GadgetByte Nepal

So… whenever someone asks me to recommend a decent tablet other than Apple’s iPads, my mind immediately goes to the Xiaomi Pad series. Like a reflex almost. It’s definitely not like you can’t find more powerful and more capable tablets with a more appealing set of features, but for most folks who just wanna:

• watch their favorite shows and movies on a bigger screen,
• read some books,
• take some notes,
• or play some games, Xiaomi’s midrange tablets hit just right.

That’s exactly what the Xiaomi Pad 6 (review) did last year, and the Xiaomi Pad 5 (review) before it.

Which means Xiaomi didn’t really have to try very hard with the new one either. And that’s exactly what the Xiaomi Pad 7 does this year. It brings a couple of neat little upgrades here and there — on top of one massive upgrade — but Xiaomi’s recipe has mostly remained the same.

Xiaomi Pad 7 review: Specifications

• Design and Build: 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18 mm, 500 gm
• Display: 11.2-inch IPS panel, 3.2K resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 (4nm mobile platform)
• Memory: 8/12GB LPDDR5X RAM, 128GB (UFS 3.1) / 256GB UFS 4.0 storage (non-expandable)
• Software and UI: Android 15 with Xiaomi HyperOS 2.0 on top
• Cameras: 13MP f/2.2 rear, 8MP f/2.28 front
• Security: No fingerprint sensor
• Connectivity: No cellular connectivity, WiFi 6e, Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient light, Color temperature, E-compass, Flicker, Geomagnetic, Gyroscope, Hall, IR blaster, Proximity
• Battery: 8,850 mAh with 45W fast charging (45W adapter in box)
• Price in Nepal: launching soon (Starts at INR 26,999 in India)
• Check the full specifications of Xiaomi Pad 7 here

Xiaomi Pad 7 review:

And instead of taking up too much of your time to reveal what that “massive upgrade” is, I wanna start right there actually. It’s performance. The Xiaomi Pad 7’s biggest upgrade is in the performance department.

Performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 (4nm)
• 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage (non-expandable)
• Android 15 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2.0 on top
• 4 years of OS and 6 years of security updates

Xiaomi went with the new Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chip this time and I absolutely love how it’s in an entirely different league compared to the good ol’ Snapdragon 870 on the Xiaomi Pad 6. Both in terms of the CPU and the GPU.

Just so you know, the 7+ Gen 3 is almost as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the 8s Gen 3. Especially in terms of the CPU. Xiaomi has also married this Qualcomm chip with a fast LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage so yeah, I pretty much never had any performance hiccup on the Pad 7 no matter what I did.

I don’t mean to say that you can feel that performance jump every time you unlock it or whatever, but I’ve definitely noticed moments where the 7+ Gen 3 clearly flexes its muscles.

Especially when I’m gaming. It can consistently push more frames than the Xiaomi Pad 6 at every game you can think of, it stays fairly nice and cool as well, although I found that the Xiaomi Pad 7 hasn’t been optimized for high-fps gaming just yet. Unlike what I’ve seen on some smartphones with the same 7+ Gen 3 chip. Like the OnePlus Nord 4 (review).

Terrific performance all around

Other than gaming, I’ve also noticed a better multitasking experience on the Xiaomi Pad 7. I guess some of that credit goes to the newer, faster processor itself, but I believe there are two more reasons why this guy feels… smoother overall.

The first thing is that it now has 8GB of memory instead of 6GB in the base configuration alone. Fantastic! Whereas Xiaomi’s “HyperOS 2.0” software based on Android 15 also comes with a few system-level optimizations to make it all possible. I know it’s not a drastic redesign like HyperOS 1.0 was compared to MIUI, but it does bring a few interesting customization options and AI.

• Xiaomi Pad 7 vs M2 iPad Air: When expensive ≠ better

Lots… and lots… of AI.

So you’ve got the basic stuff like a text generator, one that lets me convert my hilariously rough sketches into prettier images or one that can transcribe and summarize my voice notes. But like I geeked out in my impression video, the one feature that caught my eye the most is something called “dynamic wallpapers”. It uses AI to sorta… animate my still images for a more… dynamic background which looks pretty cool.

That’s not all either. You might already know that I love what Xiaomi does with the software experience on its tablets, and that love has only gotten stronger with HyperOS 2.0. The animations and system-wide transitions look more fluid now — but more importantly — it brings the one feature I’ve been begging from Xiaomi all this time.

A sidebar to quickly launch any app I want, from any place I want. Xiaomi did put its own spin on it and instead of a sidebar, there’s now a “search” icon on the taskbar itself for easier multitasking or when I want to switch between different apps. And like always, the Xiaomi Pad 7 enjoys all the other large screen features like split-screen, floating window, and app pairs too.

So yeah, like I said in the very beginning, the Xiaomi Pad 7’s performance upgrades are nothing short of incredible. Whether you look at raw performance or software experience, this is easily Xiaomi’s most impressive midrange tablet yet. Easily.

Design and build

• 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18 mm, 500 grams
• Gorilla Glass 3 front, aluminum back/frames
• No IP rating

But take a look anywhere else and you’ll see exactly why I called the Xiaomi Pad 7 an “iterative upgrade”. Like its design, for example.

This guy measures and weighs sli…ghtly different than the Xiaomi Pad 6 but other than that, you’ll have a hard time telling these two apart from their looks alone. The Pad 7 has the same premium finish with an aluminum back and frames, the same squarish camera design, similar color options, and the same USB 3.2 connection for high-speed data transfers.

Maybe that’s not a bad thing at all ‘cause after all… “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke”, right?

Display

• 11.2-inch 3.2K IPS panel
• 144 Hz refresh rate, 800 nits peak brightness
• HDR10, Dolby Vision support

But man I so wish the Xiaomi Pad 7 had an OLED display this time. That was in fact at the top of my bucket list of upgrades for this thing but nope. The Xiaomi Pad 7 still carries the same ol’ LCD panel but with a few notable improvements sprinkled on top.

Including a sharper 3.2K resolution instead of 2.8K and 800 nits of peak brightness instead of 550 nits. Plus, since the display itself is slightly larger now, its aspect ratio has gone from 16:10 to 3:2 as well. I know none of this sounds all too exciting but I gotta admit that all these upgrades have really been quite convenient to me.

For example, that sharper resolution means I no longer need to squint my eyes too hard when I’m going through a PDF or a spreadsheet on the Xiaomi Pad 7. Whereas that higher peak brightness makes a big difference in two important ways:

• number 1, it makes looking at the tablet easier even when you’re in a fairly well-lit room. That’s… pretty obvious.
• and number 2, it also makes watching HDR videos a bit more immersive.

Which reminds me, the Xiaomi Pad 7 has no trouble playing HDR videos either. It’s got both HDR 10 and Dolby Vision certification and whether you’re catching up with the second season of “Squid Games” on Netflix like I am these days — or watching some HDR video on YouTube — the Xiaomi Pad 7 can play them all just fine.

A nice set of speakers

And I really feel like its quad speakers deserve some praise too. There’s still not a lot of bass if that’s what you were hoping for but it gets decently loud, sounds decently clear, and is decent for everything from listening to some music to watching your favorite shows.

Getting back to the display, so one of the reasons why the Xiaomi Pad 7 feels smooth to interact with is also because of its 144 Hz refresh rate. Although I should tell you that this is practically a 120 Hz display since it only ever hits 144 Hz on Chrome and nowhere else. No matter what setting I mess around with.

Oh, and there’s one more thing.

So even though Xiaomi didn’t go with an OLED panel this time like I had so. desperately. hoped, it does have an interesting display upgrade. ‘Cause just like Apple’s iPad Pros or the latest MacBook Pros, the Xiaomi Pad 7 can also be configured with a nano-texture display that apparently reduces screen reflection by 65% and gets rid of light glares by 99%.

Battery

• 8,850 mAh battery (45W charging)
• 45W adapter in the box

Alright.

I wanna talk about the battery life next. And… the Xiaomi Pad 7 has a similar 8,850 mAh battery as last year’s Xiaomi Pad 6. And with a little bit of this, a little bit of that, I’ve been getting anywhere from 8 – 9 hours of screen on this thing. A perfect “A” for a tablet of this size.

And while there was no upgrade when it comes to the actual battery size, Xiaomi has bumped the charging speed from 33W to 45W. Which takes around an hour and a half for a complete refill.

Cameras

• 13MP rear, 8MP selfie camera

I guess the only thing I haven’t talked about so far are its cameras so let’s get it over with as well. The Xiaomi Pad 7 has the exact same camera setup as before, and I’ll say the exact same thing I said last year: “it is fine for taking pictures of notes and stuff but nothing more”.

But would you believe me if I said that Xiaomi has actually got rid of a super useful feature this time? So remember that “Focus Frame” thing where the front camera would follow you around to keep you focused and in the frame at all times?

Yeah… the Xiaomi 7 can’t do that. It still has a couple of other useful conferencing tools like a “fill light” for when you’re attending a call somewhere dark but not that one.

Xiaomi Pad 7 review: Conclusion

Okay, let me wrap up this review of the Xiaomi Pad 7 now.

And based on everything I’ve talked about, it’s clear that this is a fantastic midrange tablet that gets a lot of things right. A fantastic midrange tablet that checks a lot of boxes… whatever you wanna say. I’m still kinda bummed that we didn’t get an OLED display this year as previously rumored but Xiaomi’s latest midrange tablet hits just right.

And if you’re looking to spend 25 – 30,000 Indian rupees on a brand-new tablet, the Xiaomi Pad 7 is easily the best option out there. The thing is, this segment doesn’t even have much competition to begin with. There’s the 10th Gen iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 FE (review) if you’re willing to extend your budget to some 35,000 rupees. But even then, I’d argue that you’ll only be spending more money for a worse experience.

‘Cause that iPad has a painfully slow 60 Hz refresh rate and it only comes with 64GB of storage in the base variant… just to name a few. Whereas my biggest complaint about the Tab S9 FE is definitely its performance. Since its Exynos 1380 is simply not fast enough or optimized well enough compared to the 7+ Gen 3.

I’ve also seen the first-gen OnePlus Pad (review) go on sale for as low as 28,000 rupees recently, but the Xiaomi Pad 7 still ends up being a better value if you ask me. Mostly because of its faster performance and relatively longer software support.

• Watch our video review of Xiaomi Pad 7

Xiaomi Pad 7 review: Pros and cons