Every time I turn around, there seems to be a new tablet on the block, the newest of which is the Xiaomi Pad 6 (and the Xiaomi Pad 6 Max 14, coming soon). I use the Xiaomi 13 Pro smartphone regularly, so it only made sense to see how the Xiaomi experience translates from smartphone to tablet. After recently performing the same experiment with the One Plus 10T and OnePlus Pad, seeing how popular branded tablets compare and perform alongside their smart device counterparts is a new fascination of mine, and the Xiaomi Pad 6 has blown me away.
Design and Display
The Xiaomi Pad 6 is an 11-inch tablet with a WQHD+ display. Featuring up to a 144Hz refresh rate, 309 ppi and 1.07 billion colours, the Xiaomi Pad 6 tablet brings a truly gorgeous visual experience to the tablet market. Watching the newest season of The Witcher in bed, scrolling through social media on the go and playing games like Genshin Impact and Sim City are better than ever with a crisp picture thanks to the hardware on board.
As far as style goes, the Xiaomi Pad 6’s metal body comes in three colours, Gravity Gray, Champagne and Mist Blue, adding a touch of personality to the device. The Gravity Gray model looks slick, especially when paired with some of its accessories. The device weighs only 409 grams on its own, with a 6.51mm ultra-slim bezel, making the most of the tablet without adding any extra bulk.
Bringing the Xiaomi Pad 6 on the go for work and travel has been a pleasure, easily slipping into my purse and even replacing my full-service laptop for many of my projects. Paired with the Xiaomi Pad 6 keyboard, the tablet was able to take on most of my day-to-day tasks with ease, rarely causing me to miss using a full laptop.
Accessories
The Xiaomi Pad 6 has a slew of accessories available alongside the device. From the Xiaomi Smart Pen (2nd Generation), Keyboard and cover, there are options for any variety of uses. The Keyboard was always on hand, and I never chose to use the Pad 6 without it. After learning how to turn off the on-screen keyboard while the keyboard case was attached (I feel that should be done by default), I was ready to go.
Having the keyboard attached added another easy way to interact with the tablet, a comfortable stand while watching or scrolling, and excellent protection when I took the device on the road. The Xiaomi Pad 6 Keyboard is so sleek it adds almost no noticeable bulk. I don’t know if I could return to a tablet without a case and keyboard, and I highly recommend the extra cost with the Xiaomi Pad 6.
There is also a Xiaomi Pad 6 cover which provides similar protection and a convenient stand, but it would be a waste not to pick up the keyboard case instead. The Xiaomi Smart Pen (2nd generation) is easy to sync up, charge and use. I often found myself pairing use between the pen and keyboard at once, creating a strange but functional hybrid experience.
The buttons on the Smart Pen allowed for some great quality-of-life features. Using the Smart Pen for screenshots is my new favourite thing. With a click of a button, I could drag across the screen and capture whatever I needed. Another press will automatically open the notes tab to dive into work.
I do wish smart devices would find better ways to store these pens, as a magnet on the side often left the pen missing or buried in the bottom of my bag. All in all, the Xiaomi Pad 6 accessories are on point and a great investment if you plan to get the most out of your device.
With the keyboard attached, the Xiaomi Pad 6 comes in at approximately 765 grams with the case attached. For comparison, the iPad Air with keyboard is 968 grams, and the Remarkable Tablet with its Type Folio keyboard is 732. Using the Xiaomi Pad 6 with its keyboard case adds a fair bit of weight, but the keyboard remains competitive with others on the market.
Camera & Audio Performance
I’ll be honest, I still don’t know who is looking at a tablet for its camera capabilities, but here we are. The Xiaomi Pad 6 features an 8MP front camera, which I assume most will use. I will say that the placement of the front camera is appreciated. It is kept dead center, so you don’t need to worry about awkward angles in a meeting.
The camera was sufficient for video calls and silly selfies with my kids but probably not high-quality enough for something like content creation. You’ll find a 13MP lens on the rear camera. For a tablet, I was surprised by the quality. It may do well for someone taking photos of their day-to-day, but again, not quality enough for any sort of serious use.
The microphone on board is a quad mic which did well during testing over voice and video calls with family. It would be serviceable for meetings on the go but does pick up surrounding noise, even if it’s said to be reduced. Its speakers support Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio and Hi-res Audio Wireless. Again, for a portable device not really dedicated to outstanding audio, the Xiaomi Pad 6 provides a great listening experience. Watching movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 on the Pad 6 was surprisingly immersive, allowing the Pad 6 to become a stellar entertainment system.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Specs
Let’s get down to the guts of the Xiaomi Pad 6. On board, you’ll find a Snapdragon 870 Mobile Platform Octa-core CPU, either 6 or 8 GB Ram, and 128 or 256 GB storage. The Xiaomi Pad 6 tablet paired its stunning display with power under the hood to bring a seamless media streaming experience. I’ve found delays in response or stuttering on screen with many other tablets, but I never once came across these issues with the Pad 6.
You’ll find a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port for charging, Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6 capabilities. I’m always happy to see USB-C on board, as it just feels like the most universal choice, especially with the devices I already use. Wi-Fi 6 doesn’t come up often, but futureproofing the device is appreciated, and I’m glad to know it’s ready when we are.
Jumping into games like Genshin Impact, they performed admirably. Though a tablet isn’t my gaming device of choice, the Pad 6 can take on mobile gaming as well as its competitors. Using the tablet as is and with the Smart Pen or keyboard always served me with a smooth experience, I’d almost go as far as to say flawless.
Functionality
Though the device exceeded performance expectations, the Xiaomi Pad 6 was not the easiest device to set up. First, that there are no capabilities like Samsung has with Smart Switch is disappointing. But even after getting over that, the Xiaomi software bloat had me signing up for different accounts, having me search for codes via email and text, and then when it was all complete, I had to do it all over again on my smartphone.
This would be a long and tedious experience for those less technically inclined, putting some off. Small stickers were also on every portion of the device, including the pen. I have fake nails, and getting these eye sores off was near impossible, and I needed to enlist help from a friend. Again, these are just small things that can sour a great experience.
Using the Xiaomi Pad 6, however, was a breeze. Once I grasped some of the shortcuts, I was on a roll. Using the Smart Pen or your finger, you can swipe from left to right to go back, from bottom to middle to see what tabs you have open and more. You might need a cheat sheet to remember some of them, but once you get the hang of it, the Xiaomi Pad 6 allows for swift and smooth movements to make the overall experience great for work or play.
Xiaomi smartphone users will also enjoy the Pad 6’s connection capabilities. With Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, and while logged into the same Xiaomi account, you can use the Gallery and File Sharing apps to drop images and files from one device to another. I’ll admit this wasn’t a feature I often used, as I don’t have a need to transfer photos, and I use Google Docs for most files, but having the option is great. The only thing that would improve it is more brands being available for easy transfer.
The only feature on the Xiaomi Pad 6 tablet that beats its ease of use is its battery life. You’ll find an 8840 mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. Xiaomi boasts 16 hours of video playback, and I can confirm the Xiaomi Pad 6 was built to last. Right now, my regular laptop will go from 100-0, sitting closed on my desk in a day. As my busy life got away from me, I went to grab the Pad 6, assuming it would be dead as I’d left it sitting turned on for almost a week. It wasn’t even half dead.
Binging hours of Twisted Metal, using it to write, and still scrolling through social media and chatting on Facebook Messenger never once killed the battery. If you’re a plug-it-in-at-night kind of person, you won’t ever see the Pad 6’s battery life hit zero. In even more good news, if you manage to drain the battery fully, it only took around an hour to recharge to full.
The Xiaomi Pad 6 tablet has become a staple in my day-to-day life, from work to travel to casual use. It comes at a competitive price, close to the OnePlus Pad ($479 USD), and way under the new Samsung Tab S9 (over $700 USD), with some great features, making it hard to beat. Whether I’m scrolling on TikTok, watching Netflix or writing away in Google Docs, the Xiaomi Pad 6’s outstanding battery life, incredible display, sleek style, and extreme portability make it my device of choice, especially on the go. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Pad 6 Max 14 will compare.
