Redmi Pad 2 Review: The Budget Tablet Done Right

The high-value, do-it-all Redmi Pad is finally back after a 3-year wait. Aptly called the Redmi Pad 2, the tablet appears to be slightly different and features some essential additions that were missing from the first model. There’s a new processor, a slightly more pixel-dense display, and a slightly bigger battery, all of which I found to be questionable at best. However, there are also some new additions, such as stylus support and cellular connectivity, which seem to make it even more attractive than the previous model. I have been using this tablet for a couple of weeks, and I feel that despite the minor upgrades, the Redmi Pad 2 offers good value, and here’s why.

Redmi Pad 2 Design: More of the same

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

We received the top-end 8GB RAM variant of the Redmi Pad 2 for review. The layout of the external hardware components appears to be the same as with the Redmi Pad, but we now have a slightly fancier two-tone finish. The design of the Redmi Pad 2 remains the same as before, featuring flat surfaces on the display, rear, and sides. What’s changed is the camera module. It has gone from a rectangle to a mirror-finish capsule. At the opposite corner is the new Redmi logo, which has been capitalised with a bold font.

At 7.63mm, the tablet appears slim but is quite heavy, weighing just over half a kilogram. Holding it in one hand isn’t ideal despite its small (not compact) overall dimensions.

 

The new logo is printed on a colour-matched plastic strip, which runs the length of the device until the camera module at the other corner. This plastic cover gives the rear panel a dual-tone finish. It also accommodates the hybrid SIM card tray and provides sufficient space for cellular connectivity.

I like that Xiaomi has retained the 3.5mm headphone jack, which also lets you access FM radio

 

We received the optional Redmi Pad 2 Cover (Rs. 1,299) along with our review unit. Made primarily from hard plastic (the flap is coated with silicone), it doesn’t feel too cheap but offers good protection around the corners, especially if you are the clumsy type. Apart from allowing the tablet to stand upright for media consumption or at a slight angle for stylus usage, the foldable cover (flap) also automatically puts the tablet to sleep, which is a nice feature to have.

Available at Rs. 5,999 in India, it has a Type-C USB port for charging, two buttons (India model) and a spare tip in the box. It connects to the tablet using Bluetooth and offers excellent responsiveness (requiring little pressure), but can also detect very intricate levels of pressure when needed, which is beneficial for creative types. It’s also good for taking notes.

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

 

The buttons have a lovely clicky feedback and require little pressure to press down. One of them (called the Writing button) can be used to quickly access the Mi Canvas app to take instant notes and also allows for switching between brush types. The second button (Screenshot button) lets you take screenshots wherever you are in the software interface, and can also be used to switch between colours in Mi Canvas quickly.

Redmi Pad 2 Display: Gets the job done

• Display size – 11-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 pixels (2.5K)
• Display type – IPS LCD, 60-90Hz
• Stylus support – Yes

The Redmi Pad 2’s display has received a notable upgrade from the Redmi Pad’s slightly smaller 10.57-inch panel to an 11-inch panel with a higher pixel density. Given that the processor and underlying hardware powering it haven’t changed, the extra pixels may end up adding more load to the system. But more about this in the performance section of this review.

The display outdoors with Outdoor mode enabled, which does heat the tablet

 

Xiaomi claims that its display has become brighter, reaching 600 nits (up from the previous 400 nits), but I wasn’t very happy using it outdoors. The display is barely legible outdoors (especially when watching video), and you have to constantly keep reorienting it to avoid reflections getting in the way of your content because it’s highly reflective.

One workaround is the special Outdoor mode. It turns off the Auto Brightness toggle and cranks up the brightness a wee bit more, making the display legible outdoors. But it’s buried inside Display settings, so few will bother activating it when needed, and to make things worse, there is a clear warning stating that the tablet “will heat up and consume more power”. And yes, the tablet did get noticeably warm when using this mode.

Indoors, the display worked as expected and was sufficiently bright

 

Another issue with the display is the auto brightness feature. Just like the Poco C71 I recently reviewed, the Redmi Pad 2 also lacks an ambient light sensor to adjust the brightness. Instead, the tablet relies on its front-facing camera to set the display brightness. Unfortunately, this issue only occurs when the tablet is unlocked, and as a result, you will be left with a display that is either too dim or unnecessarily bright if you move in and out of the shade. So, if you need the display to re-adapt to your current settings, you will have to lock and unlock your device to trigger the adjustment. And given that this tablet does not have a secure biometric authentication system, be prepared to punch in that passcode every time that happens.

As for positives, the colours look just fine, even if they are not accurate. The tablet also supports Widevine L1, allowing you to enjoy high-resolution full-HD video playback in OTT apps. Dolby Atmos through the quad speakers is also supported, and it does make the audio sound immersive.

Redmi Pad 2 Software: Not bad at all

• Android version – 15
• Software – HyperOS 2.0
• Software commitment – 5 years OS + 7 years SMR

Since we received the top-end variant of the Redmi Pad 2 with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage, our experience may vary from that of buyers looking to purchase the basic 4GB variant of the device.

Xiaomi‘s HyperOS on a tablet layout is surprisingly good and capable. Software operation is smooth enough with hints of lag noticeable from time to time. This is most evident when launching apps, where one has to wait an extra second for the app to start up.

Multitasking is well implemented and very much like Apple’s iPadOS. You can have two apps open in split-screen and one app open in a floating window, which can be resized. Depending on your split-screen layout, you can also get two navigation tabs at the bottom, which is very unique to HyperOS, compared to other Android tablet manufacturers.

Swiping up from the bottom will treat one half of the display like a separate homescreen and even show the recents menus if needed in that section. Since this isn’t a high-end tablet, but a budget one, I noticed some stuttering when scrolling through two apps at once. However, overall, I really love what Xiaomi has done with HyperOS for tablets.

I also tried out the preinstalled bekids Colouring app, and it worked beautifully

 

There are no AI tools present anywhere in the interface, so Gemini is the only way to get the tablet talking. In some ways, I feel this is a lot better than having to deal with two AI models, the way it’s currently implemented on Motorola (Moto AI, Perplexity, Gemini) or on Samsung (Galaxy AI, Gemini) devices, which can get messy or confusing.

The buttons are a bit stiff and require some pressure to operate

 

As for the rest of the OS, it’s business as usual. I like Xiaomi’s Mi Sans font and how it’s forced across apps and settings everywhere. It provides a sense of uniformity and consistency that is often lacking on most Android devices today. There are a few preinstalled apps out of the box, but these can be uninstalled. The third-party apps did not throw any spammy notifications during the test period.

For a budget tablet, I was a bit surprised to see a rather lengthy software commitment. 5 years of operating system updates and 7 years of security updates are a big deal, but I’m not too convinced that the underlying hardware will be able to handle heavier future updates unless they have been well optimised.

Redmi Pad 2 Performance: Just about right

• Processor – MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra, 2.2GHz, 6nm
• RAM – 4/6/8GB, LPDDR4X
• Storage – 128/256GB, UFS 2.2
• MicroSD card expansion – Up to 2TB

The MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra is basically a rebranded Helio G99 and comes with nearly the same specifications and clock speed, with better Bluetooth and the ability to handle higher resolution camera sensors. Since neither of the above two upgrades is being exploited to the fullest on the Redmi Pad 2, it’s safe to say that its performance is very similar to the older model ,as can be seen from the benchmark comparison chart below.

Indeed, the lower GPU scores of the GFXBench test suites indicate that the new higher-resolution display does take a bit of a toll on the system’s performance. Given the rather poor graphics scores in the above tests, I was a bit surprised when I tried out some casual games and the tablet performed as expected.

Asphalt Legends managed to run with the frame rate set to 60 fps and all graphics settings maxed out. Despite some stuttering and plenty of skipped frames, the arcade racer still managed a decently smooth, playable experience with a lower-than-usual resolution and textures.

Redmi Pad 2 Cameras: The usual

• Primary camera – 8-megapixel, f/2.0
• Selfie camera – 5-megapixel, f/2.2
• LED flash – Yes

Given that this tablet weighs nearly half a kilo, it is a bit tiring to hold it up to be used as a camera. But as far as tablets go, the camera setup is not very promising, more so because this is a sub-Rs. 15,000 budget device. Given the rather poor capture capabilities of this tablet (including the selfie camera), it is best used for video calls in well-lit environments. Imaging capabilities are average for a device at this price point, with soft, noisy and overexposed images in daylight.

Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 daylight camera sample (tap image to expand)

 

Redmi Pad 2 low-light primary camera sample (tap image to expand)

 

 

Redmi Pad 2 selfie camera sample (tap image to expand)

 

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

• Battery capacity – 9,000mAh
• Wired charging – 18W
• Charger in the box – 15W

Despite the generous bump in battery capacity, our battery benchmarks indicated slightly underwhelming performance compared to the older model. The Redmi Pad 2, with its larger 9,000mAh battery, managed to last 10 hours and 48 minutes in our HD video loop battery test, which plays a locally stored video until the battery is drained. The older Redmi Pad in the same test conditions managed a much better 14 hours and 53 minutes, which indicates that the slightly bigger (and brighter), pixel-dense display does have a negative impact on the Redmi Pad 2’s battery life.

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2’s rear camera remains the same as before, but the front-facing camera gets downgraded to a 5-megapixel sensor

 

In our PC Mark Battery Life test, which runs a series of daily usage scenarios, such as web browsing, image editing, and more, on loop, the tablet managed a good score of 15 hours and 31 minutes. Long story short, the tablet can easily last a day of video streaming, which will be its primary use case. It also has enough juice if you want it to handle your email, some web browsing and more on a big screen.

Charging speeds remain the same as with the older model, and given the bump in battery capacity, things can only get slower. Our unit shipped with the bundled 15W charger, which took its own sweet time to charge the device, managing a full charge from a dead battery in a leisurely 3 hours and 16 minutes.

Redmi Pad 2 Verdict

The addition of stylus support is a welcome change, and the same applies to cellular connectivity, which is finally an option. Both of these features will definitely attract new budget tablet buyers as Lenovo’s Tab K11 (Rs. 15,999 onwards) is the only other tablet to offer stylus support at this price point. However, Lenovo’s offering will only receive upgrades until Android 15, and therefore, Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad 2 (Rs. 13,999 onwards) is a better choice at an attractive price.

But as an upgrade, the Redmi Pad 2 has barely improved over the older Redmi Pad, as it hardly outperforms the previous model. And so, if you already own the previous model, there are very few reasons to upgrade to the new one. Cellular connectivity may convince a few existing owners to upgrade to the new Redmi Pad 2. But given that the core product has barely seen any worthy improvements, and given that a stylus is not a necessity, it’s best to avoid doing so.