Redmi Pad SE: First impression

The new Redmi device comes with Qualcomm's reliable Snapdragon 680 chipset and a big display with a uniform bezel design.

Xiaomi earlier in the day (April 23) unveiled the Redmi Pad SE at the 2024 Smarter Living & More event in India.

The new Redmi tablet comes with Qualcomm's reliable Snapdragon chipset and a big display with a uniform bezel design. The company is offering the device in three configurations--4GB RAM + 128GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 12,999, Rs 13,999 and Rs 14,999, respectively.

I spent a few hours with the device. Here are my initial thoughts on the latest Android tablet.

Redmi Pad SE.

Display and design

The device features a unibody design and comes with a premium metal case made of aluminium alloy. The back panel has a matte finish and offers a good grip to hold the device firmly. Also, it doesn't get stained easily.

The tablet comes in three colours--graphite grey, mint green and lavender purple. Our review unit is the latter.

The device houses four speakers, two on each side (in landscape orientation) to deliver stereo audio. The speakers are tuned with Dolby Atmos sound system.

The Redmi Pad SE measures 7.36mm in thickness and despite the thin profile, the company has managed to incorporate a 3.5mm audio jack, which has become a rare feature among tablets these days. It weighs 478g and is easy to carry around.

You will also find the SIM slot and volume rocker on the right side (portrait orientation) and a power button at the top.

Redmi Pad SE.

On the front, it sports an 11.0-inch full HD screen with 90Hz AdaptiveSync refresh rate. It offers up to 400 nits max brightness. Add to that, there is a special feature -Reading Mode 3.0 in the video toolbox. It can turn on paper-like texture on the display for reading e-books. The screen becomes a shade darker and drastically reduces blue light emission to allow users to read novels for several hours on a stretch without straining the eyes.

Redmi Pad SE.

Camera hardware

The device comes equipped with an 8MP camera on the back and a 5MP on the front.

Usually, people don't use a tablet's camera to take photos; instead use it for productivity like scanning documents and turning to PDFs. But, they have to rely on third-party apps. So, Xiaomi incorporated a document scanner within the native camera app itself and this will also save space for other necessary apps.

Also, the camera can record HD (720p) video at 30 frames per second (fps). This is more than good enough for video calling.

Processor configurations

The new Redmi Pad SE comes with an 8,000mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 octa-core processor with 4GB/6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB storage. There is an option to expand the memory up to 1TB via microSD card.

The device runs on Android-based MIUI 14. It comes with several optimised features for the tablet's big screen. A couple of key features include the split screen and the floating window. These handy features will help users multi-task on the tablet with less effort.

Redmi Pad SE.

Also, the Redmi Pad SE is confirmed to get Android 14-based HyperOS later this year.

The device has enough capability to run day-to-day tasks such as web browsing, opening and switching between multiple apps, binge-watching movies/TV series on OTT apps, and attending video calls without any issues.

But, It needs to be assessed on how well the device fares when playing games.

Stay tuned for the full review next week.

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