Design & Build: Aesthetics Meets Functionality
The battle for your desk bag begins with first impressions. The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 enters the ring with a design language that is unmistakably Xiaomi: minimalist, sleek, and crafted from a single block of aluminum. It feels premium and robust, with clean lines and a surprisingly slim profile. Its most distinctive feature is the oversized, circular camera module on the back, a design cue borrowed from Xiaomi’s high-end smartphones, which adds a touch of flair but may not be to everyone’s taste. It is unmistakably a modern Android tablet.
Apple’s iPad Pro (M4) represents the pinnacle of Apple’s tablet design philosophy. Its unibody aluminum construction is machined to a flawless, industrial tolerance, available in both sleek silver and space black. The new, ultra-thin “Nano-texture” glass option for the display is a pro-level differentiator, reducing glare without significantly sacrificing contrast. The iPad Pro is remarkably thin and light, a testament to Apple’s engineering prowess, and its design has remained consistently iconic for years, projecting an image of established, professional sophistication.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra makes a bold statement with its gargantuan 14.6-inch display. Its design is more angular than its competitors, with a distinctive notch housing dual front-facing cameras. Like the others, it boasts an Armor Aluminum frame and is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance—a unique and practical feature in the high-end tablet segment that neither Xiaomi nor Apple currently offer. It feels like a productivity powerhouse, and its design is geared towards those who prioritize screen real estate above all else.
Head-to-Head: All three are exquisitely built. The iPad Pro feels the most refined and portable. The Tab S9 Ultra offers the most practical durability with its IP rating, while the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro delivers a 90% solution of the iPad’s premium feel at a significantly lower cost.
Display Technology: The Window to Your Content
The visual experience is paramount, and here the competition is fierce.
The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 features a 12.4-inch 3K resolution LCD panel, not an OLED. However, it’s a top-tier LCD. With a blistering 144Hz refresh rate, it offers incredibly smooth scrolling and responsiveness. It boasts a peak brightness of 900 nits (full-screen) and 1200 nits for HDR content, supported by Dolby Vision. The 3:2 aspect ratio is a significant advantage for productivity, providing more vertical space for reading documents and web browsing compared to the more cinematic 16:10 ratios of its rivals.
The Apple iPad Pro (M4) features a groundbreaking Tandem OLED display, branded as the “Ultra Retina XDR.” This technology stacks two OLED layers, effectively doubling the brightness and eliminating the risk of burn-in. The result is stunning: unparalleled contrast, perfect blacks, and a phenomenal peak HDR brightness of 1600 nits. ProMotion technology with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate ensures buttery smoothness. The iPad Pro’s display is currently the benchmark against which all others are measured, particularly for creative professionals who demand color accuracy and HDR performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra employs a massive 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. It offers a super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate and is renowned for its vibrant, saturated colors—a hallmark of Samsung’s panels. It supports HDR10+ and delivers exceptional contrast and deep blacks. Its key advantage is sheer size; for multitasking with three or four apps simultaneously or for detailed digital art and note-taking, the expansive canvas is unmatched.
Head-to-Head: The iPad Pro’s Tandem OLED is the undisputed king for pure visual fidelity, especially for HDR media consumption and color-critical work. The Xiaomi’s high-brightness, high-refresh-rate LCD is impressive for its class and its 3:2 aspect ratio is a productivity win, but it can’t match the perfect blacks of OLED. The Samsung wins on size and is a stunning OLED panel in its own right, though its technology is a generation behind Apple’s latest.
Performance & Processing Power: The Engine Room
This is where the theoretical meets the practical, and the gap between the platforms becomes most apparent.
The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. This is a flagship-tier chipset, capable of handling any game, complex multitasking, and demanding applications on the Android side with absolute ease. Paired with up to 16GB of RAM, it is a performance beast. For 99% of users, it is overpowered in the best way possible, ensuring a lag-free experience for years to come.
The Apple iPad Pro (M4) is in a league of its own, hardware-wise. The new M4 chip, built on a second-generation 3nm process, is not just faster; it’s dramatically more efficient. Apple claims a 50% performance boost over the already-faster-than-life M2. With its powerful CPU, a next-generation GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and a Neural Engine capable of 38 TOPS (fueling on-device AI tasks), the M4 is a desktop-class chip in a tablet. It redefines what is possible in mobile computing, from rendering 4K video in seconds to running complex 3D modeling software.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, a slightly overclocked version of the same chip in the Xiaomi. It is an exceptionally powerful processor that delivers seamless performance across the Android ecosystem. When paired with up to 16GB of RAM, it matches the Xiaomi in raw horsepower for Android tasks.
Head-to-Head: On a spec sheet, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in both the Xiaomi and Samsung is formidable. However, the Apple M4 is a generational leap ahead in both CPU and GPU performance, further amplified by software that is increasingly designed to leverage this raw power (e.g., Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve). For the average user, all three are overkill, but for pros pushing the limits, the iPad Pro is the undisputed champion.
Software & Ecosystem: The Digital Habitat
Hardware is nothing without the software that brings it to life, and this is the most divisive area of comparison.
The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro runs HyperOS on top of Android 14. Xiaomi’s software is feature-rich, with excellent multitasking capabilities like floating windows and a robust split-screen mode. The new “Desktop Mode,” which activates when connected to a keyboard, provides a PC-like experience with resizable windows, a taskbar, and a file manager. However, it suffers from the typical Android tablet app gap—many apps are still just stretched phone versions, and the update promise, while improving, typically lags behind Google and Samsung.
The Apple iPad Pro runs iPadOS 17 (and soon iPadOS 18). Its strength is its polish, consistency, and the vast ecosystem of apps specifically optimized for the iPad’s larger canvas. Professional-grade apps like Procreate, Affinity Suite, and LumaFusion are iPad-first. Stage Manager is Apple’s answer to desktop multitasking, allowing for overlapping, resizable windows. The seamless integration with other Apple devices (iPhone, Mac, AirPods) via Continuity is a massive lock-in feature that works flawlessly. Software support is also best-in-class, with 5+ years of guaranteed OS updates.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra runs One UI 6.1 on Android 14, with a guaranteed update path to newer versions. Samsung’s DeX is the most mature and genuinely useful desktop mode in the Android space, transforming the tablet into a convincing laptop replacement when needed. Multitasking is superb. Samsung’s ecosystem integration with Galaxy phones, buds, and watches is also very strong, though not quite as seamless as Apple’s. The app situation is similar to Xiaomi’s, though Samsung’s clout encourages more developer support for its flagship tablets.
Head-to-Head: iPadOS wins on app optimization and ecosystem cohesion. For a frictionless experience within the Apple world, it’s unmatched. Samsung’s DeX is arguably the best desktop-mode implementation for true productivity. Xiaomi’s HyperOS is capable and full-featured but sits in third place due to a less mature ecosystem and a shorter, less reliable software update track record.
Accessories & Productivity: Beyond the Screen
A modern tablet is defined by its accessories, turning it from a consumption device into a creation tool.
The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro works with a new Focus Pen (stylus) and a Touchpad Keyboard. The Focus Pen boasts a high 16,384 levels of pressure sensitivity and a low latency of 5ms, making it a competent tool for artists and note-takers. The keyboard is backlit and features a large trackpad. The accessories are well-made and functional, offering a complete productivity package at a price significantly lower than Apple’s or Samsung’s.
The Apple iPad Pro is paired with the Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard. The new Apple Pencil Pro introduces haptic feedback, a barrel roll for changing tools, and a squeeze gesture, setting a new standard for intelligent stylus interaction. The Magic Keyboard is a masterpiece, offering a best-in-class typing experience, a responsive trackpad, and a floating design. However, these accessories are exceptionally expensive, often doubling the total cost of ownership.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is used with the improved S Pen, which is included in the box—a huge value proposition. The S Pen has an excellent, paper-like feel, ultra-low latency, and does not require charging. The Book Cover Keyboard is an optional but expensive accessory that provides a solid typing experience and a trackpad, enabling the full DeX mode.
Head-to-Head: Apple’s accessories are the most refined and feature-rich but come at a premium cost. Samsung wins on value by including the excellent S Pen. Xiaomi offers a compelling balance, providing high-quality, full-featured accessories that dramatically undercut the competition on price, making the total package very attractive.
Price & Value Proposition: The Final Calculation
The Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 sits in a uniquely aggressive price bracket. It undercuts the base iPad Pro and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra by a substantial margin, often hundreds of dollars/euros, while offering a near-flagship experience in design, display, and performance (for Android). It represents the highest value proposition, delivering perhaps 85-90% of the core experience of the market leaders for 60-70% of the price.
The Apple iPad Pro (M4) is the most expensive option by a significant margin. Its price escalates quickly with storage and cellular options, and the essential accessories are costly. You are paying a premium for the brand, the unmatched M4 performance, the best-in-class display, and the seamless ecosystem. It is an investment in the Apple universe.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is also a premium-priced device, positioned closely to the iPad Pro. Its value is anchored in its massive screen, the included S Pen, and the IP68 rating. It is for users who are deeply invested in the Android/Samsung ecosystem and for whom screen size is the non-negotiable priority.
Head-to-Head: For the budget-conscious power user or anyone not locked into a specific ecosystem, the Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro offers an undeniable value advantage. It makes high-end tablet features accessible. The iPad Pro and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra justify their higher prices with best-in-class, unique selling propositions (M4 chip/Tandem OLED for Apple; massive screen/IP68/included S Pen for Samsung) that cater to their respective loyalist bases and professionals for whom compromise is not an option.