Xiaomi has been on a roll lately. With a number of new devices hitting the market across several brands, all aimed at a range of price points and audiences, they offer fantastic performance for the cost of entry, and the Redmi Pad Pro is no different. This is a tablet that feels tailor-made for those looking for a big-screen experience without breaking the bank. Developed by Xiaomi’s Redmi sub-brand, this tablet boasts a generous 12.1-inch display and a range of features that make it an interesting option for both casual users and productivity-oriented enthusiasts.
Despite the slick ads and marketing material, unboxing the Redmi Pad Pro is a rather minimalistic affair. Once you open the box, you’re greeted by the tablet itself, a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging, and a 33W charger. The Redmi Pad Pro is available in Graphite Grey, Mint Green and Ocean colour options, with a special Harry Potter edition also on offer in select regions. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this edition of the tablet will be available globally, at least not yet.
Even though the unboxing experience was rather minimal, even just feeling the tablet for the first time, I was impressed by how solid it all felt. The Redmi Pad Pro sports a clean, modern design with a metal unibody construction that feels sturdy and premium in the hand. The tablet’s 12.1-inch display dominates the front, with slim bezels that maximize the screen real estate. The back features a subtle Redmi logo and a single camera module, maintaining the device’s understated aesthetic.
The tablet has a single 8MP front-facing selfie camera and an 8MP main shooter on the back. Before I go any further, I’ll admit it outright: these cameras are not worth using for pictures you want to display, as the images look washed out and lack real detail. Even though I didn’t love the camera on the iPad Pro, it easily outperforms the cameras on the Redmi Pad Pro, so that should say something. Frankly, aside from using the cameras for calls or creative work like taking a photo of a room to draw on it, you’d be better served by using your phone’s camera.
Despite its size, the Redmi Pad Pro is surprisingly light at 571 grams, making it comfortable to hold for long periods of time. The build quality is impressive, with no creaks or flex in the body, which gives confidence in the tablet’s durability. Even just playing around with the tablet, I was shocked at how solid everything was, with a premium design that, while not as refined as some of Xiaomi’s other tablets or what Apple is bringing to the tablet, makes many competing budget tablets look cheap in comparison.
Even though the tablet is well designed throughout, the real star of the show is, without question, the Redmi Pad Pro’s 12.1-inch IPS LCD display. With a resolution of 1600×2560 pixels (2.5K) and a 16:10 aspect ratio, the screen is crisp, vibrant, and spacious, offering an immersive viewing experience for movies, games, and productivity tasks. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and fluid animations, adding to the tablet’s premium feel. The display also boasts a peak brightness of 600 nits and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
“Even though the tablet is well designed throughout, the real star of the show is, without question, the Redmi Pad Pro’s 12.1-inch IPS LCD display.”
This is a tablet that begs to be used for media and gaming, with the screen supporting Dolby Vision, and while not nearly as bright as the iPad Pro, it manages to hit a peak brightness of 600 nits, more than enough to make Genshin Impact pop when you load it, or make the details in the dungeons of Diablo Immortal look fantastic. The Redmi Pad Pro also delivers impressive audio thanks to its quad-speaker setup, which is tuned by Dolby Atmos. The speakers provide clear and loud sound, making the tablet a great choice for media consumption, gaming and video calls.
Being a Redmi tablet, it has less powerful components compared to the Xiaomi Pad, but it still offers enough performance to meet most people’s needs. Under the hood, the Redmi Pad Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip, coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. This combination helps the Redmi Pad Pro deliver smooth performance across a range of tasks, from web browsing and video streaming to running multiple apps simultaneously. The tablet handles everyday use with ease, rarely experiencing lag or stuttering.
When it comes to gaming, the Redmi Pad Pro delivers a very playable experience across a range of titles. We tried it out with Fortnite, Genshin Impact, and Diablo Immortal, along with a number of standard benchmark apps, to see how it held up. While it won’t be going head-to-head with Apple’s M3 or M4 chips anytime soon, all of the games we tried looked great, and even with the graphics cranked up, I didn’t see any major stuttering or graphical issues. The iPad Pro managed to deliver a much smoother experience, but given the price difference between these two tablets, it’s not a fair comparison.
“The Redmi Pad Pro also delivers impressive audio thanks to its quad-speaker setup, which is tuned by Dolby Atmos.”
While I was impressed with what the Redmi Pad Pro brings to the table overall, especially for the price, perhaps the most impressive feature is its massive 10,000mAh battery. This capacity translates into excellent endurance, allowing the tablet to last for days on a single charge with moderate use. Even with heavy use, the Redmi Pad Pro can comfortably go a full day without being plugged in. The massive battery, combined with a slightly less power-hungry SoC, means the Redmi Pad Pro sips power, giving you more life even when pushing the tablet with gaming, browsing or even just making TikToks. The tablet supports 33W fast charging, which can quickly recharge the battery when needed.
The Redmi Pad Pro comes with a USB-C port for charging and data transfer, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack for those who prefer wired audio. It also has a MicroSD slot should you want to expand storage, and it supports up to 1.5TB should you want to invest in giving the tablet a bit more space for apps, games, or anything else you can load it up with.
The tablet also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 for fast and stable wireless connectivity. Unfortunately, there are no pins or magnets on the back for accessories, and it does not support the accessories found on the Xiaomi Pad. Thankfully, Xiaomi has thought of releasing accessories alongside it that give you functionality, albeit in a slightly less elegant way.
The Redmi Pad Pro runs on Xiaomi’s Hyper OS based on Android 14, offering a smooth and intuitive user experience with features like floating windows for multitasking, making it the perfect solution to take on the road to avoid the bulk of a laptop. To help with this, Xiaomi has released a selection of official add-ons to enhance the tablet’s functionality and make it a much more robust laptop replacement.
For those who want to use the tablet for work or study, the Redmi Pad Pro Keyboard is a must-have accessory that provides a tactile typing experience and a sturdy base for the tablet. Unlike the keyboard found on the Xiaomi Pad, or Apple’s tablets, it is connected to the tablet by Bluetooth and is not instant the moment it is added to the case, but it still supports turning the screen off when you close the case, something many third party options do not allow.
Perhaps the most useful for anyone looking to use the Redmi Pad Pro for art or other creative tasks, the Redmi Smart Pen is an accessory that helps push the potential of the budget tablet. The stylus connects via Bluetooth and offers a comfortable grip with two buttons for added functionality. It sadly does not charge by attaching it to the tablet, and it needs USB-C to top it up when needed, but it works incredibly well, and with apps that support it, it gives 4096 levels of sensitivity and feels great to write or draw with.
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the Redmi Pad Pro is its price. Starting at around $250, the tablet offers exceptional value for its features and performance. Compared to similarly-sized tablets from other brands, the Redmi Pad Pro stands out as a more affordable option without compromising on quality or user experience. The tablet’s combination of features, performance and value make it a strong contender in the affordable tablet market and a device worth considering for those looking for a spacious and powerful tablet experience.
Despite the minor issues and limitations, the Redmi Pad Pro delivers an amazing experience that is hard to beat in its price range. Yes, you could spend more to buy the Xiaomi Pad 6 and get a few more features and a more powerful SoC, but for most people, this tablet ticks all the right boxes. Better yet, even though the Redmi Pad Pro is a budget option, it doesn’t feel like one, delivering a premium experience that’s hard to find on a tablet anywhere near its sub-$300 sticker price.
With its impressive display, solid performance, long-lasting battery life, and support for accessories like the Redmi Smart Pen and Keyboard, the tablet is a fantastic choice for those who want to break free from lugging around a laptop but aren’t ready to take the plunge into more expensive offerings. The Redmi Pad Pro is a great tablet, and despite some minor annoyances and a lack of refinements compared to more expensive offerings, it manages to impress in the ways that matter most.
