Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE, analysis: the new reference tablet under 150 dollars
There has been a tablet that I have not stopped recommending during 2023: the Xiaomi Pad 5 . A device with the heart of the POCO X3 Pro , a brutal WQHD+ panel and specifications above the mid-segment. The final price of 369 euros was consistent and, as the months went by, this final bill has been reduced. But what about those who want a tablet for less than 200 dollars?
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| Xiaomi pad SE |
199.99 dollars , the magic figure. Xiaomi has managed to create a product that fits into practically any home , sufficient for multimedia consumption and basic office automation, with the occasional point that shines above what was expected and some room for improvement. That product is the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE, and I have been able to analyze it in depth to tell you what it offers.
Technical sheet of the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE Specifications
SCREEN
LCD
11 inches
Full HD+
90Hz refresh rate
180 Hz touch sampling rate
400 nits peak brightness
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
255.53mm x 167.08mm x 7.36mm
478g
PROCESSOR
Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 6nm
MEMORIES
4GB/128GB
6GB/128GB
Expandable via microSD cards up to 1 TB
BATTERY
8,000mAh
10W
REAR CAMERA and front camera
8MP & 5MP
OS:
Android 13
MIUI forPad
CONNECTIVITY
Wifi
Bluetooth 5.0
USB C
OTHERS
quad speaker
Dolby Atmos Sound
microSD cards
Headphone jack
PRICE
Best Tablet To Buy under 200$
The Redmi Pad SE is a tablet with a build quality superior to what is expected for its price. In fact, it surpasses the Xiaomi Pad 5 in some aspects , this being a higher segment tablet. It is made of aluminum alloy and not plastic, it has a noticeably lower weight compared to its older sister (478 grams of weight compared to the 511 grams of the Pad 5) and, if we look at its front, the use of the panel is similar to that of the Pad 5. from any other tablet.
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| Pad SE |
The speakers feature the bottom and top of the device, in addition to the headphone jack next to port C. As a curiosity, note that the headphone jack is not centered, but rather brushes the edge of the bottom of the device. Some reason related to the construction of the product may justify this decision, but for lovers of symmetry (server) it may cause a slight concern.
Speaking of the panel, we are faced with an 11-inch LCD with Full HD+ resolution , 90 Hz refresh rate and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. At the level of sharpness it is not outstanding: we are talking about only 207 ppi. Despite this, considering the tablet segment, we have no major complaints. We can reproduce content from any platform with sufficient clarity.
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The only weak point of this panel is the maximum brightness . 400 nits are somewhat insufficient to correctly display the panel if we take the tablet outdoors. However, I am convinced that this is a home tablet. A device that we will have at home for private or family use and that, if transported, will also be indoors (libraries, offices, schools, etc.).
The sound section is spectacular. Watching movies with this tablet is like being in a mini-cinema
To finish off the multimedia sections, it should be noted that the quad-speaker system under the Dolby Atmos signature is simply spectacular . The maximum volume is very high, much more than I thought. Above 70% of its maximum capacity, it is already louder and more forceful than usual. If we surpass this barrier, the maximum volume begins to stand out greatly.
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We might expect excessive distortion with such a high maximum volume, but it doesn't appear until it's over 90%. The work with the bass (the main weak point in tablets and mid-range and entry phones)
A processor that asks for more and MIUI with vitamins
The heart of this Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 , an entry-level processor (although we still associate the 600 range with the mid-range) that has a couple of years under its belt. In my previous experience with the processor, it lacks some oomph to move the devices with ease and, in this vitaminized tablet with only 4 GB of RAM, the results are as expected.
The Redmi Pad SE is a somewhat lazy tablet , a little more than necessary even considering its segment. The system finds it difficult to quickly open even the most basic system applications, such as settings, clock, etc. In fact, it hasn't been able to run 3D Mark Stress Test Unlimited, our test of choice for measuring sustained performance.
Geekbench 6 : 410 Single-Core/1,418 Multi-Core
PC Mark : 6,614
CPU Stress Test : 148 Gflops
With some patience and taking into account its limitations, use does not cause any major problems, but I am convinced that you can get a little more out of the processor's power.
I highly recommend going for the 6 GB RAM version , which does not represent too high an extra cost. 4 GB of RAM is not enough in 2023, even more so since MIUI is a ROM that requires quite a few resources.
Redmi Pad SE MUI
About MIUI, this tablet comes specially optimized . We have a lower iPad-style doc that convinces, a lot. In it we can place the applications that we use most frequently, leaving the rest of the space in the launcher to continue configuring to our liking. There is no excessive bloatware, and the version could not be other than Android 13 running under MIUI 14.
Similarly, MIUI for Pad is specially designed to work with a split window. In the settings we find a specific section of "functions for tablets", in which we find the following: working under MIUI 14
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MIUI has specific optimizations for tablets: a lower doc, functions to facilitate multi-window, beauty mode in video calls, etc.
It is not an overwhelming list, but we appreciate that Xiaomi takes the time to make MIUI make extra sense when we are using it on a tablet, since this is usually one of the weakest points every time we test a device of this format with Android inside.
Regarding autonomy, it should be noted that when we went to check the screen time we found a common problem with some Xiaomi devices: it is not measured in the settings. Even so, the calculations are simple: it is a tablet that spends 10% each hour of screen time in continuous playback. Taking into account spending at rest, it is easy to exceed eight hours of screen time . The charge is only 10W, so you have to sit for more than an hour and a half waiting for it to charge.
camera for video calls. Another camera for whatever you want
The Xiaomi Pad SE is not a photography-oriented device. On the back we find an 8 megapixel main sensor . In the case of the front camera, the camera is five megapixels. Somewhat low resolution, but more than understandable in a device that costs less than 150$
The camera application is much simpler than what we usually see on the company's phones. Despite this, it is complete and fulfills its function.
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The front camera, the one we will use in video calls, is somewhat fairer, but even in indoor conditions it is capable of offering sufficient quality. For specific meetings, it does its job without any major pretensions.
Review and Opinion
The Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE is almost everything that is expected in a tablet less than 150 dollars . It has a good design, the battery is compliant, the screen is more than enough to play multimedia content and the sound section is quite spectacular. It does leave a slightly bittersweet taste in terms of performance. The tablet has some difficulty moving basic apps, including system apps, something we hope will improve with future updates.
The enemy (as usual with Xiaomi) plays at home, and with the discounts that the Pad 5 has been suffering (it barely costs about 220 dollars on sale regularly), the flagship model of the last generation makes quite a few eyes on us. .
However, for anyone who wants a new generation tablet, simple and designed above all for simple and domestic use, the Redmi Pad SE is considered one of the best options of the moment.
Design. 8.75
Screen. 8.5
Performance. 6
Software. 8.5.
Autonomy. 8.75
Tags
Xiaomi