Redmi Pad SE Review: Budget Tablet With Good Battery Life
While a huge chunk of the tablet market share has always belonged to Apple, there are plenty of other options in the market, especially if you're looking for something affordable. The Redmi Pad SE is a budget Android tablet that launched in China back in August 2023 but finally made its way to the Indian market in April this year. This tablet is a great option for people looking for something simple, small, and pocket-friendly. You get an 11-inch display, a large battery, and a metal build.
After several weeks of using the Redmi Pad SE, I think this is an excellent option for someone looking to buy a budget Android tablet. However, I'd suggest reading my full review to understand why I say that.
Redmi Pad SE price in India
The Redmi Pad SE is available in India in three RAM + storage options. The base variant, which gets 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, is priced at Rs. 12,999. I'd honestly avoid this option, as 4GB RAM isn't enough if you're going to do some multitasking on the tablet. The 6GB + 128GB variant is the better option at Rs. 13,999, but the best option would be the 8GB + 128GB option priced at Rs. 14,999.
Coming to the colour options, the tablet is available in Graphite Grey, Lavender Purple, and Mint Green in India. We received the Graphite Grey option with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.
Redmi Pad SE Review: Design
The Redmi Pad SE has a very minimalist design. It's flat on all sides with chamfered edges and uses an aluminium unibody construction that's only 7.36mm thick. The tablet looks and feels premium despite its price tag and is also comfortable to hold in hand. The edges don't dig into your skin so you can use the tablet for a long time without any discomfort. It also weighs just 478 grams, which adds to the comfort level. Redmi has also done a good job of distributing the weight
On the front, you get the 11-inch display that's protected by glass, although not of the Gorilla Glass variety. The display is surrounded by uniformly sized bezels on all sides that are not too thick or too thin. You can hold the tablet without your fingers accidentally touching the display.
When holding the tablet in portrait mode, the power button is at the top with two speakers, and the bottom frame houses the USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone port, and two more speakers. The volume buttons and a microphone are available on the right frame.
The tablet doesn't have an official IP rating, and the microSD card slot has no rubber seals. Definitely do not use the tablet while having a shower or in the rain.
Redmi Pad SE Review: Specifications and software
Although this is a budget tablet, the specifications are decent. The Redmi Pad SE is equipped with a 6nm Snapdragon 680 processor, which is paired with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The chipset offers 4 Kryo 265 Gold cores clocked at 2.4GHz and 4 Kryo Silver cores at 1.9GHz. You also get an Adreno 610 GPU to handle the graphical tasks.
For connectivity, the tablet offers dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. There's no cellular option, unfortunately. There's no fingerprint scanner available on the Redmi Pad SE, and you'll have to make do with a pin or pattern lock. Redmi has packed a large 8,000mAh battery in the Pad SE, but unfortunately, there's no fast charging support. You get a 10W charger in the box.
When I received the tablet, it ran MIUI Pad 14 based on Android 13. However, in the following weeks, the Pad SE received an update to Xiaomi's new HyperOS based on Android 14. Xiaomi hasn't provided any details regarding tablet software support. However, it's good to see that it is currently running Android 14.
As for software features, Xiaomi's HyperOS is similar to what's on the phones, but you get some extra features designed for the larger screen on the tablet. There's a Split Screen and Floating Windows, along with support for a stylus. A tablet-style dock at the bottom shows the most recently used apps on the right side. Swiping to the right on the home screen takes you to Google Discover.
You can open the task manager to run apps quickly in split-screen mode. The tablet lets you use two apps on a split screen, but you can also use two apps in floating window mode. The Redmi Pad SE will let you use up to 4 apps simultaneously. Redmi has also included a Features for Tablets page in the Settings app that shows you all the multitasking tricks available at your disposal. There's also a Conference tool feature that brings up a bunch of features during audio and video calls.
Apart from multitasking and Conference tools, there are not a lot of other features available on the Pad SE. Even the support for the stylus doesn't boast any interesting features.
Redmi Pad SE Review: Performance
Moving on to performance, the Snapdragon 680 SoC on the Redmi Pad SE is decent enough for all your content consumption needs. It can also handle some light multitasking with up to 2 apps, but if you need anything more, you'll see the software lag. Animations aren't very smooth throughout the UI, and the benchmark results aren't that great either. In Geekbench, the tablet scored 407 points in single-core CPU tests and 1,351 points in multi-core tests. I wasn't able to install AnTuTu on the tablet.
You also can't game on the tablet, especially if you're planning to run titles such as BGMI. I tried BGMI on the Redmi Pad SE, and I was only able to play it on the most basic HD graphics settings with a low frame rate. Touch sensitivity is also not great in games. Less demanding games shouldn't be a problem, though, and I was able to run some puzzle games with ease.
Let's talk about the display. The Redmi Pad SE has an 11-inch IPS panel with a 90Hz refresh rate and full-HD+ resolution. You can choose between 60 and 90Hz or let the tablet auto-adjust the refresh rate based on what's shown on the display. You also get two colour modes – Saturated and Standard. The colours are decent, with deep blacks, and the panel also offers up to 400 nits of brightness, which is plenty for indoor use. However, the tablet doesn't fare well under direct sunlight. Watching movies and YouTube videos on the Redmi Pad SE is enjoyable.
(Review By gadgets360.com)
