomi Focus Pen, it feels a bit over-engineered for this humble pill

 

The buttons have a beautiful clicky suggestions and require little stress to press down. One in every of them (referred to as the Writing button) can be utilized to shortly entry the Mi Canvas app to take instantaneous notes and likewise permits for switching between brush sorts. The second button (Screenshot button) enables you to take screenshots wherever you’re within the software program interface, and will also be used to change between colors in Mi Canvas shortly.

Redmi Pad 2 Show: Will get the job accomplished

• Show dimension – 11-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 pixels (2.5K)
• Show sort – IPS LCD, 60-90Hz
• Stylus assist – Sure

The Redmi Pad 2’s show has obtained a notable improve from the Redmi Pad’s barely smaller 10.57-inch panel to an 11-inch panel with the next pixel density. Provided that the processor and underlying {hardware} powering it have not modified, the additional pixels could find yourself including extra load to the system. However extra about this within the efficiency part of this evaluation.

The show open air with Out of doors mode enabled, which does warmth the pill

 

Xiaomi claims that its show has turn out to be brighter, reaching 600 nits (up from the earlier 400 nits), however I wasn’t very joyful utilizing it open air. The show is barely legible open air (particularly when watching video), and it’s important to consistently hold reorienting it to keep away from reflections getting in the best way of your content material as a result of it is extremely reflective.

One workaround is the particular Out of doors mode. It turns off the Auto Brightness toggle and cranks up the brightness a wee bit extra, making the show legible open air. Nevertheless it’s buried inside Show settings, so few will hassle activating it when wanted, and to make issues worse, there’s a clear warning stating that the pill “will warmth up and eat extra energy”. And sure, the pill did get noticeably heat when utilizing this mode.

Indoors, the show labored as anticipated and was sufficiently brilliant

 

One other problem with the show is the auto brightness characteristic. Identical to the Poco C71 I not too long ago reviewed, the Redmi Pad 2 additionally lacks an ambient gentle sensor to regulate the brightness. As an alternative, the pill depends on its front-facing digicam to set the show brightness. Sadly, this problem solely happens when the pill is unlocked, and consequently, you can be left with a show that’s both too dim or unnecessarily brilliant when you transfer out and in of the shade. So, when you want the show to re-adapt to your present settings, you’ll have to lock and unlock your system to set off the adjustment. And provided that this pill doesn’t have a safe biometric authentication system, be ready to punch in that passcode each time that occurs.

As for positives, the colors look simply advantageous, even when they don’t seem to be correct. The pill additionally helps Widevine L1, permitting you to take pleasure in high-resolution full-HD video playback in OTT apps. Dolby Atmos by way of the quad audio system can be supported, and it does make the audio sound immersive.

Redmi Pad 2 Software program: Not unhealthy in any respect

• Android model – 15
• Software program – HyperOS 2.0
• Software program dedication – 5 years OS + 7 years SMR

Since we obtained the top-end variant of the Redmi Pad 2 with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, our expertise could differ from that of patrons trying to buy the essential 4GB variant of the system.

Xiaomi‘s HyperOS on a pill structure is surprisingly good and succesful. Software program operation is easy sufficient with hints of lag noticeable sometimes. That is most evident when launching apps, the place one has to attend an additional second for the app to start out up.

Multitasking is nicely applied and really very like Apple’s iPadOS. You may have two apps open in split-screen and one app open in a floating window, which might be resized. Relying in your split-screen structure, you can even get two navigation tabs on the backside, which could be very distinctive to HyperOS, in comparison with different Android pill producers.

Swiping up from the underside will deal with one half of the show like a separate homescreen and even present the recents menus if wanted in that part. Since this is not a high-end pill, however a finances one, I observed some stuttering when scrolling by way of two apps directly. Nevertheless, total, I actually love what Xiaomi has accomplished with HyperOS for tablets.

I additionally tried out the preinstalled bekids Colouring app, and it labored fantastically

 

There are not any AI instruments current wherever within the interface, so Gemini is the one technique to get the pill speaking. In some methods, I really feel it is a lot higher than having to cope with two AI fashions, the best way it is at present applied on Motorola (Moto AI, Perplexity, Gemini) or on Samsung (Galaxy AI, Gemini) units, which may get messy or complicated.

The buttons are a bit stiff and require some stress to function

 

As for the remainder of the OS, it is enterprise as typical. I like Xiaomi’s Mi Sans font and the way it’s compelled throughout apps and settings all over the place. It gives a way of uniformity and consistency that’s usually missing on most Android units at the moment. There are just a few preinstalled apps out of the field, however these might be uninstalled. The third-party apps didn’t throw any spammy notifications in the course of the take a look at interval.

For a finances pill, I used to be a bit stunned to see a reasonably prolonged software program dedication. 5 years of working system updates and seven years of safety updates are an enormous deal, however I am not too satisfied that the underlying {hardware} will be capable of deal with heavier future updates except they’ve been nicely optimised.

Redmi Pad 2 Efficiency: Nearly proper

• Processor – MediaTek Helio G100 Extremely, 2.2GHz, 6nm
• RAM – 4/6/8GB, LPDDR4X
• Storage – 128/256GB, UFS 2.2
• MicroSD card enlargement – As much as 2TB

The MediaTek Helio G100 Extremely is principally a rebranded Helio G99 and comes with almost the identical specs and clock velocity, with higher Bluetooth and the power to deal with larger decision digicam sensors. Since neither of the above two upgrades is being exploited to the fullest on the Redmi Pad 2, it is secure to say that its efficiency is similar to the older mannequin ,as might be seen from the benchmark comparability chart beneath.

Certainly, the decrease GPU scores of the GFXBench take a look at suites point out that the brand new higher-resolution show does take a little bit of a toll on the system’s efficiency. Given the reasonably poor graphics scores within the above exams, I used to be a bit stunned after I tried out some informal video games and the pill carried out as anticipated.

Asphalt Legends managed to run with the body fee set to 60 fps and all graphics settings maxed out. Regardless of some stuttering and loads of skipped frames, the arcade racer nonetheless managed a decently easy, playable expertise with a lower-than-usual decision and textures.

Redmi Pad 2 Cameras: The same old

• Major digicam – 8-megapixel, f/2.0
• Selfie digicam – 5-megapixel, f/2.2
• LED flash – Sure

Provided that this pill weighs almost half a kilo, it’s a bit tiring to carry it up for use as a digicam. However so far as tablets go, the digicam setup just isn’t very promising, extra so as a result of it is a sub-Rs. 15,000 finances system. Given the reasonably poor seize capabilities of this pill (together with the selfie digicam), it’s best used for video calls in well-lit environments. Imaging capabilities are common for a tool at this worth level, with smooth, noisy and overexposed photos in daylight.

Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 daylight digicam pattern (faucet picture to develop)

 

Redmi Pad 2 low-light major digicam pattern (faucet picture to develop)

 

 

Redmi Pad 2 selfie digicam pattern (faucet picture to develop)

 

Redmi Pad 2 Battery: All in a day’s work

• Battery capability – 9,000mAh
• Wired charging – 18W
• Charger within the field – 15W

Regardless of the beneficiant bump in battery capability, our battery benchmarks indicated barely underwhelming efficiency in comparison with the older mannequin. The Redmi Pad 2, with its bigger 9,000mAh battery, managed to final 10 hours and 48 minutes in our HD video loop battery take a look at, which performs a regionally saved video till the battery is drained. The older Redmi Pad in the identical take a look at situations managed a significantly better 14 hours and 53 minutes, which signifies that the marginally larger (and brighter), pixel-dense show does have a adverse influence on the Redmi Pad 2’s battery life.

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2’s rear digicam stays the identical as earlier than, however the front-facing digicam will get downgraded to a 5-megapixel sensor

 

In our PC Mark Battery Life take a look at, which runs a collection of every day utilization eventualities, comparable to net shopping, picture modifying, and extra, on loop, the pill managed a superb rating of 15 hours and 31 minutes. Lengthy story brief, the pill can simply final a day of video streaming, which will likely be its major use case. It additionally has sufficient juice if you would like it to deal with your e-mail, some net shopping and extra on an enormous display screen.

Charging speeds stay the identical as with the older mannequin, and given the bump in battery capability, issues can solely get slower. Our unit shipped with the bundled 15W charger, which took its personal candy time to cost the system, managing a full cost from a useless battery in a leisurely 3 hours and 16 minutes.

Redmi Pad 2 Verdict

The addition of stylus assist is a welcome change, and the identical applies to mobile connectivity, which is lastly an possibility. Each of those options will certainly appeal to new finances pill patrons as Lenovo’s Tab K11 (Rs. 15,999 onwards) is the one different pill to supply stylus assist at this worth level. Nevertheless, Lenovo’s providing will solely obtain upgrades till Android 15, and due to this fact, Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad 2 (Rs. 13,999 onwards) is a better option at a gorgeous worth.

However as an improve, the Redmi Pad 2 has barely improved over the older Redmi Pad, because it hardly outperforms the previous model. And so, when you already personal the earlier mannequin, there are only a few causes to improve to the brand new one. Mobile connectivity could persuade just a few present house owners to improve to the brand new Redmi Pad 2. However provided that the core product has barely seen any worthy enhancements, and given {that a} stylus just isn’t a necessity, it is best to keep away from doing so.