Xiaomi’s newest Mi Pad surprisingly steps out with a Metallic bodied iPad Mini design that offers decent performance, premium build quality and all in one package.
PROS of Xiaomi Mi Pad 2
- Premium build and construction
- Good Performance (Multitasking)
- Fast eMMC Storage even faster than the Teclast X98 Pro
- Surprisingly Good Camera
- Good Loudspeaker performance
- Acceptable Gaming Performance
- Supports Dual Band WiFi
- USB Type C (with support for Fast Charging)
- Above average Battery life
- Thermals are better at adapting (great thermal regulation)
Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 in-depth Review: 64 GB Champagne Windows 10 version (May 14, 2016)I have used this tablet about a month now and thus i can finally release this in depth look review. What I have is the Windows 10 version with 64 GB storage, for anyone’s information, there are two versions available of the tablet, another one with Android OS, another version presumed to have Dual OS but it is still speculative. Anyway, my review will feature the strengths and weaknesses of the tablet, I did not write this review at an earlier time because I want to fully use the tablet as my daily driver. To better appreciate this review, I will be comparing it with the Teclast X98 Pro.What is my profile as a tablet user?I have used the Nexus 7 2013 version the longest time and am happy with it, it’s still alive until now, 2 years already and it’s still kicking. Also I tend to favor Android tablets more since I mainly used Windows on my laptop or desktop, and also Windows Apps are not really user friendly. Also I love small tablets, because they are portable and easy to carry, thus I favor portability than size. Furthermore, I am not a heavy tablet user, Websurfing, light games, and more web surfing via WiFi. I tend to use Youtube and Facebook a lot. So
Best looking Chinese Tablet
Although it is clearly a carbon copy of the iPad Mini, it’s worth mentioning that the build quality is one of the best in its class, clearly the best one of the best looking Chinese Tablet available. What I have is the Champagne or Gold version, the whole Tablet appears to be well put together and does feel like iPad Mini on Windows.
Performance (a case of expectation versus reality)
To be frank, it is powered by an Atom Chipset, so don’t expect it to be a powerhouse tablet, but rather just a capable tablet. Probably it will suit light to moderate task and best to be used for surfing the web and doing light office work. A close comparison to this tablet is the Teclast X98 Pro, which I did have the courtesy of reviewing before. Both tablets offer pretty much the same hardware, although the Mi Pad 2 only comes with half the memory at just 2 GB.
Here is a crude comparison below:
Xiaomi MiPad 2
- Intel Atom Cherry Trail X5-8500 Quad Core Chipset
- 2 GB RAM
- 64 GB ROM (no MicroSD support)
- Window 10
- 9 inch IPS display
- Toshiba eMMC Storage
- Dual Band WiFi Support
- USB Type C (reversible connector)
- 6190mAh battery (fast charging support)
- Intel Atom Cherry Trail X5-8500 Quad Core Chipset
- 4 GB RAM
- 64 GB ROM (MicroSD Support)
- Samsung CWBD3R Disk eMMC
- 7 inch IPS, Retina Display
- 4GHz Wifi, Realtek RTL8723BS Wireless N
- 8000mAh Battery
- MicroUSB 2.0
In terms of similarities, raw performance is identical, I did test it using Antutu Benchmark and was able to determine that both tablets perform the same. However, in terms of Real World Performance, there is a bit of difference, the Mi Pad 2 was able to handle multitasking better and my user experience is far smoother compared to the Teclast X98 Pro. This is especially noticeable on web browsing, I can honestly say that I prefer the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2.
On the other hand, both tablets have different eMMC Storage, and on my benchmark test using Crystaldisk, there was a wide disparity on the numbers, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 has a faster storage option with both read and write speeds, come to think of it, it has one of the fastest eMMC storage available. Upon closer inspection, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 is equipped with a Toshiba eMMC Storage which is considerably faster on theoretical benchmark test. On the other hand, the Teclast X98 Pro is equipped with a Samsung eMMC Disk.
USB Type C vs. Standard USB
The Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 comes with the new USB Type C reversible connector, this new add-on comes with a load of perks, including support for fast charging, and I can attest, that charging the tablet is indeed faster. However, it does come with some drawbacks, namely, OTG capable aren’t really a standard support for this connector, and thus, you need an adapter plus an OTG capable for this to work. So, I wasn’t able to fully test the transfer rate using the connector port.
The Teclast X98 Pro on the other hand, with only a standard MicroUSB Port, charging is tediously slow, transfer rates are also nothing special.
Great Connectivity
Closer inspection to the hardware, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 supports Dual Band WiFi via a Broadcom chipset. The Teclast X98 Pro supports only 2.4GHz WiFi N via a Realtek chipset. Worthy to note, that Realtek chipsets are commonly used on most China tablets. Anyway, the MiPad connectivity overall is excellent, no random disconnections or issues. The Range is also satisfactory and even detects WiFi signals which Smartphones cannot anymore connect.
Gaming Performance
Not really that good, it offers the similar raw performance to the Teclast X98 Pro. Mainstream games like Dota 2 ran on low settings but with frequent fps bumps and inconsistent gameplay. It isn’t really a good substitute. Less demanding games ran fine but you do have to look at compatibility issues especially with older games.
Audio Quality
The Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 is equipped with Dual Loudspeakers on the bottom of the tablet. Quality is fine and the range and volume actually are good, you can watch movies in a small room with no issues. I did have an issue with the Headphone Port, the volume seems to be too low, you can actually hear better using the loudspeakers compared to using a headset. I am not so sure about the issue but even at Full Volume, it still barely audible.
The Teclast X98 Pro in comparison has an abysmal loudspeaker, in fact, it has the same speakers on the Bay Trail version. Expected, considering that it is a reboot tablet.
Great Battery life
Battery life, a major aspect of a tablet is actually a major merit of the MiPad 2. On typical usage such as 25% brightness, Wifi on, youtube or browsing the web using Microsoft edge. I was able to get close to 5 hours at a single charge. Gaming on the other hand is a bit lower, around 2 to 2.5hrs. The battery performance is actually the best I have tested on a 8 inch tablet.
In comparison to the Teclast X98 Pro, battery life is a bit of an issue here. Even though it is equipped with a bigger 8000mAh battery, usage time is way below expected numbers. I was only able to get around 3.5 to 4 hours of use before i needed to charge the tablet again. The test was also done similar to the MiPad 2. Gaming was also far lower and thus, don’t expect to game for long.
Strengths of Xiaomi Mi Pad 2
- Premium build and construction
- Good Performance (Multitasking)
- Fast eMMC Storage even faster than the Teclast X98 Pro
- Surprisingly Good Camera
- Good Loudspeaker performance
- Acceptable Gaming Performance
- Supports Dual Band WiFi
- USB Type C (with support for Fast Charging)
- Above average Battery life
- Thermals are better at adapting (great thermal regulation)
Weaknesses
- USB Type C (difficult to test due to lack of peripherals)
- Dual OS Support is not yet available
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