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Now this is completely against conventional wisdom. And being the most affordable one, even more so than its elder sibling, Xiaomi’s efforts with the new Redmi Pad SE bring the refinement we’ve come to expect with the new generation of Android tablets, to a genuinely affordable price point. That is, around ₹12,999 onwards. It wouldn’t have been easy to get here. Xiaomi not only had to keep costs in check but also deliver the sort of usability that’s been a bridge too far for Android tablets around this price point, thus far. Those couldn’t be recommended – the likes of the dated Lenovo Tab K10, a plethora of Samsung Galaxy Tabs and instances of the Realme Pad 2 that often ducked to a lower price tag owing to deals. Have you experienced how dreadful they all were?
Redmi Pad SE (HT Photo/Vishal Mathur) The Redmi Pad SE prices start at ₹12,999 but in all likelihood, you should be factoring in ₹13,999 or ₹14,999 as the outlay for buying this tablet. That’s because though the storage spec remains 128GB across all, there’s the choice of 4GB, 6GB or 8GB RAM. At an incremental addition of ₹1,000 to the price tag for each bump in the RAM spec, you should be aiming for 6GB or 8GB to underline longevity too. A lot of Xiaomi’s learnings from the Xiaomi Pad 6 seem to be filtering though. That is not only great for the price point, but for refinement too.
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More to the experiential refinement point, the Redmi Pad SE still runs Xiaomi’s MIUI Pad 14 software (the “Pad” here references a few multi-tasking additions), which is based on Android 13. Considering the newer and much improved HyperOS has been available for a while now (and my own experience with the Xiaomi Pad 6 as a testament), this situation needs to change quickly. Expect an update in the coming months, at least that’s the sense I get.
As it turns out, the Redmi Pad SE isn’t making compromises with performance. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 mobile platform, invoking the advantages of being a newer generation chip, has more than enough grunt to define a tablet that’ll likely be an everyday tablet for users – a mix of web browsing, e-books, video streaming, music, staying updated on social media and the occasional gaming. Previous generation Android tablets struggled with basic multitasking, and it is refreshing to see the Redmi Pad SE handle more than casual gaming too. Try Real Racing 3 at its highest graphics settings, and the combination of this tablet and processor does not complain in the slightest.
While it is a bit perplexing that the Redmi Pad SE’s charge speeds are limited to 10-watt (yes, 10-watt, there’s no typo here), you will need to set aside that trickle charge window not too often. The 8,000mAh battery, in my usage scenario, ends a week with still around 30% charge remaining – that’s a mix of standby with about 5 hours of daily usage on average. Impressive, to say the least.
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There is simply one way to describe the overall build and design of the Redmi Pad SE, that it is significantly better than anything else for this price. The aluminium body, as I say it, is immediately an upgrade over its long-in-the-tooth rivals. There is just enough bezel thickness to allow a user to hold the tablet comfortably, whilst keeping the footprint of an 11-incher in check. Your choices will include the fairly conventional graphite grey colour, but I’d recommend the mint green option if you’re in the mood to experiment.
The question about whether or not you should buy the Redmi Pad SE has a rarely emphatic answer – that is, any other Android tablet up to ₹15,000 doesn’t really get much better than this. There is enough flexibility to handhold a first-time tablet buyer, an education-focused tab for your child or be a capable second screen at work. You must keep the specs and therefore the performance ceiling in mind, and within those parameters of usage, its longevity seems very much on point.
