The Xiaomi Pad 8 has some pretty big shoes to fill. The Pad 7 turned out to be wildly popular, mostly because of the kind of value it offered. It delivered strong performance, a great display, and premium build quality, all at a price that made it an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a good Android tablet.
Naturally, that also means expectations are fairly high for the Pad 8, especially now that Xiaomi is trying to build on the success of the previous model.
At first glance, the Pad 8 looks like a fairly straightforward upgrade. Xiaomi has refreshed the hardware with a faster Snapdragon chip, a sharp high-resolution display, and support for accessories like a floating keyboard and stylus that push it closer to being a proper productivity device.
But the landscape has also shifted since the last model. Tablet prices across the industry have crept up, and starting at ₹33,999 for the 8+128GB variant, the Pad 8 does not feel quite as aggressively priced as its predecessor once did.
So the real question becomes fairly simple: does the Xiaomi Pad 8 still deliver the same kind of value that made the previous model so compelling, or has the balance changed this time around?
Xiaomi Pad 8 Review: Design and build
The Xiaomi Pad 8 immediately gives off the kind of premium feel you would normally expect from tablets that cost significantly more. Xiaomi has used a full metal chassis, and the tablet feels solid, well finished, and reassuringly sturdy in the hand. At just 5.75mm thick, it is also impressively slim, giving the device a sleek and modern profile.
What I noticed fairly quickly while using the Pad 8 was how manageable it feels during everyday use. The tablet is noticeably smaller than many large-screen tablets, and that makes a big difference when it comes to ergonomics. At 485 grams, it is also quite light for a tablet in this category. Because of that, I found it far easier to hold for longer periods, whether I was reading, browsing, or watching videos. Even when using it with one hand, the tablet remained comfortable to handle and never felt awkward or unwieldy.
That is not to say that the tablet feels flimsy. It is extremely well built and feels tough as nails.
Xiaomi has also included pogo pins on the rear of the tablet for connecting accessories such as keyboards or other add-ons. Their placement does look a little unusual at first glance, but they work as expected for accessory support. The camera module on the back is another design element that stands out. While it is functional, the way it sits on the rear panel makes it look slightly out of place compared to the otherwise clean design.
On the connectivity front, the Pad 8 gets a USB Type-C port at the bottom that supports USB 3.1 speeds. That is actually a big win because some tablets in this price range still cut corners here. Xiaomi has also included an IR blaster, which can come in handy for controlling appliances or TVs.
We do have some disappointing omissions in terms of biometrics and cellular connectivity. There is no fingerprint scanner on the device, and the unit I tested does not include a SIM card slot. That means there is no 5G connectivity, no eSIM support, and no expandable storage either.
Xiaomi Pad 8 Review: Display and speakers
The Xiaomi Pad 8 comes with an 11.2-inch display, and during my time using it, I immediately appreciated how manageable the overall size felt. The panel has a resolution of 3200 × 2136, which Xiaomi refers to as a 3.2K display. Because the screen is relatively compact while maintaining such a high resolution, the pixel density climbs to about 345ppi. In everyday use, I found text looking extremely crisp and images appearing sharp across the interface.
You get somewhat slim bezels, which goes with the way the tablet is built. On tablets, you want some bezel to make holding the tablet easy, and the Xiaomi Pad 8 absolutely nails the balance.
Xiaomi has gone with a 3:2 aspect ratio for this panel, which gives the screen a more square-like shape compared to traditional widescreen tablets. In practice, I found this format much better for productivity. When I was working on documents, browsing through spreadsheets, or even scrubbing through video timelines, the extra vertical space made the experience noticeably more comfortable.
The display itself is an IPS LCD panel, but Xiaomi has packed it with a long list of display features. It supports up to a 144Hz refresh rate and uses a 12-bit panel capable of displaying over 68 billion colours. The screen also supports DCI-P3 colour, Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR Vivid, and Xiaomi’s Pro HDR processing.
Even though LCD panels do not produce the same deep blacks you get from AMOLED displays, I still found the viewing experience to be quite impressive. Content on Netflix and YouTube looked vibrant and colourful, and the colour depth helped scenes appear rich and lively. You get HDR support on YouTube, and Netflix shows both HDR10 and Dolby Vision content.
Brightness goes up to around 800 nits in high brightness mode, and in my testing, I did not find outdoor visibility to be an issue. The display also includes useful features like Reading Mode and Adaptive Colours, which help reduce eye strain during longer usage sessions.
For audio, the Xiaomi Pad 8 uses a quad-speaker setup with Dolby Atmos support. In my experience, the speakers get sufficiently loud for movies, music, and gaming. However, while the volume levels are solid, I did feel that the overall sound character lacks a bit of depth compared to some other tablets I have used. The good thing is, you get support for Hi-Res & Hi-Res Wireless Audio.
Xiaomi Pad 8 Review: Cameras
The Xiaomi Pad 8 comes with a 13MP rear camera, and in my experience, it performs exactly the way most tablet cameras do. It is perfectly usable for scanning QR codes, capturing documents, or taking a quick photo when your phone is not nearby. That said, I would not expect anything particularly special from it. The quality is serviceable, but clearly not designed to replace a proper smartphone camera.
On the front, the tablet gets an 8MP camera that works well enough for video calls. One feature I particularly liked is Xiaomi’s FocusFrame, which tracks your face and keeps you centred in the frame during calls.
Xiaomi Pad 8 Review: Accessories
Xiaomi offers a couple of accessories for the Pad 8 that really change how the tablet can be used day to day. The two main ones are the Focus Keyboard, which costs ₹8,999 and the Focus Pen Pro, costing ₹5,999, and having used them extensively, I found that they push the Pad 8 much closer to being a proper productivity and creative device rather than just a tablet for watching videos.
The Focus Keyboard is easily the more interesting of the two. Xiaomi has gone with a floating keyboard design here, very similar to the Magic Keyboard on the iPad. In practice, this makes the whole setup extremely simple to use. I could just attach the tablet and start working. There is no need to deal with folding stands or awkward covers. Once attached, the tablet sits suspended above the keyboard, and the whole thing opens and shuts like a compact laptop. For writing documents, replying to emails, or working on spreadsheets, it feels surprisingly natural.
The keyboard also includes a backlight, which I genuinely appreciated when working in low light. That said, the keyboard layout itself is not perfect. The keys are noticeably small, and during longer typing sessions, I did find myself adjusting to the tighter layout. The Enter key in particular feels unusually tiny. The trackpad is also a bit cramped for my liking, although it still supports gesture controls for navigating through the interface.
The Focus Pen Pro is the other accessory that really adds to the Pad 8’s versatility. In my experience, the stylus feels responsive and precise. Latency is low, pressure sensitivity works well, and writing or sketching feels natural on the display. Plus it weighs just about 17 grams
Xiaomi has also added a few gesture controls to the stylus. In the MiCanvas app, I could slide along the pen to increase or decrease brush size, pinch to bring up a quick menu while sketching, and double-tap to switch between brushes. These small touches make the stylus particularly useful for note-taking and drawing.
Xiaomi Pad 8 Review: Performance
The Xiaomi Pad 8 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, and in day-to-day use it feels extremely capable. Xiaomi offers the tablet in two variants: an 8GB LPDDR5X RAM model paired with 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and a higher-end version with 12GB of LPDDR5T RAM and 256GB of faster UFS 4.1 storage.
In benchmark testing, the tablet delivered strong results. On AnTuTu, the Pad 8 scored around 2.29 million points. In Geekbench, it posted a single-core score of 2031 and a multi-core score of 6347.
GPU performance also held up well during testing. In 3DMark’s Wildlife Extreme stress test, the tablet maintained solid loop scores with stability hovering around 87 percent and sometimes higher. Considering how compact the tablet is, those are impressive results.
Gaming performance is also very solid. During my testing, Call of Duty: Mobile ran consistently at 120FPS without noticeable drops. BGMI held steady at around 90FPS during extended gaming sessions. I did not see 144FPS modes enabled in the titles I tested, but the gameplay experience still felt smooth and responsive.
What stood out more to me, however, was how the tablet behaved during everyday tasks. Benchmarks are useful for context, but they only tell part of the story. In real usage, the Pad 8 felt fast and reliable across a wide range of activities. Exporting video files in VN, downloading large files, switching between multiple apps, and scrolling through social media all felt fluid and consistent.
Thermal management also seemed well under control. Even during longer gaming sessions or heavier workloads, the tablet remained comfortable to hold without noticeable overheating. Overall, performance on the Pad 8 feels more than capable for both productivity and entertainment.
Xiaomi Pad 8 Review: Software
The Xiaomi Pad 8 runs HyperOS 3 based on Android 16, and during my time using it, the software felt reasonably well optimised for a large-screen device. That is not always the case with Android tablets, but Xiaomi seems to have spent time adapting the interface to the tablet form factor.
The overall visual style will feel familiar if you have used a Xiaomi phone before. However, the layout scales well across the larger display. Interface elements are sized appropriately, apps make good use of the available screen space, and nothing feels awkwardly stretched or oversized.
At the same time, some parts of the interface are starting to look a little dated. The icons and certain visual elements still feel closer to Xiaomi’s older design language rather than something that feels completely fresh.
Despite that, the overall experience remains smooth. Animations and transitions generally run well. In daily use, the interface feels stable and consistent rather than flashy, which actually works well when you are using the tablet for longer sessions.
HyperOS also includes several multitasking features designed for tablets. One of the more interesting additions is Workstation Mode. When enabled, the interface shifts to something that feels closer to a desktop environment. Apps can open in resizable windows, and multitasking becomes easier to manage.
There are a few preloaded apps on the tablet, but most of them are practical additions designed for productivity and note-taking rather than unnecessary bloat. Overall, the software experience feels well-suited to a tablet.
Xiaomi has also introduced a set of AI-powered tools under its HyperAI suite. These include features such as AI Calculator, Xiaomi Creation, AI Writing, AI Live Subtitles, and AI Voice Enhancement. In practice, these tools are designed to assist with productivity, content creation, and communication tasks, adding a layer of smart functionality to the tablet’s software experience.
Xiaomi Pad 8 Review: Battery and charging
The Xiaomi Pad 8 packs a 9,200mAh battery, and in my experience, it delivers very solid endurance. With my typical usage that included browsing, streaming, note-taking, and occasional gaming, the tablet comfortably lasted about two days before I needed to reach for the charger. For a device of this size and performance level, that kind of battery life feels reassuringly dependable.
Charging speeds top out at 45W, which is reasonably quick for a tablet. Xiaomi has also included 22.5W reverse wired charging, which means I could use the Pad 8 to top up smaller devices like my TWS earbuds or even give my phone a quick boost when needed.
Xiaomi Pad 8 Review: Verdict
The Xiaomi Pad 8 ends up being a tablet that focuses on getting the fundamentals right. In everyday use, it feels fast, stable, and dependable. The Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 handles gaming, multitasking, and heavier tasks like exporting video files without slowing down, and across most tasks the tablet simply feels smooth and responsive.
At ₹33,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant, the Pad 8 also sits at a very attractive price point. For that money, you are getting a premium metal build, a sharp 3.2K display with a 144Hz refresh rate, strong performance, and battery life that comfortably stretches to about two days with regular use.
The accessories also add meaningful value to the experience. The Focus Keyboard is easy to live with thanks to its floating design, backlit keys, and the pogo-pin connection that lets it attach instantly without setup friction. The Focus Pen Pro also performs well, with good pressure sensitivity and intuitive gesture controls that make writing notes or sketching feel very easy and intuitive.
If you want a powerful Android tablet without overspending, the Xiaomi Pad 8 makes a very convincing case.
