Xiaomi Pad 5 review

As a good tech enthusiast that I am, every time I am given the chance to try a new device and talk about it with my readers, I am very happy with it. This is the reason why I am here today and I want to give you my impressions of Xiaomi Pad 5 , an 11 “tablet that – I anticipate it immediately – has all the credentials to become one of the most interesting devices in its market segment. .

We are talking, in fact, of an 11 “mid-range with great design, light weight and with really excellent general performance. But its real strength is the screen: a 2560 x 1600 pixel LCD panel with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. (therefore very fluid), a sampling rate of 240 Hz, support for HDR Dolby Vision and technologies to filter blue light (so not to tire the eyes even after prolonged use) and adapt the temperature of the colors reproduced on the display to that of the surrounding environment .

It also supports the Xiaomi Smart Pen with 4,096 pressure levels (sold separately, except bundles offered by some retailers), which allows you to take notes and draw very precisely, and has a great 13MP rear camera, ideal for photos. video and to scan documents, which you can then work on directly on the tablet. In short: even if given the low price and some compromises to accept (which I will talk about later) we are not talking about an absolute top of the range, it is a really interesting device that certainly deserves attention. For all the details, read on.

Index

• Xiaomi Pad 5 review
• How to buy Xiaomi Pad 5

Xiaomi Pad 5 review

When the courier handed me the package containing Xiaomi Pad 5 I already knew what to expect. This, however, did not take away from me the pleasure of unboxing quickly and with some pleasant surprises .

Apart from the care in the packaging – always appreciated but now common to many producers and with the “usual” references to Apple style -, I was able to appreciate the presence in the package of a 22.5W charger with fast charging support, together with a USB Type-C / Type-A cable to use with the latter and, obviously, the tablet in the global version (in my case 128GB, but there is also 256GB) with all the relevant manuals .

Considering that many manufacturers are forcing the purchase of the charger separately, finding it in the box was a nice surprise. On the other hand, the Xiaomi Smart Pen is missing, which except for the purchase of specific bundles, must be purchased separately for 99.90 euros.

Ready go! As soon as it was unpacked and gripped, Xiaomi Pad 5 immediately made a good impression on me for its beautiful design , with metal frame, very thin edges and slightly protruding rear chamber module but well integrated into the body of the device: in my case I tried the model with the back shell in Pearl White (white), but the one with Cosmic Gray shell (dark gray) is also available . Handling is also excellent , with the weight of 511 grams well distributed over the entire body of the device. Obviously, however, what struck me most was the screen , which, as mentioned, is one of the “highlights” of the model.

Entering the more technical aspect of the matter, we are talking about an 11 “WQHD + LCD panel with 2560 x 1600 pixels of resolution , a refresh rate of 120 Hz , a sampling rate of 240 Hz , a brightness of 500 nits , a ratio of 16:10 shape , support for the DCI-P3 range with over 1 billion colors reproduced and many supporting technologies, including the Dolby Vision HDR that allows you to fully enjoy all the shades of light and shadow in videos, photos and games; True Display technologywhich adapts the temperature of the colors reproduced on the display to that of the surrounding environment; the brightness sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness of the panel based on the ambient light and, finally, the blue light filter , useful for not straining the eyes even after prolonged use of the tablet.

Translated into practical terms, we are talking about a screen that is excellently visible even in direct sunlight, with excellent color reproduction (of course, there are no absolute blacks of OLED panels, but let’s remember that we are talking about a mid-range model! ) and very fluid in all circumstances: from simple scrolling through the system menus to gaming, through to watching movies and TV series.

The refresh rate of 120 Hz and the sampling rate of 240 Hz also allow a natural use of the Xiaomi Smart Pen , for taking notes and drawing, but on this I cannot give you my direct opinion as I have not had the opportunity to test the said accessory.

Instead, I can confirm that the multimedia experience guaranteed by Xiaomi Pad 5 is at the top also in terms of sound, given the presence of four very large stereo speakers (16 x 20 mm) with Dolby Atmos , Hi-Res Audio and Hi- support. Res Audio Wireless . I would have liked to have also had the audio jack for the headphones, which alas is missing, but the Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity allows you to easily overcome the problem thanks to the use of Bluetooth headphones , as well as the ability to connect other accessories such as keyboards and mice.

Obviously, a screen with important performances and an enveloping audio system cannot do much if at the base there are no components capable of giving the right power to the device: here, therefore, that to animate Xiaomi Pad 5 we find a Qualcomm chipset Snapdragon 860 Octa-Core based on 7nm production process, with operating frequency up to 2.96 GHz, Adreno 640 GPU and 4th generation Qualcomm AI technology.

The RAM is 6GB , while the storage can be 128GB or 256GB , based on UFS 3.1 technology (therefore with a very high data transfer speed), without, alas, the possibility of expanding it with external memory cards.

On the software side we find, instead, the MIUI 12.5 operating system based on Android 11 which gives the usual experience, pleasant and fluid, with various functions optimized for the tablet , including a convenient screen that allows you to quickly access all the apps installed without having to go back and forth between the various pages from the Home. There is also full access to Google services and the Play Store : something not always taken for granted these days !.

I don’t think there is too much to add from this point of view: Xiaomi’s customizations have always given that “extra touch” to Android, without weighing down the system and with many small-large features that are certainly appreciable.

In short, MIUI has allowed me to work and have fun comfortably, but how much? Well, the Xiaomi Pad 5 battery is 8,720 mAh and according to the manufacturer’s estimates it guarantees over 16 hours of video playback , over 10 hours of play and over 5 days of music playback. Judging a mixed use like the one I did is not easy, but I feel I can say that Xiaomi’s data correspond to reality: I’ve never felt anxious about having to recharge the tablet before evening. The fast charging from 22.5W , then, allowed me to be operational again in a short time.

In case you have the Xiaomi Smart Pen , to report the possibility of charging the latter in just 18 minutes, resting it next to the tablet (magnetic recharge). Furthermore, with just 10 seconds of charging it is possible to get 20 minutes of use of the pen (again according to official estimates, as already mentioned I have not had the opportunity to test the accessory personally).

Although I am not a type who loves taking pictures with tablets, I also enjoyed testing the rear camera of Xiaomi Pad 5 , and I was pleasantly surprised: clearly we are not talking about a camera similar to that of the most advanced camera phones , but he certainly manages to have his say both for the photos and for the videos; it is also very responsive when it comes to scanning documents. More specifically, we are talking about a single 13MP module with f / 2.0 aperture, dual-LED flash, HDR and the possibility of making videos up to 4K resolution at 30fps.

The front camera , ideal for video calls and remote work or study, ensures good image quality and clear enough sound for those who receive on the other side: it is 8MP with f / 2.0 aperture and records videos up to 1080p resolution with 30fps.

Another aspect that convinced me is the connection speed: Xiaomi Pad 5 supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac networks with support, therefore, also for 5GHz dual-band networks .

Unfortunately, there is no support for 3G, 4G and 5G data networks, which could lead to some compromises in mobile work, but now the convenience with which you can work via hotspot does not make it seem like a huge limit to me. Obviously this is a personal opinion and everyone can have their own needs in this regard. In any case, remember that we are talking about a tablet with an affordable price, so you can’t want everything.

In conclusion: would I recommend Xiaomi Pad 5? Certainly , as long as you don’t have particularly advanced needs in terms of storage or connectivity (and not particularly tied to ecosystems like Apple or Microsoft). For all those who, on the other hand, are looking for an all-to-do tablet with a strong multimedia vocation but that does not look bad at all in professional use – indeed, with the Xiaomi Smart Pen it becomes much more comfortable and versatile than many notebooks in different areas! – it is perfect, also considering the affordable price at which it is sold. To find out all the prices and how to buy the tablet, read on.

How to buy Xiaomi Pad 5

If I had the opportunity to try Xiaomi Pad 5 for a few days and carry out this review it was thanks to Goboo , a very young e-commerce site that is rapidly establishing itself thanks to the fact that it is the official distributor of Xiaomi products and often offers interesting previews and promotions related to the latter.

For example, from 15 to 23 September 2021 it is possible to pre-order Xiaomi Pad 5 at a special price by paying a deposit of only 20 euros and then paying the rest by 23-25 ​​September 2021 . The price of the tablet is 299 euros for the 6GB + 128GB model (instead of 399 euros) and 349 euros for the 6GB + 256GB model (instead of 449 euros). In addition, for the first 100 orders there is a bag worth 49 euros for free , while by releasing a product review it is possible to win a free order .

Goboo has logistics centers located all over the world. For Europe, the warehouses are located in Spain and this allows for guaranteed delivery to Italy in 3-5 working days, without shipping costs or customs fees .

There is also a 14-day right of withdrawal , with 30-day unconditional refund for unused goods , with 30-day dispute protection time and 2-year product warranty offered by the seller . In short, all in line with the most established e-commerce. Read more here .

As for payments , various secure methods are accepted: PayPal , credit and prepaid cards and bank transfer .

That said, if you want to buy Xiaomi Pad 5 in global version on Goboo, linked to this page and click on the button to place the order . On the next page, select the color and bundle (i.e. model) you prefer, make sure that Spain is selected in the drop-down menu for shipping , set the quantity of tablets to buy and click on the button to pay .

Now, if you are not yet registered with Goboo, create an account by clicking on the appropriate item and filling out the form that is proposed to you, in which you can enter your e-mail , password , password confirmation and verification code (which will be sent to you by post electronic after pressing the Send item ). Once this is done, check the box relating to Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy and click on the button to create the account .

As an alternative to the procedure just indicated, you can authenticate with your Facebook or Google account by clicking on the appropriate icons.

To complete the order on Goboo, click on the box to add a new address and fill in the fields visible on the screen with the address where you want to receive the Xiaomi Pad 5; then confirm , press the button to place the order and complete the payment by choosing a payment method from those available. Easy, right?

You will then receive a confirmation message relating to your order and you will be able to constantly monitor the status of the latter through the My Orders menu , accessible by selecting your name in the top bar of Goboo.

Alternatively, I point out that it is possible to find Xiaomi Pad 5 on mi.com and in other electronics stores, both online and physical.