Redmi Pad 2 Pro Review: Unbeatable Value in a 12.1-Inch Tablet

A Budget Tablet That Punches Above Its Weight

We have the new mid-range tablet from Xiaomi, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, under review. Its predecessor, the Redmi Pad Pro, already impressed and delivered the best price-performance on the tablet market in the €200 range. Has the manufacturer eliminated the criticisms and, above all, increased battery life? At least Xiaomi has installed a 12,000mAh battery in the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, and it retains a 12.1-inch IPS panel. It once again supports a stylus, and a keyboard case is also available. This remains a rarity in this price range.

The tablet has accompanied me in daily use for the past two weeks, and I'd like to share my impressions with you.

Design and Build Quality

The screen size has already hinted at it: the Redmi Pad 2 Pro is a large tablet at 279.8 x 181.7 x 7.5 millimetres. The four speakers are distributed across the short sides. The power button is located on the upper left short side, whilst the volume rocker is integrated top left on the upper side. Also on top are the two microphones and the memory slot for the microSD card.

The rear is adorned with a small Redmi logo and CE marking. The camera protrudes 2.6mm from the housing. At least glass protects the lenses. We have the WiFi variant under review, and in future there should also be a variant with SIM support.

The build quality can only be described as first-class for this price range. The aluminium housing creates a cool haptic feel, and combined with the angular design, the tablet appears premium. The panel gaps and material transitions are flawless and give no cause for criticism, just like the display. This is protected by tempered glass. A scratch test with a coin leaves the surface unscathed.

The display looks modern with rounded corners and symmetrical edges. The display bezels measure 10mm all round and leave enough space for safely gripping the tablet. At 610 grammes, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro is clearly felt in the hand; however, the weight is appropriate in relation to its size.

The USB-C 2.0 port is located on the short right side, as is the 3.5mm headphone jack. Impressive is the stable construction despite the slim build. Torsional forces barely affect the tablet, and no noises emanate from the interior. Overall, the torsion-resistant Redmi Pad 2 Pro fully convinces in this category.

You might only miss a fingerprint scanner on this tablet, so face unlock must suffice.

In the Box

The Redmi Pad 2 Pro's box contents are modest. With a 1.5m USB-C cable and a SIM tool, the box is fairly empty. A quick start guide and safety instructions are also included. The stylus and keyboard case are part of the test but must be purchased separately.

Display Quality

On paper, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro has taken a step backwards compared to its predecessor. Colour depth is now 10-bit instead of 12-bit. In reality, nobody will see the difference. Otherwise, it retains the 12.1-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. This gives the tablet a good 249 pixels per inch density. You'd have to be unnaturally close to the screen to recognise individual pixels.

The maximum refresh rate is 120 Hertz and reliably reduces during inactivity. The brightness sensor works sufficiently quickly and adapts the brightness well to the environment.

Only in sunlight does the Redmi Pad 2 Pro reach its limits, as with 581 nits, maximum brightness isn't sufficient to recognise all content on the screen. Tablets with AMOLED screens have advantages here. Nevertheless, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro's display convinces. Out of the box, it's set warm and allows effortless work, although colour temperature can be changed at will.

Illumination is very homogeneous, and colours are good, as is lateral readability. For a €200 tablet, the display is first-class, as HDR 10 and Dolby Vision are also supported. Streaming services like Netflix and Disney particularly benefit. Thanks to Widevine Level 1, streaming is possible in the best quality.

Comparison with Premium Options

You only get better quality with tablets like the Honor MagicPad 2, which offers higher resolution and an AMOLED display but also costs twice as much as this tablet. For a €50 premium, a version of the Redmi Pad 2 Pro with matte glass is also available, which should significantly improve outdoor readability.

Performance

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 is a powerful mid-range processor in the Redmi Pad 2 Pro. The 8 cores are distributed across one prime core at up to 2.7GHz in ARM-A720 design, three more performance cores at up to 2.4GHz also in ARM-A720 design, and four energy-saving cores at 1.8GHz. The CPU is manufactured using modern 4nm process.

In the entry variant, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage are installed. Xiaomi also offers a variant with 8GB and 256GB storage. Thanks to the microSD slot, storage space can be expanded by 2TB.

The Snapdragon 7s Gen 4's performance is outstanding for this price range. Apps open quickly, and light multitasking is possible. If the Redmi Pad 2 Pro shouldn't just serve as a media tablet, our advice goes to the 8GB variant. As soon as several tabs are open in Chrome, multitasking reaches its limits. The system then quickly removes other apps from working memory.

Gaming Performance

The integrated Adreno 810 is strong enough to smoothly render games at medium resolution. Simple games like Subway Surfers present no problem whatsoever and run smoothly at 60 FPS. Even graphically demanding games can be played well at medium detail levels.

Software: Android 15 with HyperOS 2

Android 15 is deployed in the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, overlaid with Xiaomi's HyperOS 2 interface. Operation doesn't differ substantially from smartphones, except that in landscape format, a dock with seven apps is arranged in the lower area.

Operation is fluid, and the operating system is sensibly structured. All sub-items are available in English, and Xiaomi completely dispenses with advertising here, unlike with budget smartphone models. Only a little bloatware like Netflix and TikTok is pre-installed.

Dual apps can be created without problems to use two accounts on the tablet. But the tablet can also be customised visually. To use all functions, you need a Xiaomi account.

Few tablet-typical possibilities complement the system, and the keyboard and stylus also have their own menu item in settings. Thanks to the large display, two windows can be displayed side by side without problems.

Outstanding Software Support

Thanks to long-term support from the manufacturer, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro can be used securely for a long time. The manufacturer promises a security patch every three months until October 2032 and Android updates up to Android 20. This puts the tablet in an excellent position.

Keyboard and Stylus

In combination with the optional keyboard, you can work productively with the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, as long as you accept Android's quirks. The €100 RRP for the case is excessive, but the keyboard case is frequently available cheaper in bundles or as an add-on.

The case is well-made and holds the tablet securely. Thanks to QWERTZ design, German users don't need to adapt. The case weighs 450 grammes, which is certainly due to the internal battery and solid base plate. Unlike higher-priced models, the keyboard charges via USB-C and has a small slide switch for switching on and off.

During testing, I never switched off the keyboard and relied solely on the tablet's energy-saving functions. Nevertheless, first-class runtimes were achieved, and in around 10 hours of use, the battery only lost 13 per cent of its capacity.

Typing Experience

Key travel at 1.3mm is sufficient for such a keyboard. Standard keys are 16 x 16 millimetres, minimally smaller than usual, and not backlit. Nevertheless, the typing feel is excellent and better than my Honor MagicPad 2. Firstly, the base plate is substantially more stable than the Honor's, and secondly, the keycaps are slightly rough rather than smooth, which feels better when typing.

The test report for the tablet was almost entirely written on the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, and with a bit of familiarisation, you're similarly fast as on a regular keyboard.

Stylus Input

Like its predecessor, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro also offers stylus input. The Redmi Smart Pen is the same model as the predecessor. It charges via USB-C and supports 4,096 different pressure levels. At 13 grammes, it sits well in the hand and has two physical buttons.

When using the stylus, the tablet increases the sampling rate to 240 Hertz, which is sufficient. Button assignment cannot be changed. They're permanently connected to calling up the drawing programme and creating a screenshot.

The stylus offers a good writing feel. It moves between the soft S-Pen feel from Samsung and the hard tips known from Honor or Huawei. False inputs from palm resting were rare. Handwritten notes could be excellently created during testing.

Cameras

The manufacturer has installed at least two cameras in the Redmi Pad 2 Pro. An 8-megapixel camera is located front and rear. These aren't the same sensor. A GalaxyCore gc08a with an aperture of f/2.0 serves as the sensor for the main camera, whilst an OmniVision ov08d with an aperture of f/2.28 is deployed as the front camera.

For video telephony and quick snapshots, the two cameras are completely adequate. The main camera also functions well as a document scanner. Autofocus mostly found its target reliably.

Don't expect great depth of detail or excellent sharpness from the cameras, but overall, shots were passable. Shot brightness is fundamentally good, and colours are vibrant, as is typical from Xiaomi. Particularly during video calls, the better quality compared to laptops is noticeable, where frequently only 1- or 2-megapixel cameras are deployed.

Connectivity and Communication

As we only have the WiFi variant of the Redmi Pad 2 Pro under review, this section is shorter. WiFi 6 must suffice for internet access. At least with a smartphone from the Xiaomi cosmos, a hotspot is created without major problems in a few seconds. For this, you simply activate interconnectivity in the system, and the tablet integrates seamlessly into the Xiaomi ecosystem.

The Redmi Pad 2 Pro's range is outstanding, and data throughput is also right. Even at some distance from the router, the tablet still achieves acceptable transfer rates.

Bluetooth 5.4 works equally well. With SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC, and LDHC, the tablet supports a sufficient number of codecs. Range to Bluetooth headphones was also good.

Audio Performance

The four installed speakers are strong and produce good sound. Stereo sound is good, and nothing distorts up to around 60% of maximum volume. A small room can thus be filled with the tablet.

The WiFi variant offers no navigation but does have an E-compass. NFC isn't installed either. An accelerometer, brightness sensor, and Hall sensor must suffice, plus a gyroscope is installed.

Battery Life

With its 12,000mAh battery, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro is outstandingly equipped on paper. In practice, the large battery performs well without being outstanding. At just under 9 hours at 120 Hertz refresh rate, runtime is in the top third compared to competitors. Limiting refresh rate to 60 Hertz has only minimal influence on the tablet's runtime.

Nevertheless, I always got through the day safely during use, and with low usage, a second day too. As a notebook replacement for writing, the battery reduced by around 12 per cent per hour at low brightness. If you demand more from the screen, battery capacity reduces substantially faster, and with garden use, I observed a 20% loss per hour.

Standby consumption overnight is low at 3%.

Charging Speed

Charging the Redmi Pad 2 Pro requires a bit of patience, as maximum charging power is 33 watts. A power supply wasn't included, so I used a trusted USB-PD charger. Nevertheless, you must plan 166 minutes—almost 3 hours—for charging.

Particularly the last percentages during charging take disproportionately long, as after 2 hours the battery has already reached over 80%. To protect the battery, the manufacturer has integrated an 80% reduction into the system.

Who Should Buy the Redmi Pad 2 Pro?

Perfect for:

• Budget-conscious buyers seeking excellent value
• Media consumption (streaming, reading, browsing)
• Light productivity with keyboard and stylus
• Students needing affordable tablet with long software support
• Xiaomi ecosystem users
• Those wanting expandable storage
• Users prioritising build quality at this price

Consider alternatives if:

• You need maximum outdoor brightness
• Fast charging is essential
• GPS navigation is required
• You want AMOLED display quality
• Fingerprint security is mandatory
• You need flagship-level performance

Conclusion

The Redmi Pad 2 Pro delivers outstanding value at €249, offering premium build quality, solid performance, and exceptional software support that rivals tablets costing twice as much. Whilst it makes sensible compromises on charging speed and brightness, these are minor concerns for a tablet that excels at media consumption and light productivity. The 7-year update guarantee alone makes it a compelling long-term investment.

For anyone seeking the best price-performance ratio in a mid-range tablet, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro remains the clear choice.