Xiaomi has confirmed that its latest Xiaomi Pad 6 tablet, which originally launched in China back in mid-April, is coming to a host of new markets internationally, including the UK.
The Pad 6 made its Chinese debut on April 19, alongside the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro (and Xiaomi 13 Ultra), more than a year and half after the Xiaomi Pad 5 line was introduced in mid-2021. The standard Pad 6 later came to India, on June 13 and now, as of July 7, is seeing a wider rollout to a number of markets, including the UK (it’s available to buy direct from Xiaomi) and Europe.
Priced at £369 (approximately $470 / AU$710) for the sole 6GB RAM / 128GB configuration, the Xiaomi Pad 6 will likely qualify for our list of the best cheap tablets (and best Android tablets). It has some capable-sounding mid-range specs, and its predecessor impressed us in our Xiaomi Pad 5 review thanks to a well-rounded experience, smart software optimizations, and a great-looking screen.
The Xiaomi Pad 6 arrives with an 11-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, but ups the refresh rate over the Pad 5 from 120Hz (already fast for a tablet) to 144Hz, along with a sharper 1800 x 2880 resolution (raising pixel density between generations from 274ppi to 309ppi), which should collectively build on what was already one of the Pad line’s greatest strengths.
Despite packing in a larger battery than the Pad 5 too – 8,840mAh, up from 8,720mAh, which Xiaomi says can deliver up to 16 hours of video playback – the Pad 6 is somehow both notably slimmer (6.9mm down to 6.5mm) and lighter (511 grams down to 490 grams) than its predecessor, and sports a stylish-looking aluminum alloy unibody (rendered in your choice of Gravity Gray, Mist Blue or gold). The 13MP rear camera is set into a module styled to resemble the one found on the company’s flagship phone line, the Xiaomi 13 series (the 13 and 13 Pro).
Other highlights include a quad-speaker arrangement, MIUI Pad 14 atop Android 13, 33W fast charging and support for a slew of accessories to enhance the Pad 6’s creativity and productivity chops, including a keyboard cover and Xiaomi’s second-generation Smart Pen.
Enough to take on the next Galaxy Tabs?
One notable absence from this announcement is the Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro, which looks to remain a Chinese exclusive, much like the Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro did in 2021. The main upgrade between the standard and Pro Xiaomi Pads is the chipset, and, by extension, performance. This year’s Pad 6 serves up a Snapdragon 870 SoC, which is a modest upgrade over the Pad 5’s Snapdragon 860 SoC.
The timing of the Xiaomi Pad 6’s arrival couldn’t be more perfect, coming as it does just weeks before the expected unveiling of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 series at the South Korean company’s July Unpacked event. However, rumors surrounding the Tab S9 series hardware suggest they’ll be packing far more clout than Xiaomi’s slate, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 ‘for Galaxy’ chipset expected to be running the show.
As to whether that additional horsepower translates to a better user experience than what the Pad 6’s MIUI Pad 14 software is able to muster remains to be seen, but we’re hoping to get hands-on with all of these tablets very soon, so that we can make make a truly informed judgement call as to which is the superior slate.
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