Xiaomi Pad 6 Review | Solid mid-ranger with key ecosystem upgrades

If you are looking to purchase an all-new Android tablet, what are the key features that you look out for? Is it top-of-the-line specifications on paper or the best price-to-performance ratio for your designated budget?

Over the past year, mid-range Android tablets have made quite a comeback, and many would argue that the Xiaomi Pad 5 has a lot to do with it. The Android tablet offers competitive specifications on a sub 30k device. Now, Xiaomi has launched a successor in the form of the Xiaomi Pad 6, which offers some improvements and widens the ecosystem.

The Xiaomi Pad 6 comes with a 11-inch 2K screen, is powered by Snapdragon 870 SoC, and runs on Android 13 OS out of the box with MIUI 14 on top. But one of the most interesting aspects is how Xiaomi has made it more compatible with both specially designed accessories and other phones, to build out the Xiaomi ecosystem further.

We have been using the Xiaomi Pad 6 for a while and here is everything you need to know about it.

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Technical Specifications

• Display: 11-inch 2.8K screen(2880 x 1800 pixels),16:10 aspect ratio, 144hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, HDR 10, Dolby Vision
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 7nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 650 GRAM
• Storage: 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256 UFS 3.1 storage
• OS: Android 13 OS with MIUI 14 custom skin
• Battery: 8840mAh battery with 33W fast charging
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 802.11, Bluetooth 5.2, and USB Type-C USB3.2 Gen1.PU
• Camera: 13MP rear camera(f/2.2 aperture, PDAF), 8MP selfie shooter

Design

While holding the device for the first time, we noticed that the Xiaomi Pad 6 is not only a relatively thin device at 6.5mm but also well-built. The back and the frame are made of aluminium, which screams premium without seeming over the top or fussy. It is not too heavy either, weighing in at 490g. We received the Graphite Grey colour variant of the device. It features a matte-like finish on the back that is not too slippery, but we still suggest a protective case to be on the safer side. 

The display gets Gorilla Glass 3 for added protection, but it would have been nice to see a more recent option here.

As for physical buttons, there are just two. When using the device in portrait orientation, the power button is located on the roof of the tablet next to the speakers and the volume rocker is placed on the right-hand corner of the tablet. If you purchase the Xiaomi Smart Pen 2, the stylus can be placed on the top right hand of the device where it gets magnetically attached and charges automatically.

Display and speakers

The Xiaomi Pad 6 comes with a 11-inch 2K(1800 x 2880 pixels) LCD screen with support for 144Hz peak screen refresh rate, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 550 nits’ peak brightness and 16:10 ratio. As far as IPS LCD screens go, this is as spec-ed up as one can expect. The screen is vivid and offers ample contrast. Scrolling through Instagram and browsing the web was a pleasurable experience thanks to the fast refresh rate support. While there is an auto-switch feature to switch between refresh rates based on what you are doing, we opted to keep the tablet on 144Hz throughout the testing.

Users can switch between ‘Original Colour Pro’, Saturated and Vivid colour profiles for the display. Additionally, the tablet allows you to manually tweak display colours as per your liking. While the Original Colour Pro mode is quite muted, the Saturated mode offers exaggerated colours. We personally enjoyed the Vivid setting, which strikes the right balance between natural colours and that extra bit of oomph.

The tablet offers support for Widevine L1, so you can watch HDR/Full HD content on platforms such as Netflix. 

Consuming videos on the device was pleasant thanks to the large display, vibrant colours with the right amount of pop, and good contrast. However, it is important to note that you do not get inky blacks, as this is not an AMOLED screen.

The experience is also enhanced by the presence of quad speakers and Dolby Atmos. While the speakers do not offer the cleanest sound, they are quite loud and can deliver clean dialogues and a surround sound experience thanks to Dolby’s software magic.

Performance

The Xiaomi Pad 6 comes with the Snapdragon 870 SoC with Adreno 650 GPU. It has up to 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. 

While newer flagship chipsets certainly offer more power, they can lag behind in terms of optimisation. The Snapdragon 870 may not be the most recent flagship chipset, but it is powerful enough and the optimisation for apps is quite solid.

Whether you use the tab for basic everyday tasks such as browsing the internet and scrolling through Instagram, or gaming, the Xiaomi Pad 6 won’t disappoint you. The device handled almost everything thrown at it. We were able to play games such as Call of Duty: Mobile and Grimvalor at high settings without any noticeable issue. There may be occasional stutters and slight heating during extended gaming sessions, but this is to be expected. 

The gaming experience is further enhanced due to the tablet’s support for high refresh rates up to 144Hz. All in all, the device has enough firepower to satisfy the cravings of most users. 

It is important to note that there is no SIM card slot here, so you would need to connect to Wi-Fi for playing games or performing other tasks online.

Battery

The Xiaomi Pad 6 packs a solid 8840mAh battery and features 33W fast charging. During the testing period, the device was easily able to get through two working days on a single charge, with moderate usage. However, if you plan to game for an extended period, the battery will take a hit. The 33W fast charger in the box takes close to 2 and a half hours to charge from 0-100%.

Software and accessories

The Xiaomi Pad 6 runs on Android 13 with MiUi 14 skin on top. While you do get some bloatware that can’t be uninstalled, Xiaomi has cut down on this compared to its other devices in recent years.

The software allows you to multitask by opening two compatible apps in split screen. Switching between different apps is a smooth experience as well. Floating windows can be used to open another app on top and move it around as per your liking. 

One of the biggest upgrades Xiaomi is working towards is building up an ecosystem. You can buy the Xiaomi SmartPen 2 and keyboard to enhance your workflow. The SmartPen 2 packs two buttons that can be used to click screenshots and take notes. Creative users will most likely use the stylus for their designing needs and the battery life here is solid at 150 hours. Moreover, a minute of charge can give you seven hours of battery life. 

Additionally, Xiaomi is working on better collaboration between its smartphones and tablets. For now, only the Xiaomi 13 Pro is supported. Users can easily drag and drop images from the 13 Pro to the Pad 6. These features work well even though it is still in beta. If Xiaomi widens the compatibility for more devices in its ecosystem, this can turn out to be a step in the right direction.

Camera

The Pad 6 packs a single 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera for selfies. Like most tablets, the rear camera is not ground-breaking but will get the job done when you really need to click a photo. The rear camera can shoot 4K videos up to 30fps but the results are average, as you would expect.

The front camera works decently, and you should be able to place video calls without any major issue. One feature worth noting is the ability to scan documents using the camera app. The feature works well and is a handy addition.

Verdict

The Xiaomi 13 Pro features a large 2K screen, good speakers, a powerful chipset and support for various accessories and ecosystem-related features. Though the software experience is still not perfect, the company has come a long way by reducing bloatware and tweaking the UI for a large sized tablet. 

The closest competitor to the Xiaomi Pad 6 is the OnePlus pad which costs significantly higher. If you are in the market looking for a well-tuned Android tablet under ₹30,000, the Xiaomi Pad 6 is indeed sans competition and will serve you well.