We review the Mi Pad 2!

Along with the Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi also introduced a refreshed version of their Mi Pad, the Mi Pad 2, back in November. As with the Redmi Note 3, the Mi Pad 2 represented a shift in terms of
design, shifting to an aluminum body instead of the traditional plastic that’s been present on their previous devices. The new tablet also sports a new processor: Intel’s Atom X5-Z8500 that’s more than enough to keep everything smoothly.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 specs

• Intel Atom X5-Z8500, 2.24GHz quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 7.9-inch QXGA display, 1536 x 2048 resolution
• 16GB/64GB of storage
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• 5-megapixel front
• WiFi, Bluetooth, USB Type-C
• Android 5.1 with MIUI 7/Windows 10
• 6190mAh battery

Goodbye plastic, hello metal

Xiaomi, much like many of its domestic competitors, is starting to shift to designs that use metal as their primary component. That’s what we saw on their Redmi Note 3, and that’s what you can
expect with the Mi Pad 2. The Mi Pad 2 uses an aluminum body with a brushed metal finish on it, which gives it a premium feel and repels fingerprints when you’re using it.

The new material does have its drawbacks though, and while the Mi Pad 2 is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, it’s slightly heavier than its closest rival, iPad’s Mini 4. The screen size (7.9-inches) and resolution (2048 x 1536) being the same as the iPad Mini 4 is not an accident – Xiaomi obviously is looking to draw people away from Apple’s offering to their new tablet instead.

Turning the tablet over, you’ll see the 8-megapixel rear camera and the two speaker grills but aside from that the back is pretty bare. The volume and power key is on the right of the tablet.
Much like many new gadgets today the Mi Pad 2 uses a USB Type-C port for charging and data, which may be a problem moving forward since there’s not a lot of accessories available for USB Type-C devices (including USB OTG cables) as of yet.

Despite coming out after Android Marshmallow was released, the device still runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with MIUI v7 layered on top.

Intel’s Atom processor is beastly

Unlike their phones, Xiaomi has gone with less mainstream processor makers for the Mi Pad lineup. Previously it was NVIDIA with their Tegra K1 processor, and this time around it’s Intel with
their Atom X5-Z8500 quad-core offering, running at 2.2GHz. That’s paired with 2GB of RAM, and depending on what version you get, 16GB or 64GB of storage.

So, how does the new processor fare? Well, it’s beastly. It managed to score 79,379 points in AnTuTu, the highest recorded score we’ve ever seen so far in the benchmarking app. It’s pretty safe to say that it absolutely demolishes almost every game that you can throw at it, and then some.

How about thermals? Intel’s Atom chips have a nasty reputation of being overheating monsters, but in our test it seemed like that wasn’t true at all. The Mi Pad clocked in around 32 degrees
Celcius on normal use, and 35 under heavy load. Clearly someone at Intel has gone to great lengths to make their new processor as cool as it can be.

The Mi Pad 2 also comes in Windows 10, though that’s only available for the higher end, 64GB storage version.

Excellent battery life

Another thing that people are concerned about with Intel’s processors is battery life. They shouldn’t be, at least not with the Mi Pad 2 – using PCMark’s battery benchmark the Mi Pad 2 scored 8 hours and 12 minutes, which is pretty good for a tablet this size, considering it has a 6190mAh battery inside.

Verdict: A better, more premium Mi Pad

Xiaomi’s on the road to converting their products to full metal bodies, that’s for sure. Probably the only thing that’ll hold back most people from buying the Mi Pad 2 is the fact that Xiaomi PH isn’t going to offer this thing anytime soon and it doesn’t have expandable storage. Still, the Mi Pad 2 manages to post excellent benchmark scores and performance numbers and has more than enough battery endurance for most users. If you can get it, the RMB 999 (Php 7400) for the 16GB version RMB 1299 (Php 9620) for the 32GB version in China is more than a fair price for this nice looking and powerful tablet.