Xiaomi Pad 8 review: Versatile mid-range Android tablet

Though it retains most of the design elements of the predecessor, it comes with a more efficient and powerful Qualcomm chipset and delivers longer battery life and faster charging capability.

Last week, Xiaomi launched the new Pad 8 series Android tablet with prices starting at Rs 33,999 in India.

Design, build quality and display

The new device carries forward the design language of its predecessor with refinements.

It flaunts an aluminium unibody design language with matte finish, which brings a premium touch to the device. On the sides, it has smooth, curved corners. It can comfortably slip inside any regular backpack, and inside, it doesn't take much space. It measures just 5.75mm in thickness and weighs around 485g.

Xiaomi Pad 8.

On the back, it features a circular halo-like LED flash beside the main 13MP camera sensor. It is not as good as a smartphone, but it does a pretty neat job capturing documents or notes in the book, which can be converted to digital formats with productivity tools available on the Google Play Store. It also supports 4K video recording at 30 frames per second (fps).

On the front, it features an 8MP sensor. It too a does fine with selfies and can capture videos up to 1080p at 30 fps.

Xiaomi Pad 8.

Xiaomi Pad 8 sports an 11.2-inch 3.2K (3200×2136p) LCD panel with a 3:2 aspect ratio, 144Hz dynamic refresh rate, supports HDR10, Dolby Vision, pixel density of 345 ppi (pixels per inch), and supports maximum brightness of 800 nits.

It is good for multimedia consumption and e-book reading indoors. It boasts of a hardware-level blue light reduction feature and hasTÜV Rheinland hardware-level low blue light certification. This helps in reducing the strain on the eyes while reading e-books at night.

There is also a special model with a nano-texture display that comes with an anti-reflective coating and promises a better viewing experience outdoors.

The tablet also features an infrared sensor, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, a Type-C USB-C 3.2 (Gen 1) port with up to 5Gbps data transfer speed.

Xiaomi Pad 8.

It also features quad speakers, two on each side (on landscape orientation) to deliver a stereo sound effect. Also, it houses four microphones, which come in handy during video conference calls.

Though the device comes with good premium build quality, prospective buyers are advised to get a cover case for the Pad 8. It is a big device with a beautiful display; a drop from a height of the knee can dent the structure, and from waist height, the display can crack easily.

To be on the safe side, get a regular folio case offered by Xiaomi (Rs 1,499). If there is extra spare cash to splurge, go for either of these two-- Pad 8 keyboard (Rs 4,999) or Focus Keyboard (Rs 8,999).

Performance

Inside, it houses a 3nm class 3.21GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 octa-core processor with Adreno GPU. It promises 32 per cent improved CPU performance and more than 50 per cent stronger GPU performance, compared to the predecessor.

Xiaomi Pad 8.

The device worked buttery smooth. The apps load faster, and the device doesn't show any noticeable sign of sluggishness while playing games or while using generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) features such as Circle to Search or the Google Gemini AI app.

The company offers the device in two configurations-- 8GB LPDDR5X + 128GB storage and 12GB LPDDR5T + 256GB (UFS4.1) storage.

The device runs Android 16-based HyperOS 3.0. It offers a clean layout with colourful lock screens, wallpapers, and customisable widgets. Also, animations are lively and overall, the user experience on Pad 8 has been very delightful.

The tablet is not just for entertainment; it also supports Work Station mode to offer PC-like browser support, bringing other familiar features such as mouse-hover previews, right-click functionality, and an enhanced toolbar. Together, these improvements help users work on projects and presentations with less hassle.

The company also offers the Focus Pen Pro accessory. The stylus supports over 16,000 pressure levels and ultra-low latency of less than 1ms , allowing strokes to appear instantly and feel natural. It also supports rotation, a first for Android-based styluses.  It offers more control to users for stroke direction and orientation simply by rotating the pen.

With features such as hover functionality, haptic feedback, and a clean buttonless design, the Focus Pen Pro can offer an intuitive experience for sketching concepts, annotating documents, or taking handwritten notes during meetings or classes.

Users can make the best use of built-in AI features-- AI Writing, Xiaomi Creation, Mi Canvas app and more.

Just do a rough sketch of a bee or a fish with colours, describe it and select a style of photo. It will develop artistic images, which can be used to create a fully personalised digital greeting card to share during festivals or birthdays.

Xiaomi's tablet is guaranteed to get four years of Android OS updates and six years of security patches for emerging cyber threats up to 2032.

Xiaomi Pad 8.

Like the predecessor, Xiaomi Focus Keyboard for the Pad 8 is a high-quality accessory worth every penny it commands. It is made of sturdy materials. It attaches to the tablet through strong magnets and instantly establishes a connection with Pogo pins.

It supports 0-degree to 124-degree stepless adjustment to view content on the Pad 8 from a comfortable angle for the user.

However, given the compact size of the keyboard and the trackpad, it takes a few days of usage for the fingers' muscle memory to kick in to type more freely like a computer desktop.

It houses a big 9,200mAh battery. It can support nine of video gaming, close to 13 hours of video streaming via Wi-Fi. With offline viewing mode, it can last even longer.

It supports 45W fast charging and reverse charging capability.

Final thoughts

Though it retains most of the design elements of the predecessor, it comes with a more efficient and powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset and delivers longer battery life and faster charging capability. Also, the main camera hardware too, peforms good with 4K video recording capability.

Xiaomi Pad 8.

With accessories such as the Focus Pen Pro and Keyboard covers, the Xiaomi Pad 8 becomes even more versatile and a productivity workhorse.

Overall, the Xiaomi Pad 8 is a cost-effective, feature-rich Android tablet.

The Xiaomi Pad 8 starts at Rs 33,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, while the 12GB + 256GB variant is priced at Rs 36,999. The Nano Texture variant (12GB + 256GB) is available at Rs 38,999. Xiaomi is also introducing a Creator’s Edition, which bundles the Xiaomi Focus Pen Pro in the box, priced at Rs 41,999 for the standard display variant and Rs 43,999 for the Nano Texture variant.

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