The Redmi Pad Pro set the tone for what an affordable large-screen Android tablet could be, and the Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G clearly sticks to that blueprint. This is not a radical rethink or a dramatic reinvention.
Instead, Xiaomi has taken a conservative approach, focusing on improving areas that genuinely needed attention rather than chasing novelty. Most of what you see and feel here will be familiar if you have used the previous model, but under the surface, there are a few meaningful upgrades that define this refresh.
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G First Impressions: Design
Visually, the Redmi Pad 2 Pro stays close to its predecessor. The dual-tone rear panel returns, with a mostly metal body paired with a plastic strip that houses the camera module. The grey colour variant looks understated to the point of being a little dull, with the only real flourish being a subtle triangular pattern etched into the plastic strip.
The matte finish on the back is a welcome touch, as it resists fingerprints far better than before. The rear design also includes two circular cutouts, although only one contains an actual camera sensor. The second ring is purely decorative, used to house the LED flash and maintain symmetry.
Ports and buttons are sensibly laid out. There is a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom, which is still nice to see on a modern tablet. On the side, you get a SIM tray for 5G connectivity along with microSD card support for storage expansion. The unit here comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
Despite being slightly heavier than the original Pad Pro, the tablet remains easy to carry in a backpack. However, its large 12.1-inch footprint does make prolonged handheld use a bit tiring, especially for users with smaller hands.
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G First Impressions: Display
The display hardware remains largely unchanged from the previous generation. You still get a 12.1-inch LCD panel with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 2.5K resolution, a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and Dolby Vision support. Peak brightness tops out at around 600 nits.
One notable change is colour depth. The older Pad Pro supported 12-bit colour, while this panel is limited to 10-bit. On paper, that sounds like a downgrade, but in real-world use, the difference is difficult to notice. Colours look vibrant, well balanced, and properly tuned. Streaming content on Netflix looks good, with full HD playback supported thanks to Widevine L1 certification and Dolby Vision handling HDR content nicely.
The panel does reflect light more than some might prefer, but the smooth 120Hz refresh rate keeps scrolling, animations, and general navigation feeling fluid and responsive.
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G First Impressions: Performance
Powering the Redmi Pad 2 Pro is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset, a reliable mid-range processor that feels well suited to a tablet of this size. In everyday use, performance is consistently smooth. Apps open quickly, multitasking feels responsive, and switching between workloads does not introduce noticeable lag.
Even gaming performance holds up well. Titles like BGMI run without major issues, making this tablet capable of handling both productivity and entertainment. Overall, this feels like a device designed for extended sessions rather than quick, casual bursts of use.
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G First Impressions: Software
The tablet runs HyperOS 2, based on Android 15, and the experience feels more polished on a larger screen. Visual refinements, smoother animations through the updated HyperCore system, and Gemini integration all contribute to a more cohesive tablet experience.
There are some pre-installed apps, but most of them are practical rather than intrusive. Multitasking is where the software really shines. You can run up to four apps at once, using split-screen layouts alongside floating windows, which works particularly well for productivity and media-heavy workflows.
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G First Impressions: Cameras
Camera hardware is fairly basic, which is expected for a tablet. The rear houses an 13MP camera that works well enough for scanning documents or QR codes. On the front, there is another 8MP sensor that handles video calls adequately, though expectations should remain modest. These cameras are functional rather than impressive, and that is perfectly acceptable for this category.
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G First Impressions: Battery
Battery life is one of the biggest talking points this time around. The Redmi Pad 2 Pro packs a massive 12,000mAh battery, which is 2,000mAh larger than the previous model. Xiaomi claims this is the largest battery in a 12-inch tablet and suggests over 14 hours of video playback.
Real-world testing will ultimately decide how accurate those claims are, but expectations are understandably high, especially since battery life was not a strong point of the earlier Pad Pro. Charging is handled at 33W, which feels slow given the battery size. It takes roughly 30 minutes to reach 20 percent, but the trade-off makes sense if you are charging infrequently.
An interesting bonus is 27W reverse charging, allowing the tablet to act as a power bank for smaller devices like phones or earbuds.
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G First Impressions: Accessories
Xiaomi offers two accessories for the Redmi Pad 2 Pro: a keyboard case and the Smart Pen. The second-generation keyboard is exclusive to this tablet and offers a comfortable typing experience with decent key travel. It also doubles as a protective case when folded shut.
However, some omissions are hard to ignore. There is still no backlighting or trackpad, and the keyboard connects via Bluetooth rather than POGO pins, meaning it needs to be charged separately over USB-C. The same applies to the Smart Pen, which also requires independent charging.
That said, the Smart Pen itself performs well. It is responsive, supports handwriting recognition, offers reliable palm rejection most of the time, and works nicely for note-taking and sketching. While it does not magnetically attach to the tablet, the included pen holder on the keyboard case helps keep it secure. Unlike the keyboard, the Smart Pen is also compatible with the previous Pad Pro.
Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G First Impressions: How does it fare?
The Redmi Pad 2 Pro 5G plays it safe, but it does so intelligently. Rather than chasing flashy upgrades, Xiaomi has focused on refining performance, battery life, and software multitasking, which are the areas that matter most on a large tablet. Design changes are minimal, and some accessory decisions feel dated, but the core experience is solid.
The WiFi only variant starts at ₹24,999 while the WiFi +5G varian starts at ₹27,999, but based on first impressions, this feels like a dependable upgrade for users who want a large-screen Android tablet built for long sessions, media consumption, and productivity without unnecessary gimmicks.
