Xiaomi Pad 8 Gets The Right Upgrades To Make It Functionally Work
Xiaomi has been making tablets for a while and the Pad series is the obvious route for any users who want a reliable and budget option. The Pad lineup has been enhanced in the last few generations which means the recent Pad 7 and new Pad 8 models from Xiaomi are more than just capable of handling the regular tablet tasks.
The company is also not tinkering much with the look and design of these tablets and focused on making them run longer, faster and reliably able to handle the daily grunt for your needs and make it work for a few more years. So where does the Xiaomi Pad 8 fit into this narrative and do the upgrades and the higher price tag match up to what it delivers? Here are the full details.
Going Sleek
Xiaomi doesn’t change much in terms of the design, giving durability with aluminium on the frame and for the back panel. It has become marginally thinner and lighter than the Pad 7 at 5.8mm and around 494 grams (compared to 6.2mm and 500 grams) even when the battery size has been bumped up for the Pad 8 this year.
Xiaomi Pad 8 review
That said, when you connect the keyboard accessory (more about that later) the weight goes up significantly and you can actually feel its effect while carrying it in the bag.
Xiaomi Pad 8 review
The form factor remains the same and once again Xiaomi decides against bringing the bigger variant in the Pad series to the country. The tablet doesn’t get any form of IP rating for protection against water or dust but that has not been an issue in this category for many years.
The Right Display Pitch
Xiaomi Pad 8 comes in both standard and anti-glare screen options and the 11.2-inch panel is still an LCD unit which means the blacks aren’t as deep as the AMOLEDs but the overall colour output is crisp and brightness levels are more than adequate for most people.
Xiaomi Pad 8 review
We got the standard version of the Pad 8 so can’t say about the impact of the anti-glare display but most people claim its addition makes the regular feel less effective for viewing. Anti-glare screens usually make it hard for people to switch back to or start using a device with a glossy display. That said, even the regular Xiaomi Pad 8 model will let you watch TV shows and movies with the right colour levels and having Dolby Vision supported has its own impact while viewing.
Big Hardware Jump
Xiaomi Pad 8 gets the newer Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset which many would claim is a big jump from the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 version on the Pad 7 model. This hardware catapults the Pad 8 into a more robust device that can handle the regular tasks with ease but also enable better multi-tasking for more than just multimedia viewing.
Xiaomi Pad 8 review
We managed to get some of our productivity tasks done on the Pad 8 and the noticeable fluidity in the device makes us believe that the Pad 8 will age much better than the previous versions. The 8s Gen 4 is not exactly flagship-grade but not very far from those reaches either.
Android 16 From Xiaomi
Xiaomi has made people wait but the Android 16-based HyperOS 3 version is finally making its way to the older and new devices in the market. The Pad 8 gets it out of the box and promises to get 4 OS upgrades along with 6 years of security updates from the brand.
Xiaomi Pad 8 review
As for the new version, you realise the no-bloatware difference with the tablets and the HyperOS 3 brings more features that makes the Pad 8 a better and resourceful Android tablet and performs faster compared to the MIUI and previous HyperOS versions.
The interface is fairly similar to the mobile version and the new AI tools try to show the best use of the hardware and give more impact. There is a lot that Xiaomi can tweak with future updates to bring more PC-like options now that Android is slowly veering in that direction.
The Whole Setup
The Pad 8 gets new Focus Keyboard and Pen Pro accessories where the former manages to find a spot for the trackpad. The keys are well spaced out, offer decent tactile feedback and even have backlight support. It doesn’t need Bluetooth or charging to work and you just need to connect the tablet using the points at the back to start typing.
Xiaomi Pad 8 review
Even the Pen Pro version has some nice touches and the features have been enhanced to take it as close to the Apple Pencil as Xiaomi can within its budget. The quad speaker stereo setup now supports Dolby Atmos which has its own upsides on the Pad 8 and gives the extra oomph for its multimedia avatar.
Sleek But Lasts Longer?
We have talked about the sleek design of the Xiaomi Pad 8 but that has come about with an increase in the size of the battery from 8850mAh to 9,200mAh unit which supports 45W charging speed. People with heavy usage might get the tablet for the whole day with around 25 percent juice in the tank but for the regular users this device can easily run for a few days with plenty still available.
Xiaomi Pad 8 review
We tried out both the styles of usage and feel the claimed battery mileage checks out in most cases. The use of 45W charging speed means you need a little over an hour to fully have the Pad 8 charged up for the next day.
Xiaomi Pad 8 has covered up most of the bases for an upgraded version, especially on the hardware side as well as the battery. The display is still an LCD but Dolby Vision and higher refresh rate balances out the needs and gives you a more than effective panel. Having Android 16 out of the box is a definite plus and the speaker setup has also been enhanced. The price hikes have been across the board but Xiaomi does its best to make the Pad 8 look a decent value for its money.
