Redmi Pad SE review

Introduction and specs

The tablet market saw an unexpected surge during the pandemic, and a bit of momentum carried out afterward, forcing smartphone makers to meet the growing demand with a wide range of products. The Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE, for example, is a budget offering suitable for entertainment on the go or productivity. In either case, you can expect long battery life thanks to the huge battery inside.

The device is equipped with a respectable 8,000 mAh battery and offers an 11-inch 90Hz LCD panel wrapped by an aluminum unibody that gives the device a more premium feel. The rather dated Snapdragon 680 SoC is running the show at the heart of the device, but this is the norm in the tablet world. Older SoCs are used as they are more than sufficient for normal daily tasks. After all, tablets are not tailored toward photography or other computational-heavy workloads. Also, the Snapdragon 680 chipset proved to be quite efficient.

Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE specs at a glance:

• Body: 255.5x167.1x7.4mm, 478g; Glass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame.
• Display: 11.00" IPS LCD, 90Hz, 400 nits (typ), 1200x1920px resolution, 14.4:9 aspect ratio, 207ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 680 4G (6 nm): Octa-core (4x2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver); Adreno 610.
• Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM; eMMC 5.1; microSDXC.
• OS/Software: Android 13, MIUI Pad 14.
• Rear camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/4", 1.12µm, AF.
• Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide), 1/5", 1.12µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 8000mAh; 18W Quick Charge 3.0.
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.0; 3.5mm jack.
• Misc: Accelerometer, stereo speakers (4 speakers); FM radio.

Speaking of photography, the device has a basic 8MP camera on its back and a 5MP one on the back. Both support 1080p video recording, which is enough for decent-quality video calls.

Last but not least, the Redmi Pad SE runs on the latest at the time of announcement (mid-August) Android 13 with Xiaomi's custom MIUI Pad 14 on top. The "pad" in the name means special UI optimizations for tablets, but it's still MIUI from every angle. So, if you are used to MIUI running on your phone, you will feel right at home.

Unboxing the Redmi Pad SE

The retail package is pretty basic. You will find the usual user manuals, a USB-A to USB-C cable, a power adapter for charging and the tablet itself.

Xiaomi shipped our review unit with a magnetic flip cover, which you usually buy separately. The device also supports stylus input, so you can grab the Redmi Stylus, which is another optional purchase.