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Review cover Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro GBAtemp review
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Among Xiaomi’s most recent hardware releases is the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro. We take a look at it in this review.

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Android tablets have come a long way, and Xiaomi’s tablets have really convinced me to use them as a secondary productivity device. The company’s latest iteration is the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro, which has just launched globally. Let's take a closer look!

Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro contents and specs

The Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro starts at €550. The package comes with the following items:

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I was positively surprised by the inclusion of a power brick. It's a 67W HyperCharge brick and is a welcome addition to make the most of the device's features, especially considering the trend of companies (including Xiaomi) not including this accessory with their devices.

Specs of the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro are as follows:

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Hardware and accessories impressions

Bearing the Pro suffix, this tablet is Xiaomi’s top-of-the-line tablet model, and the hardware is indicative of that. Its all-metal unibody with a brushed finish gives it a professional look. With all of its innards packed in a compact, 5.75mm-thin package, Xiaomi’s craftsmanship is on display.

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To make the most out of Android tablets, especially as a productivity companion, certain accessories are quasi-mandatory. Xiaomi has populated its tablet ecosystem with such accessories, and the Pad 8 Pro is no different. 

Available for the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro are the dedicated Keyboard, Focus Keyboard, Cover and Focus Pen Pro. For general protection, the Smart Cover is recommended, but if you need to choose one, the Focus Keyboard is the one to get. With a familiar layout and integrated trackpad, it really makes the case for using this tablet as a secondary workstation, even if it adds noticeable heft and thickness to the device. There's also the regular Keyboard which is similar to the Focus one but lacks a trackpad. 

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If you can spare some extra cash, the Focus Pen Pro is also something that will come in handy. This version is fancier in that in doesn’t have any buttons but features a touch panel and is pressure sensitive. Squeezing it will lead to a menu to pop up while the touch panel works as buttons would (swapping between pen types) and also lets you scroll down pages.

All of these accessories complement the professional feel and quality that Xiaomi's mainline products are known for. 

Gaming performance of the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro

Xiaomi’s latest tablet sports the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and GeekBench 6 scores position it among the upper tier.

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With its specs, the device is well capable of gaming. I'm not especially fond of gaming on a tablet, except for games that would really benefit (or require) from the larger screen, such as Planescape Torment and Magic: The Gathering Arena. 

It is also well capable of emulation. Older systems like Dreamcast and Gamecube (at 3x resolution) have no issues running at full speed.

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PS2 games at 3x resolution is also not an issue. I got Ratchet & Clank and Shadow of the Colossus to both run at 60fps. Wii’s The Last Story at 3x resolution would also run at full speed.

The Pad 8 Pro’s 11.2", 3.2K display with up to 144Hz refresh rate delivers crisp visuals and the quad-speaker system really enhances the experience. The massive 9,200 mAh battery also lends itself well to gaming purposes. The included 67W HyperCharge brick allows the tablet to get juiced up relatively quickly so that you can jump back into your gaming session without much delay.

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A worthwhile portable productivity workstation 

Gaming potential aside, the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro has much more potential as a productivity workstation. I'm totally fond of its 11.2" dimensions, which aren't too small for practical usage nor too large to limit its portability. 

Equipped with the Focus Keyboard, you can easily edit documents, navigate intuitively with the trackpad and make proper use of the split-screen feature for enhanced productivity. For example, I use one half to write drafts and the other half to browse the internet and conduct research on what I'm working on.

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The Smart Pen is great for making sketches and annotating PDFs. The latter use case is particularly apt for me when I’m researching for my next article. The pen attaches magnetically to the side of the tablet and also charges it. It's a sleek and convenient feature.

The display is great for watching YouTube videos or catching up on the latest TV series. The quality audio delivered through its quad-speaker system makes it well-suited as a portable entertainment system.

I also tend to read news articles and manga on the tablet. Using the Cover is apt for such uses, allowing the user to rest the tablet on a surface instead of holding it in the hands.

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The Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro has become a trusty companion for me. I use it daily to check the news, watch videos and take video calls, and, when I'm out and about or travelling, it's my go-to machine for productivity uses. 

Operating on Android OS means that not all software is accessible, and it might not be as useful for those requiring specific apps for their work. I hope that Xiaomi considers making a device of a similar form factor that runs on Windows instead. This would make for a much more attractive proposition, even presenting itself as a full laptop replacement.

My only major complaint is that the front camera could be better. Tablets lend themselves well to video calling, and switching the back 50MP camera to the front would make more sense. 

Nevertheless, for general purposes, such as video calls, document editing and browsing, it's an excellent companion (or even laptop replacement), especially when used in combination with its accessories. These will cost extra but are a must-have to really unleash the potential of the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro as a true portable workstation. It’s an incremental upgrade from last year’s Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro, so it’s not worth an upgrade if you are using the latter model. However, if you haven’t made the jump to Android tablets yet, this one is the one to go for.

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Premium build
  • Specs, display and speakers lend themselves well to gaming and general uses
  • Ecosystem of accessories designed to support productivity use cases
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Front camera could be better for video calls
  • Must-have accessories come at an extra cost
  • Incremental upgrade from last year’s model
9
out of 10

Overall

The Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro makes a strong case for a secondary (or even primary) workstation.
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Retrojunkies
See this here, probably didnt cost as much to make as its cost.

How a tablet can out perform a switch 2.....

And its braindead fanboys are like durrrp its about the portability of these games....

Like we're not already playing their PC versions at better quality and resulting than the switch 2....

Theyre portable too you know.
 
InsaneNutter
Operating on Android OS means that not all software is accessible, and it might not be as useful for those requiring specific apps for their work. I hope that Xiaomi considers making a device of a similar form factor that runs on Windows instead. This would make for a much more attractive proposition, even presenting itself as a full laptop replacement.
Click to expand...

Presuming you can get the bootloader unlocked, people have managed to do a lot with these older Xiaomi Pad's. So the newer ones could have good Linux support in the future too.

For the older Xiaomi Pad 5 and 6 pretty functional ports of Fedoa Linux exist: https://github.com/pocketblue/pocketblue?tab=readme-ov-file

Someone on Reddit wanted an ultra portable computer for less than $200, which they used a Xiaomi Pad 6 for.
 
Chellarina
I'd be interested to know which use cases you found you need Windows for?

My tablet (different brand) dual boots into Linux but I was not impressed by its usability and I couldn't really find a use case where Android didn't work, with ARM being the more limiting factor in terms of compatibility.
 
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Skelletonike
I love tablets but since I literally only use them for reading, the budget I set for them is usually under 300€. Heck, just this weekend I ordered a Nxtpaper 11 Plus with case and pen since it seemed like a fun tablet and I loved the screen from what I saw in stores.
 
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