Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE 4G Review: iPad Mini On A Budget!

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE 4G is available in India for a starting price of Rs.10,999 for the base variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.

Furthermore, the 4GB+128GB variant retails for Rs.11,999. It is available for purchase on Flipkart and Xiaomi India website in Forest Green, Ocean Blue and Urban Grey.

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE 4G packs the following items inside the box:

• Tablet
• Cable
• Charger
• Manual

Before we talk in detail about the device, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:

• Display: 8.7-inch IPS LCD with 90Hz refresh rate
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G85
• RAM & ROM: 4GB 64GB,4GB 128GB
• Software: HyperOS based on Android 14
• Rear camera: 8MP
• Selfie camera: 5MP
• Battery: 6,650mAh
• Weight: 370 grams
• Dimensions: 211.6 x 125.5 x 8.8 mm

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE 4G has a plastic body with a textured matte finish on the back. Unlike its elder sibling, the Redmi Pad SE, Xiaomi has opted for a plastic build to save costs, which is understandable.

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On the back, in the top left corner, is a circular camera island. It houses a single 8-megapixel sensor and an LED flash.

The rest of the tablet is clean except for the Redmi logo in the bottom left corner of the device. I have the Ocean Blue colour of the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE 4G for review, which looks fantastic. You can also buy the tablet in Urban Grey and Forest Green for a more minimalist look.

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Xiaomi offers a cover for the Redmi Pad SE 4G with a premium textured leather finish and a strap to put the hand and hold your tablet.

Unlike other tablet cases by the company, this is not a flip cover but a snap-on case that fits in tightly. You can purchase this case directly from the Xiaomi India website for a price of Rs.999.

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Thanks to its compact form factor, the tablet is easy to hold. It measures 8.8mm thick and weighs around 375 grams. I liked holding the tablet in my hand, especially with the case, which has a dedicated strap. I think that alone makes it worth the cost.

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Coming to ports and placements, the Redmi Pad SE 4G has a volume rocker and power button on the right.

Similarly, on the left, it has the SIM tray.

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On top, you get the IR Blaster and speaker grille.

At the bottom, you get the 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grille, and USB-C port. The Redmi Pad SE 4G is one of the few tablets I used during my review that boasts an IP53 rating.

The Redmi Pad SE features an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. You also get an LED flash on the back especially when scanning documents, which most people will use it for.

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Most budget tablets don’t usually have a good camera, and the Redmi Pad SE 4G continues this tradition. It takes average photos with washed-out colours and barely any details. It is best suited when you need to scan a document or don’t have your phone.

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You also get an AI camera feature, but it does not explain what it does or if it affects image processing. Similarly, there is HDR support, but it doesn’t impact the image quality.

The same story continues with the 5-megapixel front-facing camera, which I don’t recommend using. The photos are overexposed and have plenty of noise. Using the selfie camera reminded me of those days when phones had a VGA camera sensor, which was barely usable.

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Both cameras can shoot videos at 1080p at 30 FPS. I was disappointed with the camera experience of the Redmi Pad SE 4G, and I seriously hope Xiaomi will offer better camera sensors on its budget tablets.

The Redmi Pad SE 4G packs a 6,650mAh battery that can easily last a day. During my two weeks of usage, I could use the tablet for two days with casual usage, including playing games, watching TV shows, taking photos and more.

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The tablet supports 10W wired charging, and you do get the charger inside the box.

However, charging the tablet can take awfully long, and Xiaomi should at least provide 20-30W charging, as it is standard these days.

The Redmi Pad SE 4G features a compact 8.7-inch HD+ IPS LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. Its peak brightness is 600 nits, and the touch sampling rate is 180Hz. The screen is bright enough to use outdoors and indoors, although I wouldn’t recommend using it under direct sunlight, as you will face legibility issues.

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You also get TUV Rheinland low-light certification and flicker-free certification. Xiaomi claims the display has scratch-resistant glass, although the exact protection type isn’t mentioned.

The tablet has an 8.7-inch screen, compact enough to hold in one hand. Sizeable bezels are on all four sides, although not uniform, as you get thicker ones on the top and the button.

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The tablet is set to the Vivid colour tone by default, which has a relatively warm tone instead of a saturated one, so the whites look yellow. I changed it to Saturated for a more “balanced” look with better whites. There are three options to choose from: Vivid, Saturated and Standard.

During my review of the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE 4G, I enjoyed watching the recently released movie Kill. The colours are bright and punchy, although the 720p resolution leaves much to be desired.

Navigating through the user interface feels smooth, thanks to a 90Hz refresh rate. You can switch between 60Hz and 90Hz in the settings.

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Coming to the speakers, you get a stereo speaker setup with two speakers flanking on either side of the tablet. They support Dolby Atmos and are loud enough to fill a room if you watch alone.

There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack, a dying breed in 2024. Furthermore, the tablet has a dual SIM with 4G connectivity.

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You can make calls using it, which is good for those who want a compact tablet to replace their phones. The Redmi Pad SE 4G also has haptics support, which makes it one of the few tablets with a vibration motor. There is an IR blaster and GPS for connectivity, which is rare on tablets.

The Redmi Pad SE 4G is powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM. This 12nm processor is best suited for day-to-day tasks, and I didn’t face any significant lags or stutters. Yes, the G85 isn’t blazing fast, given that it’s a 4-year-old chip found in entry-level phones, but that’s not a huge surprise, considering the Redmi Pad SE 4G is a budget tablet.

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It’s a decent performer whether you are performing casual tasks like watching videos on YouTube or playing games like Subway Surfer. The 4GB RAM certainly isn’t adequate by today’s standards, but it does keep some of the apps in memory. Xiaomi should have offered a 6GB+256GB variant, given that the 128GB isn’t adequate these days, although you do get a microSD card slot for expansion.

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Regarding gaming, the Redmi Pad SE 4G can handle games like BGMI and CODM, although at the lowest possible settings. You can play BGMI at Smooth and Ultra (40 FPS) and CODM at Medium and

When it comes to benchmarks, the tablet scores 411 in the single-core and 1403 in the multi-core Geekbench 5 test. Furthermore, it has a stability score of 98.9 per cent in the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test and throttles to 76 per cent in the 15-minute CPU throttling test. Overall, the Redmi Pad SE 4G is a decent performer if you want a tablet for day-to-day tasks and not intense gaming.

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE runs on the HyperOS based on Android 14 out of the box. Like its elder sibling, the Redmi Pad SE, you get the same experience with no bloatware or advertisements. This is surprising given that even the Xiaomi 14, the company’s flagship, has plenty of preinstalled apps.

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Apart from a couple of Google and Xiaomi system apps, there are no unnecessary apps here. However, you don’t get any app opening or closing animations, which is understandable given that it is a budget phone.

Other HyperOS features include Conference Tools and Parallel Windows. Sadly, there is no floating window here, unlike the Redmi Pad SE 11-inch, which does have one. This is most likely due to the 4GB of RAM present on the 8.7-inch model. But you can still run apps in split screen mode similar to iPads and Samsung tablets using the Parallel Windows feature.

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You get a floating dock similar to other Xiaomi tablets, which is handy for quickly switching between different apps. Some other HyperOS features are Gesture shortcuts, a Screen Recorder, a Video Toolbox, and Game Turbo.

Overall, I like the user experience on the Redmi Pad SE 4G as it is clean and feature-packed. It is the same HyperOS experience as some of Xiaomi’s more expensive tablets, albeit with some missing features.