
So this is the new Xiaomi Pad 7 (review) and this is Apple’s latest M2 iPad Air (2024). This one should cost somewhere around NPR 40,000 when it launches later this year in Nepal, while the iPad Air fetches almost thrice as much. And if you were wondering why I’m comparing these two in the first place then well… the answer is pretty simple.
‘Cause after getting to know it for over a week now, I found the Xiaomi Pad 7 to be such a fine midrange tablet that… it had me wondering if expensive tablets are even worth it to most folks. Of course, the iPad Air absolutely smokes this guy in terms of performance — both CPU and GPU-wise — but do you even need that much power?
Or are you better off with something much more affordable like the Xiaomi Pad 7 instead? I’ve got just the answer to that question so settle in, get comfortable as I try to explain everything I’ve discovered after using these two side by side for all this time.
Xiaomi Pad 7 vs M2 iPad Air: Specifications
Xiaomi Pad 7 | M2 iPad Air (11-inch) | |
Dimensions | 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18 mm | 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm |
Weight | 500 grams | 462 grams |
Display | 11.2-inch IPS panel, 3.2K resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate | 11-inch IPS panel, 2.5K resolution, 60 Hz refresh rate |
Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 (4nm) | Apple M2 chip (5nm) |
Memory | 8/12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage | 8GB RAM, up to 1TB storage |
Software and UI | Android 15 with HyperOS 2.0 on top | iPadOS 18 |
Cameras | 13MP rear + 8MP front | 12MP rear + 12MP front |
Security | No fingerprint sensor | Touch ID (fingerprint sensor) |
Battery | 8,850 mAh (45W charging) | 7,606 mAh (20W charging) |
Price in Nepal | launching soon | NPR 105,000 (128GB, WiFi) |
(Buy here) |
Xiaomi Pad 7 vs M2 iPad Air review:
Design and build
Okay. So in the world of smartphones, “something cheap” usually translates to “something that’s not built well”, right? But what if I told you that even though the Xiaomi Pad 7 costs less than half as much, it doesn’t compromise on the build quality at all?
It has the same premium all-metal design as the M2 iPad Air and handling them feels pretty much the same actually. The Xiaomi Pad 7 is a bit heavier but Xiaomi has done such a nice job with weight distribution that it doesn’t really feel that way when I’m holding them side by side.
They’re both available in a bunch of fun color options as well. So yeah, this is a surprisingly even battle if you ask me. Yes, there are a couple of things the iPad Air does better but whether or not those turn out to be useful is entirely up to you.
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (10 Gbps vs 5 Gbps)
So the first thing is that the M2 iPad Air is literally twice as fast at copying files from an external drive. 10 Gbps vs 5 Gbps. I tried copying a couple of files from my Samsung T9 SSD and… yep. That checks out.
Xiaomi Pad 7 | M2 iPad Air | |
3.9GB file transfer | 10.62 seconds | 5.55 seconds |
The iPad Air was twice as fast no matter how many times I ran the test. It also has Touch ID for security, unlike the Xiaomi Pad 7 which doesn’t have any biometric option. And the other thing is that the iPad Air has quite a useful feature for video calls too, called “Center Stage”. I’m sure most of you already know what I’m talking but in case you don’t, basically what it does is try and keep you in the frame even as you move around a little.
Such a nice little trick to keep you engaged during video chats but the Xiaomi Pad 7 unfortunately can’t do this. What’s weirder is that last year’s Xiaomi Pad 6 (review) actually had a similar feature called “Focus Frame” so… I can’t understand Xiaomi’s logic behind this at all.
Display
You know what?
I also can’t understand Apple’s logic in terms of the display ‘cause how does this thing still have a 60 Hz refresh rate? And why is Apple still making me complain about this in 2024?
Which means the Xiaomi Pad 7 has an incredibly noticeable advantage when I’m using it on a day-to-day basis. Especially when I’m scrolling through any website or the UI itself. To be fair, Xiaomi is also overpromising things a bit by marketing it as a 144 Hz display. Since it only hits 144 Hz on Chrome as far as I can tell. But I’d take this smooth 120 Hz display over iPad Air’s 60 Hz one any day of the week.
A couple of good-looking displays
Other than this, both of ‘em have an IPS panel with a similar 3:2 aspect ratio that is pretty fantastic to look at. Apple sure did spoil me with that fancy “tandem OLED” display on the new iPad Pro, but for a couple of good ol’ IPS screens, I gotta say these two are quite nice.

And like the design, the iPad Air once again has the upper hand against the Xiaomi Pad 7 in a couple of… small ways. Although they could be significant enough if you’re a digital artist. So number one, the iPad’s display is fully laminated which… my designer buddies say helps a lot with a more natural feel when using an Apple Pencil.
The iPad Air’s stylus experience should also be much better than the Xiaomi Pad 7, by the way. It’s not like Xiaomi’s stylus sucks or anything but if you’re a digital artist by profession and you know what you’re doing, the “iPad + Apple Pencil” combo is pretty much the most obvious choice for everyone.
Anyway — unlike the Xiaomi Pad 7 — the iPad Air also has an anti-reflective coating by default. This guy does have an optional “nano-texture” upgrade that can cut both screen reflections and light glares but is it just me or having to pay extra for something instead of having it built-in doesn’t feel too good at all?
They both are great for watching movies.
Alright.
So while the iPad Air has some clear advantages from that artistic point of view, the Xiaomi Pad 7 is the clear winner when it comes to media consumption. They both have HDR 10 and Dolby Vision certification to play crisp, HDR videos anywhere you’d want — be it on Netflix, on YouTube, or even your local HDR files — but I enjoyed them more on the Xiaomi Pad 7 because of one simple reason:
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it has higher peak brightness than the iPad Air. 800 nits vs 500 nits.
Which is why that actual HDR experience with brighter highlights and darker shadows looks so damn better on the Xiaomi Pad 7. And oh yeah, its speakers are also better than the ones on the iPad Air. It does come off somewhat distorted at max volume but it sounds much louder, fuller, and richer in comparison so there you go.
Battery
I’m sad to say this but the iPad Air tasted a defeat in my battery test as well.
‘Cause when I streamed a YouTube video for an hour and attended a Zoom call for a little less than an hour on both of them, the iPad Air ended up losing 16% battery. Versus 12% on the Xiaomi Pad 7. Don’t get me wrong, these two will comfortably last you a couple of days at the minimum but the thing is, the Xiaomi Pad 7 hangs in there just a bit longer.
And it also fills up faster. With its included 45W adapter taking the tablet from 1 to 100% in an hour and a half while the iPad Air’s 20W charger almost twice the time to finish the job.
Performance
Okay, up until this point, it has all been “Xiaomi Pad this…” and “Xiaomi Pad that…” I know, but as far as performance is concerned, the M2 iPad Air is simply wayyyyyy too ahead. And in every single test I ran, from all the synthetic benchmarks to some video editing and even a simple app opening and multitasking test, the iPad Air pulled ahead by a comfortable margin.
I don’t think any of this comes as a surprise to anyone though. ‘Cause like I said in the very beginning, these two are in a completely different league in terms of performance. The iPad Air also games better, it should also age better over the years, and iPadOS also has a better selection of a few incredible creator apps that you’re not gonna find on Android. Like Davinci Resolve, Procreate, and Final Cut Pro.
But the million-dollar question here is “do you even need all that power on a tablet?”
And for most people, the answer’s gonna be a simple no. No, you don’t need the absurdly powerful M2 chip on a tablet, especially when iPadOS itself doesn’t let you make the most out of all those creative apps.
Whereas I found the Xiaomi Pad 7’s performance to be perfectly fine, perfectly smooth for everything I do. Including browsing the web, playing games, streaming my favorite movies, and so on.
What about software?
Its Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chip can also handle multitasking pretty well actually. I guess it sounds a little hard to believe but Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2.0 also has better multitasking features compared to iPadOS 18.
Both of them have the usual stuff like floating window and split view mode, right? While on the Xiaomi Pad 7, I can even save my favorite app pairs — like YouTube and Notes, for example — to launch with just one click. Instead of how I need to manually open both of them every. single. time. on the iPad. And I’m sure you already know this by now but Apple has also been playing catch-up with the rest of the industry when it comes to AI.
Apple has promised a lo…t of stuff but right now, most of what it can do is just summarize emails, web pages, recordings, and help with your writing. On the other hand, the Xiaomi Pad 7 can also turn your sketches into images and it also has that “Dynamic Wallpaper” thing I talked about in my unboxing video. So yeah, there’s definitely a lot to love about the Xiaomi Pad 7’s performance even though it might not match the M2 iPad Air in raw performance.
Xiaomi Pad 7 vs M2 iPad Air review: Conclusion
Alright, let me wrap things up now.
And to answer whether expensive tablets are worth it over some fantastic midrange options like the Xiaomi Pad 7, I’ll have to respectfully say no. Not if all you ever intend to do on it is basic tablet stuff.
The M2 iPad Air obviously has its advantages. Like in terms of performance and the whole “Apple ecosystem” thing that other companies can’t seem to match but yeah. The Android tablet space has gotten so competitive in the last few years that it has become almost impossible to ignore them and just say “get an iPad” and be done with it.