Xiaomi Pad 5 review

One camera on each side

The Xiaomi Pad 5 has one 13MP camera on the back with a dual-LED flash. There is also a single 8MP front snapper for selfies and video calls.

The rear camera a 13MP OmniVision OV13B10 sensor with 1.12µm pixels and 24mm f/2.2 lens. PDAF is available and Night Mode works on this camera.

The front camera relies on an 8MP OmniVision OV8856 1/4" sensor with 1.12µm pixels behind 27mm f/2.0 lens. The focus is fixed.

The camera app is quite simple - there are Photo and Video by default, while the Night Mode and Documents are put within the More tab. Auto HDR and AI enhancements are available as on any other Xiaomi device.

Camera app

There is no Pro mode.

Photo quality

The 13MP daylight photos from the rear camera are outstanding! They are incredibly detailed, with exceptional foliage presentation and just the right amount of sharpness. The dynamic range is commendable, the contrast is excellent, and the colors are punchy and lively. Oh, and the noise is kept low, if any.

Looking through these photos we found them more natural looking than a ton of images we've seen from high-end cameras with cutting-edge technology and processing. Maybe we, and other makers, too, can learn something from this budget snapper and its natural-looking processing.

Note that Auto HDR was on but it chose not invoke HDR for any of the scenes.

Rear camera, 13MP

We are very happy with the 8MP photos from the front camera. The subjects are detailed and sharp, the colors are true to life, and the contrast is okay. The dynamic range is not that great, but Auto HDR can improve it when necessary.

Overall, this is one of the better front shooters we've seen from Xiaomi. Maybe it should switch to regular sensor instead of Quad-Bayer ones as on the Mi phones.

Front camera, 8MP

The low-light photos from the rear camera are okay. They offer good color saturation, and the noise reduction doesn't destroy all the detail. They are quite dark though, so we'd suggest using a different mode.

Rear camera, 13MP

If Auto HDR is on, it will always trigger at night. The exposure gets a boost, as well as the color saturation. But most of the photos look all smeared by the HDR processing and the noise reduction, so you'd be better off without Auto HDR.

Rear camera HDR, 13MP

Thankfully, there is Night Mode available, and it does a wonderful job - the exposure is excellent, the color saturation, too, and we can only praise the contrast and the dynamic range. Sure, the sharpness is not stellar and the photos are quite soft, but they do look great on both the tablet's screen and the social networks and that's plenty enough.

Rear Night Mode, 13MP

Video quality

The rear camera of the Xiaomi Pad 5 can do 4K recording at 30fps, while the front snapper maxes out at 1080p at 30fps. Optional electronic stabilization is available for all resolutions across all. It comes at the expense of some FoV loss and a bit of added softness.

The video bitrate is about 41Mbps for the 4K footage, while audio is always recorded in stereo at rather low 96kbps bitrate. Don't let the low audio bitrate fool you, the sound captured with the many mics around the tablet is coming out excellent - it's deep and rich, without any distortion.

The 4K video from the rear camera has good detail and sharpness, the contrast and colors are good, too. The dynamic range is above average, there is no visible noise and the footage doesn't look overprocessed. Overall, the videos look great on both the tablet's screen, our Full HD monitors, as well as a 4K TV. And that's all we can ask for.

The low-light 4K video is not bad - it sure is dark and colors aren't that great, but you can see clearly what's happening and there is enough detail left after the noise reduction. The focus hunting is a bit distracting, but we'd still call these clips are pretty usable.