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Xiaomi's big tablet comeback includes 120Hz screens, blazing fast charging, and 5G

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Aug 10, 2021, 12:17 PM

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Xiaomi's big tablet comeback includes 120Hz screens, blazing fast charging, and 5G

Can you believe it's been three whole years since Xiaomi last unveiled an Android-based iPad alternative? Three years in which the tablet market suffered a number of quarterly declines followed by some pretty unexpected worldwide growth driven in equal parts by the likes of Samsung and Lenovo as by Apple.

Well, Xiaomi is back in the game now, and after conquering the mobile industry (at least temporarily), you have to imagine the company has similarly ambitious goals for this Cupertino-dominated product category.

Mi Pad 5 price, specs, and features

While the freshly announced Mi Pad 5 and Mi Pad 5 Pro are unlikely to challenge Apple's M1-powered iPad Pro (2021) duo in terms of raw speed, their specifications certainly look impressive enough to match or even eclipse the appeal of the best Samsung tablets available today.

Unfortunately, there are no words on a US or European release being on the cards yet, so although we can definitely appreciate the Chinese affordability of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 family, it's impossible to predict how that might translate elsewhere.

The "regular" Mi Pad 5 variant starts at an incredible $310 or so (1,999 yuan) in its manufacturer's homeland with a Snapdragon 860 processor under its hood, as well as a massive 8,720mAh battery capable of fully recharging in 91 minutes with 33W speeds, four Dolby Atmos-enhanced speakers, a 13 + 8MP dual rear-facing camera setup, and perhaps more importantly, a silky smooth 120Hz display sporting 2.5K resolution (2560 x 1600 pixels) and measuring 11 inches in diagonal.

While the very reasonable aforementioned price is naturally good only for a base 128GB storage variant, Xiaomi will allow digital hoarders to bump that up to 256 gigs in exchange for just 300 extra yuan ($45 or so).

Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro (5G) price, specs, and features

Unlike the Mi Pad 5, which can't go higher than a 6GB RAM count, the Mi Pad 5 Pro is available with up to 8 gigs of the good stuff... in a 5G-enabled version fetching CNY 3,499 ($540).

Although nowhere near as cheap as a Wi-Fi-only Mi Pad 5, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro 5G still sounds very competitively priced when compared to something like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 5G.

Curiously enough, the Mi Pad 5 Pro packs a slightly smaller battery than its lower-cost sibling, at 8,600mAh, while upgrading the already impressive aforementioned charging capabilities to a truly outstanding 67 watts. That leaves every single Samsung tablet (and smartphone) in the dust, getting the Mi Pad 5 Pro's cell from 0 to 100 percent capacity in a little over an hour.

The slate's special Pro-grade features also include a Snapdragon 870 SoC edging out the 865 powering the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+, a grand total of eight, yes, eight speakers with Dolby Atmos audio technology, and a 50MP (!!!) primary shooter coupled with a 5MP secondary lens on the back of the 5G model.

The non-5G Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 Pro settles for a dual camera system composed of 13 and 8MP imaging sensors, and both the 5G and non-5G versions come with the exact same 120Hz 11-inch screen as the non-Pro Mi Pad 5 supporting everything from Dolby Vision to HDR10 and TrueTone technologies.

On top of it all, the Mi Pad 5, Mi Pad 5 Pro, and Mi Pad 5 Pro 5G can be paired with a host of interesting first-party accessories including everything from a keyboard cover to a stylus, and although you'll have to pay extra for those, their prices are hardly prohibitive, which is yet another reason why we really, really, really hope Xiaomi will eventually bring these bad boys to an international audience.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.