Xiaomi Pad 6 vs. Apple iPad
Xiaomi Pad 6 Review: Can It be a True iPad Alternative?
Released in April and initially available in China, the Xiaomi Pad 6 has gradually made its way to international markets. Now this device is available in Bangladesh. Xiaomi is renowned for its reputation in two key areas: delivering robust devices at affordable prices and occasionally burdening users with intrusive software. However, with the Pad 6, Xiaomi takes a departure from its typical approach. Not only does this tablet promise performance at a budget-friendly price point, but it also presents users with a refreshing experience of unobtrusive and user-friendly software.
Key Specifications of Xiaomi Pad 6
Design
The Xiaomi Pad 6 boasts a sleek design with dimensions of 254 mm by 165.2 mm by 6.5mm and a weight of 490g, making it a lightweight and portable option. It offers three attractive color choices - Gold, Gravity Grey, and Misty Blue, providing a level of versatility not seen in some competitors.
Constructed with an aluminum frame and corning Gorilla Glass 3 protecting the front display, the Pad 6 exudes a premium feel. While it resembles the iPad Air to some extent, it still makes a strong first impression with its minimal bezels and modern aesthetics. The device includes a folio case, with optional stylus and keyboard cases available separately.
Notably, it lacks biometric security features, relying on a PIN for sensitive app authentication. Additionally, it can connect to a Xiaomi Smart Pen (2nd gen), offering a useful tool for note-taking and drawing with minimal lag.
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Display
The Xiaomi Pad 6's display is an 11-inch IPS LCD panel with a commendable 2880 x 1800 resolution and a high 144Hz refresh rate, supporting Dolby Vision HDR and reaching up to 550 nits of brightness. This impressive spec sheet translates well into real-world performance. The screen lives up to its marketing promises, delivering a fast and fluid user experience.
HDR content appears vibrant, enhancing highlights, and the 2880 by 1800 pixel resolution ensures content remains sharp and detailed. While it falls slightly short in resolution compared to the OnePlus Pad, it outperforms competitors like the realme Pad and Oppo Pad Air.
It's worth noting that the Pad 6 employs IPS technology rather than OLED, which may impact factors like brightness and contrast, but it still offers strong, accurate colors and sufficient brightness for most tasks. With an 11-inch size, it strikes a perfect balance between productivity and comfort, making it a versatile choice for various use cases.
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Cameras
The camera setup on the Xiaomi Pad 6 is rather intriguing, as tablets typically don't prioritize camera quality as much as smartphones. However, the Pad 6 stands out in this regard.
It features a single 13MP f/2.2 rear camera and an 8MP f/2.2 front-facing camera, lacking some advanced features like optical image stabilization but delivering surprisingly good image quality.
While it's important to consider this in the context of tablet photography, the Pad 6 impresses with its saturated and vibrant colors, decent detail in most shots, and an effective HDR mode that handles challenging lighting situations well. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect is its night mode, which significantly enhances low-light photos, a feat that is genuinely surprising for a tablet.
While it may not surpass premium smartphone camera results, the Pad 6 offers enough photographic capability to suffice in various situations, making it a standout among tablets in this aspect.
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Performance and Hardware
The Xiaomi Pad 6 impresses with its robust performance capabilities, aligning with the company's reputation for offering affordability without sacrificing power. It comes equipped with either 6GB to 8GB of RAM and 128GB to 256 GB of storage, running on a Snapdragon 870 processor 5G 7nm. Though this chipset is from the previous year, still it delivers excellent performance in day-to-day usage.
Basic tasks like navigating the interface, browsing, and emailing are swift and smooth, as expected, but the Pad 6 also delivers solid gaming performance, even at high graphics settings, maintaining a playable frame rate.
1 year ago