On April 18th, Xiaomi held another new product launch event. In addition to the release of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra phone with a large screen, the Xiaomi Pad 6 series also made its official debut after a gap of one year and eight months. The Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro has a Snapdragon 8+ processor. It is the first tablet in China to use a Snapdragon flagship chip. It starts at a price of about $362. Gizcoupon has already received this tablet and will show you its performance.
The packaging of the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro adopts a simple white style. In addition to the tablet itself, the standard accessories include a 67W fast charger and a USB-A to C cable. The difference is that the bottom interface of it has been upgraded from USB 2.0 to 3.2 Gen1. It can output the screen normally when connected to a display with a dual C cable. The DP to C cable is also supported.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro appearance
After opening the protective bag of the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro, the first impression is that the metallic texture is very strong. Additionally, it is a significant improvement compared to Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro. In terms of the hand feel and visual appearance of the back cover material, it is closer to the previous generation’s 12.4-inch large-screen version. Still, it is noticeably lighter when held in hand.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro still adopts a square body shape, and the edge of the back cover has a strong presence when held. But fortunately, it has been chamfered, so it won’t feel uncomfortable to hold.
According to Gizcoupon’s test, the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s body is about 6.5mm thick. The weight of the naked machine is around 486g, which is relatively lightweight among similar products. However, if you add the keyboard protective case specially designed by Xiaomi for it, the weight will increase to 990g.
The one we received is in gold. However, according to the official rendering, there are also far mountain blue and black colors. This gold color is not a deep or intense color, but it has a slightly warm feeling under the light, and the elegant color scheme looks more advanced. In terms of visuals, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro maintains a restrained and minimalist style. In addition to the striking square lens module of the same model as Xiaomi 13, there is only a capitalized XIAOMI logo and three metal contact points used to connect the keyboard protective case.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro design
On the square lens module, we can clearly see the words “50MP”. Although most people will not take photos with a tablet, high pixel count still has some advantages when taking pictures of courseware, documents, or certificates. However, during daily use, when you place the tablet horizontally on the table, the protrusion of the lens module will make the body unable to be completely flat and stable, so it is recommended to use it with a case.
The Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro retains its design with four stereo speakers. Moreover, it has two sets of openings on each side of the middle frame, symmetrically placed for greater volume. Furthermore, due to its enveloping structure between the rear shell and the middle frame, rather than a splicing structure, all antenna strips have been removed, emphasizing the unity of visual and tactile sensations.
The Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro also has a power button that features fingerprint recognition, allowing for quick unlocking. By simply placing a registered finger on the power button, the device unlocks naturally and smoothly, providing an effortless user experience. However, since tablets can be used in both horizontal and vertical orientations, it is recommended that users register at least two fingerprints to ensure easy unlocking in different holding positions. Additionally, after registering fingerprints, users can also use them for authorization and installation verification when downloading third-party apps.
On the front, the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro features an 11-inch, 2.8K resolution LCD screen. The physical bezels and screen-to-body ratio remain the same as the previous generation, with a 16:10 aspect ratio. Furthermore, a black plastic shock-proof support frame wraps around the screen’s edges, transitioning towards the borders.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro accessories
In terms of accessories, the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro comes with a keyboard protective cover. In addition, it has the new generation Xiaomi Smart Pen. The Xiaomi Smart Touch Keyboard adopts an integrated design with a choice of black or white colors. This generation of Xiaomi Smart Touch Keyboard supports adaptive backlight adjustment, a glass touchpad with a full-area pressing function, and a 16% larger touch area. Moreover, it includes an independent ESC key that further enhances operational efficiency.
The back of the Xiaomi Smart Touch Keyboard features a stand. It supports a wide range of angles from 110° to 165°, making it more flexible for tablet use.
In addition, Xiaomi has added an NFC function area that supports one-touch transfer in the wrist rest position of the touchpad version. By simply turning on NFC on both the phone and tablet, you can quickly transfer photos by touching the recognition area with your phone, which is very convenient.
The upgraded Xiaomi Mi Stylus Pen boasts features such as ultra-low latency. Furthermore, it features 150 hours of continuous writing and 5G-sensitive ink output. When used with the keyboard protective case on the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro, the top magnetic area makes it easy to store and charge the stylus. It only takes one minute to charge for 7 hours of writing, which is very reassuring.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro screen features
The Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro has a domestically produced 2K resolution screen. It has a 144Hz refresh rate and a 16:10 aspect ratio, achieving a PPI of 309. This makes the user experience more similar to that of a laptop screen, and the display’s delicacy is evident.
The refresh rate can be adjusted to seven different levels, including 30/48/50/60/90/120/144Hz. They make it more versatile for various scenarios. Interestingly, even though this is an LCD screen, the official developer options offer a low flicker mode, which is a full-range DC dimming. Coupled with hardware-level low blue light design, this screen also puts effort into eye protection.
In terms of color, the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro supports 10-bit color depth, P3 wide color gamut, factory calibration, and HDR10 and Dolby Vision, among others. Additionally, the display settings offer professional-grade original color and true color display options. In addition, advanced modes allow users to customize color temperature preferences. It can be seen that Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro attaches great importance to the display effect.
Screen test by Gizcoupon
According to Gizcoupon’s test, in the professional-grade original color mode. The screen covers 93.2% of the sRGB color gamut, 64.6% of Adobe RGB, and 66.4% of DCI-P3. The sRGB color gamut in the high-end mode option also performs well.
However, when we switch to the P3 color gamut, the sRGB color gamut coverage increases to 99.8%. The coverage of Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color gamuts also increases to 82.2% and 97.1%, respectively. Therefore, for those who pursue rich colors, the P3 color gamut mode is recommended.
We also tested the color accuracy of the screen in P3 color gamut mode—an average Delta E of 0.55 and a maximum Delta E of 1.29. Additionally, the measured screen brightness of 450nit is a professional-level color performance. It is noteworthy that there is no color shift problem even when the tablet is viewed at a large angle. In actual use, except for the slight black overflow of the LCD physical border, there are no major issues with its performance.
Performance
While other tablet manufacturers still use the MediaTek Dimensity series flagship chips or the classic Snapdragon 870, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro has taken the lead in using the high-end flagship chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+. This undoubtedly elevates the performance ceiling for tablet products. After all, Snapdragon 8+ performs well on mobile phones. This is why it has become the first choice chip for various cost-effective flagships currently available on the market.
In addition, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro features LPDDR5 memory and UFS3.1 flash storage. It has a large battery of 8600mAh and supports a 67W fast charge. These configurations are undoubtedly prepared for heavy-duty tablet entertainment and gaming scenarios. Among Android tablet products, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s configuration is relatively advanced. Of course, its actual performance still needs to be tested.
Since the Snapdragon 8+ is already widely used, let’s simply take a look at its theoretical performance using the GeekBench6 benchmark. Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro achieved a single-core score of 1726 and a multi-core score of 4392. It is significantly higher than other Snapdragon 8+ phones with similar configurations. Furthermore, it has an advantage over the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip. Compared to the latest flagship chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen2, its single-core score is only about 200 points lower. So it can be considered quite competitive.
3D Mark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress Test
Next, let’s test the endurance and stability of the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s performance output using 3D Mark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress Test. After 20 rounds of stress testing, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s performance remained stable, with the score curve remaining straight, and its stability reached as high as 98.3%. This performance is particularly outstanding among tablet products and has obvious advantages over machines with the MediaTek Dimensity series chips.
Evaluate performance with Genshin Impact
After reviewing the theoretical performance tests, we moved on to assessing gaming performance. We chose to test the latest version, 3.6 of “Genshin Impact,” which is known for its heavy graphics load. The testing environment was a Wi-Fi room with a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. The game was played on the highest graphics setting at 60 frames per second, with dynamic blur disabled. Moreover, Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s Game Turbo was set to Performance mode. For Genshin Impact, the GPU parameters are set to high quality, which is the highest resolution available.
We tested the device in the new map of the “Mystic Realm” in the game. The device was put under considerable pressure during the 20-minute gameplay of exploring and battling monsters. The frame rate dropped to around 30 frames per second during a sandstorm, but the overall frame rate curve was still steady. The final average frame rate was 59.3 frames per second, and there were not many stutters in the game. Overall, the gaming experience was very comfortable.
Of course, comfort does not only refer to frame rate and graphics quality but also to touch response and temperature. When playing “Genshin Impact” on Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro, the game toolbox was opened, and the “Expert Mode” of the “Genshin Impact” advanced settings was enabled. This made the controls very responsive, which is crucial for tablet users. After all, tablets are less convenient than phones in terms of operation. Moreover, the highest temperature reached during gaming was only 41.3 degrees Celsius. Although the device’s frame and back cover are made of metal, there was no issue of overheating.
High-frequency game memory freezing and start-up acceleration
Another significant feature that contributes to the gaming experience is the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s high-frequency game memory freezing and start-up acceleration. It allows games that are frequently used in the background to be swapped to virtual memory (flash memory) to stay active. For instance, “Genshin Impact” was put on standby in the background for 30 minutes with 11 other background app cards, but the game could still be resumed directly. Although there is a small chance of loading the Six Elements, it is still much faster than restarting the game.
Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro system functions
Regarding the MIUI for Pad, although not extensively discussed during the launch event, there were some enhancements in terms of features and details.
Firstly, the meeting toolbox in the meeting mode has the same triggering logic as the video toolbox. It has five built-in functions: fill light, portrait centering, subtitle transcription, call noise reduction, and ultra-clear mode. The last two functions are easy to understand, and the first three are briefly explained.
The fill light mode has some effect in low-light environments with poor lighting.
The subtitle transcription function is very convenient for recording the speeches of participants, which can be converted into simple text transcripts. This is beneficial for meeting summaries and reviews. It supports audio source selection, language switching, custom text styles, and more. After the meeting, a prompt window will pop up to ask if you want to save it as a document, making it more practical.
The camera will switch from wide-angle to portrait angle when the portrait centering function is activated. The person in the center of the frame will have more emphasis. If the person moves, the camera will still lock onto them. The switching process will be smooth.
The second point is the optimization of 8,000 large-screen applications mentioned during the product launch. I tested Douyin(Chinese TikTok), which was demonstrated on-site, and indeed, it prioritizes recommending horizontal videos to ensure the efficient use of the large screen and user experience.
However, the comment function mentioned during the product launch, which does not occupy the screen, has not been implemented in the current version. It is expected to be added in the subsequent official version. Fortunately, mainstream long-video platforms have already adapted to horizontal screens. There have been no issues with frame locking, so the experience is not significantly affected.
Conclusion
Given the current market environment for Android tablets, the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro is a product that maximizes hardware capabilities while balancing software improvements. It is commonly referred to as a “water-bucket machine.”
In terms of results, the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro’s exterior design is not particularly outstanding, but at least it won’t disappoint. The screen and performance aspects of the experience are impressive, and the accessories have also further enhanced the texture and made up for any shortcomings. It can be said that this is a product with sincerity and a suitable device for daily use.
