Redmi Pad SE review: Value-for-money budget tablet

Redmi Pad SE is a perfect travel companion on long journeys and at home, a good medium for entertainment and education.

A couple of weeks ago, Xiaomi released the new line of Redmi Pad SE in India.

It comes in three configurations--4GB RAM + 128GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage-- with prices starting at Rs 12,999.

I have used the device for over two weeks and here are my thoughts on the latest budget tablet from the house of Xiaomi.

Display, design and build quality

The new Redmi tablet flaunts a unibody design with a premium metal enclosure and frame, made of aluminium alloy. It has a flat edge with curved corners offering a nice good grip to hold the device firmly. The thing that impressed me a lot is that the back case, which comes in a matte finish doesn't get stained that easily.

The new Redmi Pad SE.

It measures 7.36mm in thickness and despite the thin profile, the company has managed to incorporate a 3.5mm audio jack for wired headphones. It weighs 478g and is easy to carry around.

It has a very minimalistic design. The Redmi Pad SE features a lone camera module in the top left corner (in portrait orientation) and a Redmi brand engraving at the opposite end.

Redmi Pad SE's 8MP rear-side camera.

Our review unit is a lavender purple colour model. It has a light pinkish hue and looks gorgeous in the sunlight. The company also offers the device in two other colours--graphite grey and mint green.

The device features four speakers, two on each side (in landscape orientation) to deliver stereo audio. The bezel on the display is just thick enough for fingers to rest while watching The speakers are tuned with Dolby Atmos sound system.

You will also find the SIM slot and volume rocker on the right side (portrait orientation) and a power button at the top. However, there is no fingerprint sensor in the device. The only security options available are-- pattern match, numerical passcode and facial recognition. The latter works fine in the daylight, but not so much without the light in the room at night.

The new Redmi Pad SE.

On the front, it sports an 11.0-inch full HD (1200x1920p) screen with a pixel density of 207ppi (pixels per inch) and supports 90Hz AdaptiveSync refresh rate. It supports a maximum brightness of 400 nits. This is good enough to consume multimedia content outdoors under shade and indoors. When directly under sunlight, the user will face a reflection issue.

The uniform bezel's thickness is in the right proportion for fingers to rest on the display to hold the tablet and this ensures there is no obstruction while reading or watching a movie.

The new Redmi Pad SE.

As noted in my first impression article, there is a special feature -Reading Mode 3.0.

It can turn on paper-like texture on the display for reading e-books. The screen becomes a shade darker and drastically reduces blue light emission to allow users to read novels for several hours on a stretch without straining the eyes. This feature do live up to hype.

Here's how to enable Reading Mode on Redmi Pad SE:

Go to Settings >> Display >> scroll down to find Reading Mode >> there will be two options--Classic and Paper. Just below the them, there is also an option to schedule to automatically enable Reading mode. Users can set the timings as per their needs.

Though the device comes with a metallic enclosure, the tablet with a big display needs protection.

The company offers sturdy silicone folio case. It is soft and sturdy enough to protect the device from physical damage during accidental falls from short height, like from a sofa to the floor. It costs Rs 1,299.

Performance

The Redmi Pad SE houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 octa-core processor with 4GB/6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB storage options. There is an option to expand the memory up to 1TB via microSD card.

The device performs smoothly without any pressing issues to complain about. It is best used for consuming multimedia content and regular games like Chess, Angry Birds, Candy Crush and Puzzles-like online board games. The budget device is not made of graphics-heavy games.

There are lots of fun edutainment apps on the Google Play Store for kids at home to play and improve their knowledge and also have a fun time on the Redmi Pad SE.

The new Redmi Pad SE.

Another best use case of the tablet is shopping on e-commerce apps. The products on the display appear clearer and bank offers with terms and conditions, which usually come in small fonts, can be viewed better on the large display and assist users in making an informed decision to purchase.

The device runs on Android-based MIUI 14. It comes with several optimised features for the tablet's big screen. It has a specialised split screen and a floating window. These two handy features help users perform multi-tasks on the tablet with less effort.

Also, the Redmi Pad SE is confirmed to get Android 14-based HyperOS later this year.

The new Redmi Pad SE.

The new tablet houses an 8MP camera on the back. It takes decent photos, but it does way better job in getting clear images of documents. The native camera app has an in-built document scanner. It can convert images to PDFs and users do not have to rely upon any other third-party applications.

On the front, it features a 5MP camera. It can record HD (720p) video at 30 frames per second (fps). This is more than good enough for video calling.

The device houses an 8,000mAh battery. It can play HD videos for close to 14 hours on a stretch with a full charge. And, on standby mode, it can last for 36 hours. During the review period, I used to charge only once in three or four days. When commuting between home and the office, I used to watch food vlogs and scroll news feeds on social media apps for an average of two hours a day.

The company offers a 18W charger and the data cable with the retail box of the device.

Final thoughts

Like the Redmi phones, the latest Redmi Pad SE is a really good value-for-money tablet. It is a perfect travel companion on long journeys and at home, a good medium for entertainment and education.

The new Redmi Pad SE.

With full charge, it can run for several hours on a stretch. It is good for binge-watching movies or TV series. And, with several fun learning apps and gaming titles available on Play Store, it can help kids at home to improve their knowledge and also play a little. However, parents should ensure their children don't spend too much on the tablet.

The company is offering the device in three configurations--4GB RAM + 128GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 12,999, Rs 13,999 and Rs 14,999, respectively.

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