Xiaomi Pad 7 review

iPads (and most Android tablets, for that matter) tend to divide opinions—some love them for their simplicity, while others dislike them for the lack of multitasking capabilities that a laptop provides. But where does the Xiaomi Pad 7 stand in a sea of tablets trying to balance between being a tablet and a laptop? I spent days with the Pad 7, and here’s what I think about it.

Xiaomi Pad 7 (12GB RAM + 256GB storage) price in India (as reviewed): Rs 29,999 (Focus Keyboard and Focus Pen are sold separately).

Design and display

The Xiaomi Pad 7 has a beautiful bright screen that’s easy on the eyes. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The first thing you notice about the Xiaomi Pad 7 (and I am sure this applies to all modern tablets) is that the display completely covers the front of the device. There is a bezel, of course, but it’s quite narrow. That’s a good thing because the larger surface area provides more screen real estate, which is ideal for the tasks you would typically want to do on a tablet.

The Pad 7 is surprisingly comfortable for such a large device. Its 6.18mm thickness and 500-gram weight make it portable. Thankfully, Xiaomi opted for an 11.2-inch display instead of something closer to a 12-inch form factor. Personally, I find the 11-inch size, similar to the iPad Pro, to be just right. From experience, I’ve struggled to keep 12-inch tablets stable on an airplane tray, while the iPad mini’s size feels too small.

Of course, preferences vary — many users might prefer a 12-inch tablet. For me, the 12-inch feels more like a full-sized laptop. However, it really depends on the use case. For regular tasks like web browsing, watching movies, or even writing, 11 inches feels adequate. However, for creative tasks and multitasking, I believe the 12-inch size is a better choice.

The tablet has a premium build, made of aluminum, much like the iPad, and I must say, it’s an attractive device. On the back, much is as you would expect; there’s a slightly enlarged camera lens in the top-left corner. It has a dual-camera system, featuring a 13-megapixel lens with an LED flash and an IR blaster that allows users to control compatible devices like TVs and air conditioners. The camera works fine (it’s there but I doubt many would be using it for taking photos with a tablet). I used the camera to scan documents.

Meanwhile, the Smart Connector, used for attaching accessories like the new Focus keyboard (more on that later), is located on the left edge of the device alongside the Xiaomi logo. The tablet’s base has a USB-C port for connectivity. However, there’s no headphone jack, no microSD card slot, no physical fingerprint sensor (though it does support PIN, pattern, or face recognition), and no built-in cellular connectivity. I would have appreciated the inclusion of cellular connectivity, especially an eSIM, given how much I travel. It would have been a highly useful feature.

The Focus keyboard is designed to provide a laptop-like experience, transforming the Xiaomi Pad 7 into a weird floating screen. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

The Pad 7’s 8-megapixel front camera is positioned in the right spot: in the bezel on the long edge of the tablet. This placement is right, because when you are on a video call and holding the Pad in landscape orientation, you are not awkwardly off to the side, as can happen with the iPad.

The 11.2-inch, 3:2 display is impressive. The 3200×2136 resolution on the IPS LCD screen is sharp, the colours are vivid, and it’s bright enough to read news articles or work on Google Docs in the afternoon—especially when sitting in a park during Delhi winters. A variant with a nano-texture display is also available, which I would recommend for better reduction of reflections and glare (get this one if you can, even though it costs Rs 31,999). Coupled with the 140Hz refresh rate, the display makes the device feel incredibly fast. I love it. As a heavy LinkedIn and Reddit user, I appreciate how the high refresh rate makes scrolling and navigation feel smooth. The speakers—there are four, located on the left and right sides of the device when in horizontal orientation—are excellent. They add to the experience (Dolby Atmos support is also included similar to what’s on the iPad Pro and Samsung’s high-end tablets) of listening to music or watching videos on the tablet.

I have been rewatching Silicon Valley and didn’t even consider watching it on the TV—not even once. The portability and convenience that a tablet offers make it a joy to use.

Keyboard and Pencil

The Focus Pen is primarily intended for writing and sketching, but you can also use it to highlight text. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Xiaomi is selling the Pad 7 as a standalone device, much like the iPad Pro and Samsung’s Tab lineup. This means you can purchase accessories if you wish, but they don’t come included in the box. This is a standard approach, and I think it’s a better one. That way, you are not compelled to pay extra for accessories you may not want or need. Personally, I am one of those users who believe in a DIY approach. I have been using my iPad paired with a Logitech keyboard and a Lenovo mouse for years, and it works perfectly for me. In fact, any Bluetooth keyboard works with an iPad or an Android tablet, which helps save costs. Instead, I always advise my readers to opt for a higher-end version with a better display, more RAM, or increased storage and save on accessory costs.

Anyways, coming back to the Xiaomi Pad 7, the tablet includes a new Focus Keyboard and Focus Pen (both optional and sold at an additional cost; Focus Keyboard and Focus Pen are priced at Rs 4,999 and Rs 5,999, respectively). The Focus Keyboard seems heavily inspired by Apple’s first-generation Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro.

The first thing you will notice about the Focus Keyboard is Xiaomi’s effort to make it feel like a laptop keyboard. It features proper keys with backlighting and a touchpad, combining to provide a laptop-like experience. Connecting the keyboard to the Pad 7 is seamless. As mentioned earlier, the Smart Connector on the back of the tablet aligns with the pogo pins on the Focus Keyboard case. Once connected, the Focus Keyboard is automatically recognised and supported—no Bluetooth pairing or setup required. The Focus Keyboard also smartly adjusts the display, meaning you can change the angles that work for you.

The first thing I noticed when I started using the Focus Keyboard was how different it felt compared to the folio keyboard cases that were once standard with previous generations of tablets and iPads. This one features a floating design, meaning it lifts the tablet’s screen above your hands while typing. It looks visually cool, for sure. The build quality is equally good I would say.

In everyday use, I found the keyboard to be very stable and easy to use. The magnets are strong, and the hinge provides plenty of resistance, so the tablet feels secure without any worry of it falling off. I used the Focus Keyboard both on the desk and on my lap, and it wasn’t a bad experience writing a quick story at the airport. The ability to adjust the tablet’s angle to my preference made it even more convenient.

It definitely takes time to get used to the Focus keyboard. In the first three to four days, I made a lot of mistakes while typing; however, the number of mistakes started to decrease quickly. The keys have a comfortable layout and decent key travel for accurate typing. I wouldn’t say the keyboard is on par with the one you get on a laptop, though. For short bursts of writing, I’m fine with the Focus keyboard, but I wouldn’t be able to write a 2000-word article on it.

My biggest gripes with the Focus keyboard are:

The keyboard is heavy. The hinge design adds a lot of weight to the keyboard, making the device heavier overall, as opposed to making it super light compared to a laptop.

Another issue I have with the Focus keyboard is that a device like this would make more sense with a 12-inch tablet form factor. Don’t get me wrong—the 11-inch Pad 7 is not small, but had the Focus keyboard been designed for a 12-inch tablet, it would have been much better. The size of the keys and the keyboard itself diminish the overall usability, in my opinion.

The integrated trackpad is small, and while it supports multi-finger gestures and scrolling, it’s barely usable.

The Focus Pen is much better. It feels like a real pen. It’s thin and resembles a pencil, with a rounded nib, making it more comfortable to hold for long periods. It charges quickly simply by attaching it to the tablet. The charging method is convenient, and the stylus also offers some great creative tools. A new feature of Xiaomi’s stylus is the spotlight button, which has three functions, including a pointer. By pressing and holding, the pen turns into a virtual laser pointer, which is useful during presentations. You can also use the pen as a highlighter and a remote shutter for taking photos.

The Focus Pen may be pitched at artists (like how every brand markets styluses for tablets), but I feel you don’t have to be a professional to use it. Of course, the Focus Pen is nowhere near the Apple Pencil Pro, but in my experience, Xiaomi’s stylus does a decent job. It’s actually quite fun drawing and sketching in my free time, although I still mostly use the pen for taking notes and signing documents. Xiaomi’s own Mi Canvas is a nice addition, but Android already offers some great drawing and note-taking apps, with my favourites being Concepts and Sketchbook.

Performance and battery

Android has slowly evolved to support more desktop-like functions. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

Xiaomi doesn’t position the Pad 7 as a professional-grade tablet, and I’m glad the brand is vocal about it. In a way, I see the Pad 7 as a tablet for surfing the web, playing games, working on Google Docs, or making video calls—and that’s where it excels. This is also true for the 10th-generation iPad or the newer iPad Air, for that matter. In no way does a device like the Pad 7 compete with a Windows laptop or a Mac. That, however, doesn’t mean the tablet is weak. Absolutely not. This device is very fast. I mean, very fast. The Pad 7’s processor is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage on my unit (Xiaomi is also selling another variant—the entry-level one for Rs 26,999, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage). Websites like Indianexpress.com and The New York Times load quickly, switching between apps is smooth, and I have had no issues with the user interface.

As for the battery life, it depends on what you are doing with the Pad 7. On days when I used it for reading, writing, and researching, I was able to easily get between eight and 10 hours. I don’t see many people using a tablet for over 10 hours; it’s highly unlikely. But on days when I’m doing one or two Zoom calls and catching two or three episodes of Heartstopper, I get a full day of battery life. In the box, there is a 45W wall charger that takes about a couple of hours (almost 60 minutes) to fully charge the Pad 7.

Software and apps

The Keyboard’s accompanying trackpad is small by laptop standards. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

As someone who has used the iPad for all these years, I am familiar with the software experience, the apps that work and those that don’t, as well as both its strengths and weaknesses and where the iPad stands. Switching to the Xiaomi Pad 7 was a different experience. However, I must say that Google has made changes to how Android works on larger screens, and things are looking better.

The Pad 7 ships with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2, built on top of Android 15. It’s a customized layer, but it’s minimally modified, and mostly, the experience you get on the Pad 7 is a clean interface, complete with the multitasking features that Google has integrated. There are basic touches across the operating system and tablet-friendly optimizations that make interacting and multitasking on a larger screen a little easier—things like gesture navigation to move between apps, basic split-screening, and floating window mode, which you can invoke with a four-finger pinch on the screen. Perhaps the biggest issue with Android tablets to date is that there are still few apps that take full advantage of the big screen. Sure, many first-party apps, like Google’s Chrome and Gmail, and Microsoft’s Office apps, are designed to make use of the larger screen real estate, but many third-party apps still do not support tablets. However, that doesn’t mean the Pad 7 cannot be used for work. I spent hours working on the Pad 7 and used the device almost as if I were using a laptop. Things seem to have improved, especially in how multitasking works. Maybe it’s not at the same level as what you get on a Windows laptop, but I see an attempt from both Google and Xiaomi to make the tablet experience much more refined. Features like Workstation Mode, which tries to create a desktop-like environment, show that multitasking is becoming more integrated into the OS—rather than being an afterthought. Then there is also support for features like hotspot, apps and data sync, as well as the ability to transfer photos from a smartphone to a tablet just by tapping.

Special mention: Setting up the Pad 7 for kids

A lot of you have reached out to me asking if the Pad 7 can be given to a kid. Absolutely, yes. The Pad 7 is pretty easy to navigate for anyone who is used to Android smartphones. Google has added many features that allow parents to control what their children can see and what they cannot, keeping a safe environment while ensuring personal data remains secure and restricting access to mature content. As a parent, you can set screen time limits, manage how much time your child spends on their tablet, approve or block app downloads, control which apps your child can install, track the location of your child’s tablet, and manage web browsing by filtering inappropriate content and websites.

Before you consider the Xiaomi Pad 7, ask these questions, if you are a parent:

Is the tablet going to be your kids’ primary device?

Do you need the tablet to be portable? Would it be more convenient if it fit inside the backpack?

Do you want your kid to use the tablet in both school and home?

What accessories would you like to use with the tablet?

Which apps do you think might be most useful?

Should you buy the Xiaomi Pad 7?

The Focus keyboard connects to the tablet via the Smart Connector on the back. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)

I found the Xiaomi Pad 7 to be an interesting tablet. I might have skipped multiple generations of Android tablets (and I was right to do so), but the newer Android slates are surprisingly good and powerful enough to provide a fluid experience.