Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 Pro overview: A budget premium tablet

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When I reviewed the Redmi Pad 2 last year, I said “move over Samsung” and Xiaomi followed it up a few months later with a Pro version for those wanting an affordable premium tablet.

On the whole, it looks like the same device but comes with various upgrades to justify that Pro moniker. These include a huge 12,000mAh battery, a more powerful Snapdragon chip and more.

It starts at just £299, making it more than budget-friendly, undercutting the cheapest regular iPad by over £100. It also comes with an optional Matte Glass model, which is particularly interesting as you’ll find out, as it’s the one I’ve been testing.

Things I love

The Matte Glass Version, as Xiaomi calls it, is my favourite thing about this tablet. The paper-like look and feel to the screen is excellent and just gives it a really nice quality. It also reflects far less light than a typical glossy display, as well as being very good at fending off fingerprints.

This kind of feature is rare, with most brands not even providing it as an optional extra. With this model costing £359, it’s a great option for anyone looking for a matte screen tablet. Either way, you get a 2.5K resolution and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, which can’t be said of the entry-level iPad.

It’s worth noting that you don’t get a choice of colour or storage; it has to be Graphite Gray with 8/256GB. That’s a shame if you want Lavender Purple or the lighter Silver, but a small price to pay.

Colours aside, I like the clean and simple design and build quality is very good too with a metal unibody casing.

Pairing nicely with the screen are a set of quad speakers – two on either side in landscape mode – and they sound great. Rich and spacious, especially with the Dolby Atmos mode enabled.

I’m also more than happy with performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor. It might not be a flagship, or ‘Pro’ level chip, but things have run generally smoothly for me (though note on this in the next section).

Even more impressive though is the battery life from that huge 12,000mAh battery. This thing just keeps going and going with even an hour of streaming video only using a few percent of juice, so it should last 20+ hours in this respect.

There’s still lots more I love about the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, but as smaller features and specs I’ll list them briefly: face unlock, headphone jack, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi 6 and reverse wired charging. There’s also optional 5G and a range of accessories such as a magnetic stylus depending on what you need.

Things I don’t love

While there’s a lot to love about the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, there are a few downsides worth mentioning. Many of which are just small caveats relating to a good thing.

Although I love the Matte Glass screen of my review sample, there are a couple of things I would like to see improved (though the price has to be factored here). It’s not the brightest around, so I did often find myself using it at full brightness.

I was also manually adjusting the brightness as the automatic brightness would often have a meltdown, especially when sitting directly underneath artificial light.

While I found performance generally smooth from my model with 8GB RAM, the Pro name might give some people too much confidence. The Snapdragon 7s will run apps like Lightroom or Photoshop Express, but don’t expect the device to do anything too demanding – this isn’t a MacBook Pro replacement.

This is a complaint for most tablets, but the cameras are on the basic side. It’s 13Mp at the rear and 8Mp at the front, with both able to take reasonable photos depending on the conditions as well as 1080p video, so you’ll be able to primarily take a video call without the other person seeing a blurry mess.

At 610g, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro is a hefty boy, putting it at the heavy end of the scale. It means it’s not the best if you plan to hold it for long periods. The huge battery is a good reason for this, but it’s worth pointing out.

Related to the battery is 33W charging, which isn’t particularly fast (though faster than the regular Redmi Pad 2 at 18W), but Xiaomi doesn’t supply a charger in the box and the large battery means charging feels slower than it is.

I haven’t mentioned software yet and while it’s not something I dislike, it’s not a highlight of the tablet either – it’s just fine. It’s now upgradable to HyperOS 3 based on Android 16 and will take a bit of getting used to if you’re new to it.

It’s clean and intuitive but not packed with loads of great tablet-specific features either and there’s the somewhat inevitable bloatware. From what I can gather, you get a decent four years of OS support and an additional year of security.

Should you buy the Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2 Pro

If you’re looking for an affordable tablet with premium features, there’s a good chance the answer to this question is yes. I’d say if you’re particularly looking for an Android tablet with a huge battery and a matte-finish display, then this is the best on the market right now.

There’s also lots more to love about Redmi Pad 2 Pro, but that ‘Pro’ moniker might lead you into false pretences in some areas. It’s not powerful enough for very demanding tasks, but it is a decent all-rounder if you set your expectations.

If the Matte Glass Version doesn’t take your fancy and you just want a cheap tablet for basic tasks like watching video and scrolling social media, then the regular Redmi Pad 2 will likely suffice and prove even more of a bargain.

Not convinced by a Xiaomi? Check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ as a key alternative.

Specs

• HyperOS 2 (Android 15) 
• 12.1-inch 2.5K, IPS LCD display, 120Hz (Matte Glass optional)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4
• Memory: 6/8GB  
• Storage: 128/256GB + microSD up to 2TB 
• Cameras: 8Mp rear, 8Mp front  
• Ports: USB-C, 3.5mm Headphone Jack
• Wi-Fi 6 
• Bluetooth 5.4
• Quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support 
• 12,000mAh battery
• 33W charging
• 279.8×181.65×7.5mm
• 610g 
• Launch colours: Graphite Gray, Silver and Lavender Purple