Recently, I completed my Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro review, and while it's a very decent Android tablet in general, one particular software aspect of it truly stood out to me.
See, for the past few years I've been using a MacBook Pro as my daily driver, and I greatly enjoy the overall package, but the truth is that it doesn't really play well with Android devices. To achieve any semblance of "ecosystem" and interoperability between Apple's computer OS and Android, you have to resort to many third-party apps and tools that sometimes work, but usually don't.
This is why I was literally flabbergasted when a fairly inconspicuous option buried in the Xiaomi tablet's settings menu turned out to be a real game-changer.
Who would have guessed that the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro would boast a feature that lets you use it as a Sidecar to your Mac and extend your Apple computer's screen to it, as if you have a Sidecar-capable iPad near you!
Aside from looking like an iPad Pro's long-lost twin, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro has implemented some pretty niche software functionalities as well (Image by PhoneArena)
To be completely open and honest with you, I googled high and low, tried searching for different ways manufacturers might have called this implementation of this feature, but I didn't find any other device with such a native and first-party functionality that lets you use Screen Mirroring with macOS.
Yes, I know, third-party clients that promise this functionality have existed on the Play Store for years. But that's the problem––they're third-party ones, so they neither work flawlessly nor deliver a good experience.
I tried a few, including the oft-recommended Mirrcast TV Receiver one, and it worked iffy for a while before forcing me to watch a fullscreen non-skippable ad, not to mention you only get low-res resolution in the freemium version, and as a final offense, the interface is like something plucked straight from 2012. The experience was just not good, and fairly consistent with what similar other apps and tools offer.
macOS has no issues extending to a Xiaomi tablet
In contrast, Xiaomi's implementation is pretty much perfect from the get-go. You don't get any options on the client side because you don't need any––the Xiaomi tablet acts as a Sidecar-capable iPad.
You can extend with a resolution of up to 3200 by 2136 pixels, which is pretty good, but a lower one is more sensible because of the backwards ways that display scaling and screen resolution are handled in macOS.
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No interruptions and no hiccups.
Just as with an iPad, you can choose what to mirror to the tablet––extend or mirror your Mac screen, or mirror a specific app. Thanks to the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro's iPad 3:2 aspect ratio, you get tons of screen real estate that's pretty similar to, say, a MacBook's native 16:10 aspect ratio, so everything just looks natural and completely normal.
Xiaomi's HyperOS gives you a no-nonsense screen mirroring menu
Of course, you can also extend or mirror the screen of a Windows PC just as easily, but this functionality is present on many other Android tablets, so it's not unique to the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro in any way.
Is this functionality a reason to go through hoops to get the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro to pair with your Mac computer? Of course not. Getting an iPad still makes more sense if you're already in the ecosystem.
However, as someone who is always in-between devices and juggling through the iOS and Android ecosystems, Xiaomi's decision to make its tablet compatible in such a useful way with the macOS ecosystem is a commendable one.
Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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