Design and Build: Industrial Chic Meets Everyday Durability
The moment you unbox Xiaomi’s latest tablet, the design language speaks to a matured, confident brand. Crafted from a single block of aluminum, the chassis feels exceptionally rigid and premium, echoing the build quality often associated with far more expensive devices. The anodized matte finish not only resists fingerprints admirably but also provides a secure, comfortable grip. At 6.5mm thick and weighing approximately 510 grams (for the Wi-Fi model), it strikes a near-perfect balance between a substantial, quality feel and long-term usability without fatigue. The symmetrical bezels surrounding the display are slim yet functional, providing a natural resting place for thumbs without accidental touch inputs.
Every physical element is precisely engineered. The tactile feedback from the polished metal power button and volume rocker is satisfyingly clicky. A magnetic strip on the long edge seamlessly accommodates the optional stylus, initiating pairing and charging automatically. The inclusion of a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port is a significant upgrade, enabling high-speed data transfer and video output to external monitors. Notably, Xiaomi has resurrected something many users crave: a microSD card slot for storage expansion, a feature often sacrificed for slimness. The only interruption to the minimalist aluminum back is a raised, polished camera module, housing dual sensors and an LED flash, which adds a touch of visual interest without being ostentatious.
Display: A Visual Powerhouse for Work and Play
The centerpiece is, without doubt, the 11-inch LCD display. Boasting a 3.1K resolution (2880 x 1800 pixels) and a game-changing 120Hz refresh rate, the screen is an absolute stunner. Pixel density is so high that individual pixels are indiscernible, rendering text with razor-sharp clarity and images with immense detail. The 120Hz refresh rate, which can be set to dynamic, high, or standard, makes every on-screen interaction impossibly smooth. Scrolling through web pages and documents is fluid, while animations in the user interface are slick and immediate, contributing to a pervasive feeling of high performance.
Xiaomi has equipped this panel with advanced technologies that elevate it beyond mere specs. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, providing a breathtaking dynamic range when streaming compatible content from platforms like Netflix and Disney+. Brightness peaks at a very respectable 600 nits, making it usable in most indoor and some outdoor environments. The color calibration is superb out of the box, covering 100% of the sRGB and a wide portion of the DCI-P3 gamut. Whether you’re a graphic designer scrutinizing color accuracy, a student reading for hours, or a movie enthusiast, the display delivers a consistently exceptional, immersive experience that rivals and in some cases surpasses its direct competitors.
Performance and Software: Flagship Power Meets a Refined Android Skin
Under the hood, the tablet is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, paired with 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. This is not a mid-tier chipset repurposed for a tablet; this is flagship smartphone-level performance, and it shows. In daily use, the tablet is a rocket. Apps launch instantaneously, and heavy multitasking with multiple apps running simultaneously—including video editing software and graphic-intensive games—is handled without a stutter or a hint of slowdown. Benchmark scores place it at the top of the Android tablet hierarchy, but the real-world performance is what truly impresses.
Gaming is a particular highlight. Titles like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile run at the highest possible settings, maintaining stable frame rates thanks to the robust Adreno GPU and advanced cooling system that prevents thermal throttling. The combination of the sublime 120Hz display, powerful speakers, and raw processing power creates a genuinely console-like gaming experience. On the connectivity front, the Wi-Fi 6E support ensures blisteringly fast and low-latency network speeds on compatible routers, while the 5G model offers true mobile productivity.
The software experience is governed by Xiaomi’s HyperOS, built upon Android 14. This represents a significant step forward in coherence and optimization for large screens. The interface is clean, with thoughtful tweaks for tablet use, such as a persistent dock and enhanced split-screen functionality. While the app ecosystem for Android tablets still lags behind Apple’s iPadOS, Xiaomi and Google have worked to ensure that most major apps are optimized. Features like a dedicated taskbar, free-floating windows, and seamless copy-paste between apps enhance productivity. The typical Xiaomi bloatware is present but mostly uninstallable, leaving a relatively clean user experience.
Cameras and Audio: Surpassing Expectations for a Tablet
Tablet cameras are often an afterthought, but Xiaomi has taken a different approach. The rear camera system features a 50MP primary sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. The 50MP sensor, using pixel-binning for 12.5MP output, captures detailed, vibrant photos with accurate colors in good lighting. It’s more than capable for scanning documents, capturing whiteboards, or the occasional snapshot. The 20MP front-facing camera, positioned ideally for landscape video calls, is the true star. It produces sharp, well-exposed video, making it perfect for remote work, online classes, and family calls, with support for AI-powered features like auto-framing.
The audio system is, in a word, spectacular. A quad-speaker setup, with two speakers on each of the long edges, is tuned in collaboration with Dolby Atmos. The result is a rich, immersive, and surprisingly powerful soundstage. Whether held in portrait or landscape mode, the system automatically adjusts the channels for an optimal experience. The audio is crisp at high volumes, with distinct mids and highs and a palpable amount of bass that is rare for tablet speakers. For media consumption, it creates a genuinely cinematic atmosphere, and for music listening, it stands toe-to-toe with dedicated portable Bluetooth speakers.
Battery Life and Accessories: All-Day Power and Enhanced Productivity
Powering the device is a 10,000mAh battery, which proved to be more than adequate for demanding usage patterns. In rigorous testing involving a mix of video streaming at high brightness, web browsing, document editing, and gaming, the tablet consistently delivered between 11 and 13 hours of screen-on time. For more typical, moderate use, achieving a day and a half of uptime is entirely feasible. This endurance is a key selling point for students and professionals alike. When it does eventually deplete, the included 67W hypercharger is a game-changer, capable of refilling the massive battery from 0 to 100% in just under 80 minutes.
The true potential of the tablet is unlocked with its first-party accessories. The Xiaomi Smart Pen (2nd Gen) features over 4,000 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt support, with a magnetic wireless charging system. Latency is imperceptible, making writing and sketching feel natural and responsive. The companion keyboard case, with its spacious layout and decent key travel, transforms the tablet into a credible laptop replacement for writing emails, reports, and light content creation. The glass-covered trackpad supports multi-finger gestures, further cementing the laptop-like experience, though the typing feel is understandably shallower than on a premium ultrabook.
Market Position and Verdict
Positioned aggressively in the upper-mid-range segment, the Xiaomi tablet presents a formidable challenge to the market dominance of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 and the base-model Apple iPad Air. It delivers a near-flagship experience—with a stunning display, top-tier performance, and exceptional build quality—at a price point that is often several hundred dollars lower. Its primary weakness remains the inherent limitation of the Android tablet app ecosystem, but for users whose workflow revolves around web apps, streaming, content consumption, and specific Android-optimized applications, it represents arguably the best value proposition on the market today. It is a device that refuses to be a compromise, establishing itself as a powerful, versatile, and highly compelling tool for a wide range of users.