Xiaomi Pad 6 brings us a step closer to Android tabs as productivity hubs

You might be surprised. A bit perplexed too. Since the turn of the year, Android tablets have suddenly garnered quite a bit of attention. A market, a product category, that was dull, listless and withering away over the past couple of years. First OnePlus, now Xiaomi’s response as potential alternatives to the Apple iPad.

Stark contrast to the decidedly feeble attempts at really affordable Android tablets and some expensive ones that perhaps overestimated Android’s capabilities in a tablet ecosystem. Google’s since taken corrective measures to make Android better on tabs, though that’s a slow-moving process.

Yet, it’s given brands making tablets enough hope. Xiaomi’s latest in the portfolio, the Xiaomi Pad 6, illustrates our point of a sluggish market. It is following through from its predecessor, the Xiaomi Pad 5, after a gap of two years. But for all intents and purposes, it is a significant step forward on most fronts. Not so much the price, which perhaps adds most value for potential buyers. And we’ll eventually get to the comparisons with another recent arrival, the OnePlus Pad too.

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As for the monetary outlay, the Xiaomi Pad 6 will set you back by Rs.26,999 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage spec, while the 8GB + 256GB configuration carries a sticker price of Rs.28,999. But this isn’t all, if you intend to apply this Android tablet even remotely as a laptop replacement, the keyboard (which is out of stock at the time of writing this) costs another Rs.4,999 while for the creative minded folks, a second-generation Smart Pen (essentially a stylus for drawing, doodling, note taking etc.) sets you back by another Rs.5,999.

There is no doubt that Xiaomi’s pricing has given the Pad 6 a significant advantage over the slightly larger display OnePlus Pad, which is priced upwards of Rs.37,999. In its case, the keyboard costs Rs.7,999, while the stylus is priced at Rs.4,999.

The pricing advantage is followed through by substance. Hold the Xiaomi Pad 6, and immediately noticeable are the aluminum frame that outlines a metal build, matte finish on the back and the fact it is just 6.5mm thin. Of course, that’s thinner than most smartphones, but the wider footprint allows for more space for components. The only thing we can perhaps nit-pick here –Gorilla Glass 3 as the protective layer for the display, but that would be one of the reasons why costs have been kept in check.

It is the Xiaomi Pad 6’s display which will get your attention most of all. It is an 11-inch real estate, 2800x1800-pixel resolution and an IPS LCD panel. If you’re still waiting for the highlights reel, here you go – Dolby Vision and HDR10 support (Widevine L1 too which means complete Netflix HDR goodness), 144Hz refresh rate option and a bunch of colour modes that liven things up considerably.

One can always point to an IPS or in-plane switching panel and say it doesn’t display the sort of inky blacks that AMOLED screens do. Yet, this particular display, with the colour tuning as it is, doesn’t allow this to be a point of concern anymore. Separation is appreciably good, there is just the right amount of sharpness, and the screen doesn’t misplace any of its vividness in the higher brightness echelons.

Since this is a 144Hz screen, you don’t get the 120Hz option to manually lock this screen’s refresh rate – your choices are 60Hz, 90Hz and 144Hz, or leave it to dynamically switch depending on the app in use at the time.

It is a curious choice, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor. Though not a bad choice at all, mind you, something the experience testifies to. This was also a flagship processor a few generations ago, and Xiaomi is betting on those credentials to deliver the performance that’d see the Pad 6 outrun and outlast a lot of its rivals, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 series.

To be fair, outrun it does. If around Rs.30,000 is the most you’d like to spend on a tablet, this has the performance to multitask, game, and be a bit of a laptop replacement.

This is where the keyboard is something we must talk about. Remember the first-generation keyboard cases for the Apple iPad, the ones without a trackpad? This one is similar. You’ll be transitioning between the keyboard and the touchscreen quite often. But as a tool to type on, it takes very little getting used to. Do not expect too much key travel (this isn’t a desktop keyboard, is it?), but the accuracy and consistency of response is impressive.

The tablet and the keyboard are a fairly secure combination when the Xiaomi Pad 6 is docked, unlike the OnePlus Pad, which seems to have a slightly weaker mechanism in place.

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We must address the software that you will interface with on the Xiaomi Pad 6. It is MIUI 14, which is a fairly thick skin (you may have encountered this on Xiaomi phones) on Android 13. There is no getting away from the fact that a lot of preloaded apps remain in the mix – many of these cannot be uninstalled. The icons, themes and the overall persona remains the same as any other Xiaomi phone. Not sure the tablet deserved to be just another one on the list.

Nevertheless, helpfully placed in settings is a new ‘Features for tablets’ menu, with options that’ll allow you to better use the space for apps and multitasking – floating windows and parallel windows being examples.

There is little that the Xiaomi Pad 6 leaves to chance, and that’s its strong foundation. It backs up the significantly improved design with the sort of performance its immediate rivals (at least on the pricing aspect) will find almost impossible to match. The software does have its rough edges, but then again, the Xiaomi Pad 6 more than makes up for it with tablet specific multitasking features.

It is still not the perfect answer to whether an Android tablet can be a true productivity machine. Google needs to tackle that one. Xiaomi’s done its bit. Including the keyboard, if you do get one, is a delight to type on.