The Redmi Pad 2 was launched in Thailand today, making its way into the Malaysian market. With a starting price of RM599, it’s a tablet that’s offered at a pretty affordable price. But is this enough to make it worth owning? This is my full review of the Redmi Pad 2.
Specifications and Design
Redmi Pad 2
Screen 11″ IPS LCD,
2560 x 1600 pixels, 90Hz
Processor MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra
Chip 2 X 2.2 GHz A76
6 X 2.0 GHz A55
Graphics Chip Mali-G57 MC2
RAM 4/8 GB LPDDR4X
Internal Load 128/256 UFS 2.2 (micro SD 2TB)
Main Camera 8 Megapixel f/2.0
Selfie Camera 5 Megapixel f/2.2
Battery 9000 mAh
Wired Charging 18W
SIM/Telephony Yes/4G
NFC No
Audio Jack Yes
Waterproof No
Face Scan System
Selling Price RM 599 (4/128GB) WiFi
RM 699 (8/256GB) WiFi
RM 799 (4/128GB) 4G
RM 999 (8/256GB) 4G
The design of this tablet is similar to several other affordable OEM tablets reviewed over the past three years. It's not amazing, unique, one in a million or anything that will catch your eye. It's very Spartan but practical.
The flat 11″ IPS LCD screen with 2.5K resolution and 90Hz refresh rate has moderately thick bezels, boxy sides and a metal back panel with a dual-tone design. The screen doesn't officially support HDR and has a brightness of only 600 nits.
The moderately large bezels are the same size on all four sides which makes the device look balanced. It's big enough to comfortably place your fingers on without it blocking the content you want to watch.
The display is still satisfactory if the tablet is used indoors with bright colors and the screen is still sharp. The shortcomings start to become apparent when used outdoors, where bright sunlight can make it a little difficult to see what's displayed on the screen.
I used the Redmi Pad 2 to watch videos on a plane. Everything was fine on the plane. When I went outside to take pictures in Bangkok, the screen was not bright enough, forcing me to use a screen cover to block the sunlight.
The body is made of aluminum with flat sides. It is comfortable in the hand and the device does not feel too heavy. On the side of the body are the power button, volume rocker, four speaker grilles and an audio jack.
It is rare to see a tablet with an audio jack, but Redmi is no slouch. The only thing missing is an infrared emitter and a fingerprint scanner. The Redmi Pad 2 only allows unlocking using a face scan and a card/passcode.
The four speakers placed on the side support Dolby Atmos and Xiaomi Sound audio. Dolby Atmos is supported on the physical speakers and audio accessories, which I feel are a bonus because usually on these affordable devices, the manufacturer does not provide them.
There is a tray for a micro SD card up to 2TGB and for a SIM. The tablet supports 4G networks, Wifi up to 5GHz and Bluetooth 5.3 tethering. Completing the design of the device is a USB-C charging port on the bottom. The device also does not have any waterproof standards.
Usage and Software
Xiaomi HyperOS 2 is used with it being based on Android 15. The interface is similar to my experience using previous HyperOS devices only with a touch of features. tablet. There is a shortcut tray to several applications and open applications placed at the bottom of the screen.
HyperOS is minimalist and smooth to use even though the Helio G100 Ultra chip used is only from the entry-level class. Additional features are provided such as launching two applications simultaneously, launching applications at different screen ratios and more. There is also a Memory Extension feature that allows RAM to be added virtually by 4GB, 6GB and 8GB of RAM by taking part of the device's UFS 2.2 storage.
Through the Xiaomi ecosystem, the feature of transferring notes from phone to tablet, answering phone calls via tablet and accessing the internet on the phone via tablet is also supported. In short, even though the Pad 2 is an entry-level tablet, it is still equipped with various interesting features.
Benchmarks
The MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra chip is an entry-level chip equipped with 2 Cortex A76 CPU cores and 6 Cortex A55 CPU cores paired with a Mali G57 MC2 GPU. The scores recorded in the three main benchmark applications are as follows.
Geekbench 6 – 727/1928 Scores
Antutu 3D Lite – 422,508 Scores
3D Mark Wild Life Extreme – 342 Scores
Running various common applications such as Chrome, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube did not cause any problems on the unit with 8GB of RAM that I reviewed. In fact, the operation was smooth, but the time to launch applications was a little slow because the device uses UFS 2.2 storage which is not the fastest on the market.
For gaming fans, I can only say that 2D graphics games, classic games like Street of Rage and Mobile Legends Bang Bang can only be run at a satisfactory frame rate. When trying to run apps like COD Mobile and Genshin, it starts to show that they are not powerful enough. The application installation process takes a long time due to slow storage. Want to download all the screens, maps, weapons and audio of COD Mobile? Better go eat first because of the large file size and slow storage.
For maximum satisfaction, limit the download of applications that do not require high processing power. For example, my son did not complain about using the Redmi Pad 2 to run Roblox, Toca Boca and YouTube Kids. For children, I feel that the performance of the Redmi Pad 2 is more than adequate.
Camera
The main camera on the back is 8MP and the front is only 5MP, which reminds me of smartphones launched more than 12 years ago. So my expectations for this device's camera are not that high.
In good lighting conditions, the pictures are just satisfactory for a tablet. The images are bearable and still look quite clear. Only the color reproduction is not accurate. When taking pictures in less than satisfactory lighting conditions, noise can be seen. The resulting images are also not very sharp because the camera is not equipped with an OIS system. The camera is also not the fastest with a slight delay when the camera button is pressed.
Battery
The 9000 mAh battery provides an SOT life of up to 11 hours in moderate use with Redmi saying that this tablet can be used to watch videos for up to 19 hours. But this can only be achieved if WiFi/4G is turned off. The included 15W charger allows the battery to be fully charged in 3 hours. This is quite long but this is the reality of a device with a 9000 mAh battery. Although only a 15W charger is provided, the Redmi Pad 2 supports charging up to 18W.
Audio
The audio from the four speakers is loud, clear and satisfactory. Usually tablets in the affordable segment have unsatisfactory audio. On the Redmi Pad 2, the audio does not feel flat and deep bass can be heard. The Dolby Atmos and Xiaomi Sound audio systems can be used on physical speakers and not only when connected to audio accessories. For those who still have wired audio accessories, a 3.5mm audio jack is also included.
In the Box
Here's what you get with every Oppo Pad Air purchase in Malaysia.
1x Redmi Pad 2 4G
1x USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
1x 15W Charger
1x SIM Pin
1x Manual
Conclusion
The Redmi Pad 2 is an entry-level tablet that's not amazing but at the same time doesn't disappoint. Throughout the review period, I used it as a streaming device and retro gaming device and it worked quite well. On airplanes, it's a replacement for the in-flight entertainment system because its larger screen makes viewing more satisfying.
Various retro 2D games can be played smoothly. I can only recommend a few 3D games as the entry-level chip used is not powerful enough to run games like Wuthering Waves, or Genshin Impact on high settings.
I give my compliments to the Dolby Atmos audio which is very good for an affordable tablet. I have a song of praise for the battery life. There is stylus support but I was unable to test it as I did not receive a stylus to review with.
The downsides are the slow 18W charging, the underpowered processor, the screen not bright enough when used outdoors and the slow storage compared to the flagship devices I usually use.
At a starting price of RM599 each, it is a good choice for those looking for a first tablet or a tablet to watch video content that can afford good battery life. I recommend buying a model with 8GB RAM because based on previous experience, 4GB Android devices will have issues opening multiple apps simultaneously and running the application.
Pros
Large screen that supports stylus with high resolution support.
Quad speakers with Dolby Atmos have satisfactory volume.
Can run various common applications without problems.
Micro SD card support up to 2TB.
Long-lasting 9000 mAh battery.
3.5mm audio jack.
Cons
The screen is not bright enough when used outdoors.
The camera is not very satisfactory.
No fingerprint scanner.
Charging is quite slow taking 3 hours.