I am often asked by readers who are looking for a tablet but are torn between a tablet and a laptop, and I completely agree with them. Tablets and laptops aren’t the same as they used to be, as the line between them has blurred. If I may say so, tablets are more like hybrid devices these days – they have retained their tablet DNA while increasingly becoming PCs in their own right.
My experience with the Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 Pro reconfirms that tablets are on an evolutionary path, and maybe it’s time we start seeing them as more than just tablets, though they are still limited in both hardware and software. I spent weeks with the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, and here’s my review.
What: Redmi Pad 2 Pro | Price: Rs 22,999 onwards (excluding the keyboard case and the Redmi Pen; my review unit had 5G connectivity and 256 GB storage, which retails for Rs 25,999).
Simplistic design
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro has a functional design and, like most modern tablets, its form is fairly standard. The good news is that I liked how the tablet feels in the hand, whether you hold it vertically or horizontally. Its design looks premium, and while it isn’t featherlight, I appreciated the heft it carries — after all, it’s a multipurpose device, and I mostly used it for work with a keyboard case attached.
The device is both close and far from being a true laptop alternative. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro was much more comfortable to carry in my backpack than the laptop I typically lug on trips. Its colour options aren’t the most exciting (I tested the Graphite Grey unit; there’s also a Quick Silver variant), but it remains a sleek, understated tablet. Clearly, this isn’t a tablet for children; it is designed for mature users, and its design reflects that well.
High refresh-rate display and loud speakers
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro is a 12-inch tablet. It’s a large device, so its purpose goes well beyond content consumption, as a typical tablet often is. Sure, a 10-inch tablet is always more portable and more comfortable to hold, but I enjoyed watching Emily in Paris: Season 5 on this tablet – the larger screen makes it a great option for movie binges and multitasking (more on that later).
The tablet’s screen is colourful and bright, though I did yearn for a superior OLED panel. A little extra brightness wouldn’t hurt either. The Redmi Pad 2 Pro adds support for a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, and you can absolutely feel the difference as every interaction on the display feels snappier and more responsive.
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Meanwhile, the four-speaker audio system continues to produce surprisingly full and loud sound for a device of its size. The speakers are one of the reasons I have shifted much of my video watching from my laptop to the tablet.
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro’s 8-megapixel front camera is reliable and well-suited for Zoom calls. The same goes for the microphones. However, I wish Xiaomi had added a feature similar to Apple’s Center Stage, which keeps you centred in the frame even as you move.
Performance and battery
Inside the Redmi Pad 2 Pro is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, paired with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. I wouldn’t say this tablet is as powerful as a laptop, though, of course, that varies from laptop to laptop. Instead, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro sits firmly in the mid-range and, to me, falls somewhere between a high-end tablet and a regular laptop in terms of performance.
The keyboard and a stylus, make it a tablet worth considering if you want an elevated experience. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
This means I was able to comfortably use Chrome, Google Docs, LinkedIn, ChatGPT, Zoom, WhatsApp, and other must-have apps on the tablet. Frankly, I could get real work done, like writing copies on Google Docs and even editing images for my stories using Pixlr. However, replacing my laptop with the tablet as my primary work device still feels novel. There’s still a noticeable gap between a tablet and a laptop.
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The tablet ships with Android 15 layered on top of Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 and comes with hardly any bloatware. There aren’t many useless apps taking up space, and the interface feels clean and neat. Multitasking is another USP of the Redmi Pad 2 Pro. I used split-screen mode frequently. For example, if you are watching a YouTube video and open a Chrome window, you can view both side by side, which is genuinely useful, especially for watching YouTube while reading the news. As you would expect, there’s also the usual AI fare, including features like Circle to Search.
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro runs all Android apps. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Battery life is a strong point of the Redmi Pad 2 Pro. It packs a massive 12,000 mAh battery, which translates to up to two days of use, even if you continue binge-watching Netflix shows. There’s not much to say here other than the battery life is excellent. However, charging is handled via a 33W charger, which feels a bit slow and takes several hours to fully top up the battery.
Accessories
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro also supports a keyboard case and Redmi’s Smart Pen. While it’s perfectly fine to use the tablet without these accessories, they offer an upgraded experience, especially if you want to use it like a laptop or need a stylus for drawing and taking notes. It’s all adds to the cost on top of the tablet price, but a treat nonetheless.
I used the Redmi Pad 2 Pro extensively with the keyboard case (Rs 3999). The smart keyboard case doesn’t connect to the tablet via pogo pins on the back; instead, it relies on Bluetooth. The case securely holds the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, and the keys offer good tactility. There’s no backlighting, but I still liked the keyboard. It’s very basic and good enough for typing a story or two in a day. In my case, I eventually went back to my laptop for writing long-form pieces.
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Next up is the Redmi Smart Pen (Rs 2,999), which unfortunately doesn’t attach magnetically to the Redmi Pad 2 Pro. I also noticed some connectivity issues. That said, the stylus is good, though not on par with the Apple Pencil. It offers 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, and I didn’t notice any significant latency when using it to take notes or doodle.
Observations
*There’s no option to go beyond 8 GB of RAM. If Xiaomi wants to encourage more upgrades from professionals, it needs to increase the RAM ceiling.
*The software optimisation is still lacking on tablets, and the Redmi Pad 2 Pro is no different. While laptops offer a flexible environment, tablets are nowhere near as capable for windowing and multitasking.
*There’s not enough software support for interacting with the external display.
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So, should you buy the Redmi Pad 2 Pro?
If you are looking for an iPad alternative (the basic, entry-level one), the Redmi Pad 2 Pro nails the essentials. The screen may not be OLED, but videos and games still look great, and the support for accessories elevates the experience.
It does all of this at a very accessible price point. Overall, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro makes a strong case for a tablet that can serve as a primary computer, though the definition of “computer” has also evolved over the years, with many using their PCs for intensive use cases like coding, development, and content creation.
The device is both close and far from being a true laptop alternative. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The 12-inch display looks pretty great for full-screen web browsing, watching movies and working on documents. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/
The keyboard and a stylus, make it a tablet worth considering if you want an elevated experience. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro runs all Android apps. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Plus, it supports tons of convenient features like circle to search and handwriting assistance. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
