Together with the new Redmi Note 3, Xiaomi also introduced the updated Mi Air Purifier 2 and Mi Pad 2. The Mi Pad 2 is thinner, lighter and for the first time powered by an Intel processor. All three products are currently China-bound only.
If you remember, the previous Mi Pad came powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra K1 processor, which wasn’t a slouch. The 64-bit 2.24GHz Intel Atom X5-Z8500 based on the 14nm fabrication process should be performer too, mated to 2GB LPDDR3 RAM. Graphics is served by integrated Intel HD Graphics, so expect more than decent 3D performance.
Storage is either 16GB or 64GB.
The 7.9-inch Sharp display boasts 2048 x 1536p resolution @ 326PPI, the same resolution as the iPad mini 4. It’s essentially the same display as the original Mi Pad, which wasn’t shoddy at all.
Xiaomi doesn’t hide the fact that it pits the Mi Pad 2 against the iPad mini 4 head on. In fact, in terms of dimension, design and in certain specifications they’re both similar.
READ ALSO: Xiaomi Mi Note review: Better late than never
I personally like the Mi Pad, having used it for several months before handing it down to my mom. The Mi Pad 2 is a welcome improvement. In the design department, the Mi Pad 2 says goodbye to plastic, now proudly all-metal. It’s not only thinner at 6.95mm (Mi Pad is 8.5mm), it’s also lighter, at 322g (Mi Pad is 360g).
Xiaomi has dropped the rainbow colour options as seen on the Mi Pad, settling for just Dark Grey and Champagne Gold.
Camera-wise, it gets an 8MP/5MP front-rear camera combo, just like its predecessor.
Due to its slimmer profile, the Mi Pad 2 compromises on battery capacity. From 6,700mAh previously, it’s now down to 6,190mAh. It, however, gains support for 5V/2A fast charging. Xiaomi claims 648.8 hours of standby time, 12.5 hours of reading or video streaming performance. The previous Tegra K1 wasn’t exactly the most frugal, so I’m expecting the Atom X5 to do much better in this aspect, despite being smaller in capacity.
The flagship tablet also gains a USB Type-C port, an increasingly common sight in new devices these days.
The Mi Pad 2 runs MIUI 7, based on Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Pricing and availability
The Mi Pad is available in 16GB and 64GB options, priced at RMB999 (MYR665) and RMB1,299 (MYR865) respectively. No word on availability outside of China yet.
