Meet the POCO Pad – aptly named, it’s the first large-screened device from Xiaomi’s POCO brand, and features some worthwhile hardware specifications that make it a must-have device for POCO fans, and folks curious about the hype behind Xiaomi’s gamer-centric sub-brand. While Xiaomi is no stranger to tablets – having launched several Mi and Redmi Pad models before – what exactly can we expect from the POCO Pad?
Design and Display
If you’re acquainted with the newly-launched Redmi Pad Pro, then the POCO Pad will look very familiar, with the sleek metal build (available in grey and blue), large rear camera module, and the overall stylings of the tablet. Like most modern tablets, the POCO Pad features slim bezels all around, with the power and volume buttons located on the upper right corner (when in portrait mode). It’s a design that plays it safe, and more importantly means that the tablet doesn’t look out of place compared to competing devices.
As for the display, the tablet packs a large 12.1-inch LCD display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 2.5K resolution (2560 x 1600), complete with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It’s got a decent brightness of up to 600 nits, and offers rich colorus with 12-bit colour depth and DC dimming for comfortable viewing at low brightness levels. Additionally, the display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, something not usually seen on most budget tablets.
Internal Specs and Software
Perhaps the biggest highlight of the POCO Pad is the chipset running inside – Xiaomi has equipped its midrange tablet with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, an SoC designed for use with devices falling into the POCO Pad’s price category. It works alongside 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, which are again great specs to have at this price. Powering the device is a large 10,000 mAh battery, which features up to 33W fast charging support, provided that you have a compatible charging brick lying around.
For software, you get Xiaomi HyperOS on board, which is the company’s latest iteration of its custom Android skin. This comes with a suite of pre-installed Xiaomi apps, as well as third-party software (some of which you can’t uninstall, unfortunately). Beneath it all though is Android 14, which is nice to see given that some tablets still launch with Android 13 in this day and age.
Cameras and Extras
it’s not a smartphone, so don’t expect any outrageous camera setups on the POCO Pad – there’s an 8MP 1/4″, f/2, 1.12μm sensor on the rear panel, complemented by an 8MP 1/4″, f/2.28, 1.12μm for selfies and video calls. You can of course shoot videos, although they max out at 1080p resolution at 30 fps. Interestingly, Xiaomi sells additional accessories which elevate the tablet’s use as far as productivity goes – users can opt to buy a cover case for the POCO Pad, and there’s even a keyboard cover that’s available for purchase. There’s also a pen which should be a handy tool for students and creatives, although like the cover case and keyboard it is sold separately.
In terms of price, the tablet is going for around $329, although it’s currently only available via AliExpress at the moment. With all that said though, the large battery, sleek design and capable chip inside add to the POCO Pad’s overall appeal, and folks curious enough to try out POCO’s offerings will want to check out this one.
