The tablet market has had several budget options in the past few years, allowing more people to buy one. Brands like Realme, Moto, and Redmi have been kind in offering budget tablet options in India and the one we are talking about today is the Redmi Pad SE; the younger brother to the previously launched Redmi Pad. It is quite a compelling option at a starting price of Rs 12,999. It packs a 90Hz display, quad speakers with Dolby Atmos, and more. While the tablet is catered for multimedia usage, this is a nice gateway for students who like to finish their assignments on a tablet. So, is this a tablet catered for the masses, and is it a good budget option? Let’s find out in this review.
Redmi Pad SE
Starting price Rs 12,999
What Is Good?
- Sturdy and good quality
- A long-lasting battery
- Dolby Atmos support
- Speakers are good
- Clean UI Experience
What Is Bad?
- Slow charging
- No HyperOS yet
- Can heat up a little
Redmi Pad SE Review: Pricing and Availability in India
The Redmi Pad SE is available in India in three RAM variants, while the storage remains constant. You can get it from Flipkart, Amazon, and mi.com.
| Variants | Pricing |
| 4GB RAM + 128GB Storage | Rs 12.999 |
| 6GB RAM + 128GB Storage | Rs 13,999 |
| 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage | Rs 14,999 |
Redmi Pad SE Review: Design and Build Quality
The Redmi Pad SE looks pretty good, period. The metal chassis feels on par with various mid-range and high-end tablets. It is like getting Zara clothing at Zudio pricing (if you are lucky!) It also follows a minimal design language, which makes it an even more attractive choice. Plus, the build quality is sturdy.
Xiaomi also offers the tablet in three lovely colours: Graphite Grey, Lavender Purple, and Mint Green. My unit was in Mint Green, which feels quite refreshing compared to the traditional colours of today.
| Design | Specifications |
| Weight | 478 grams |
| Thickness | 7.36mm |
| Ports and button placement | Bottom: USB-C port, speaker grille, 3.5mm audio jack
Top: Power button, speaker grille Right Side: volume rocker |
The tablet also has rounded edges, which make holding it convenient. While the tablet is sleek and lightweight, you can eventually feel the slight heft if held for extended periods. Upfront, there are thin bezels, apt enough for an easy grip and viewing experience. The tablet doesn’t come with a fingerprint scanner, which is disappointing. But, I guess we can’t get everything at this budget. So, you will have to use a PIN, pattern, or password. Thankfully it has face unlock, which works accurately and saves you the hassle of typing the PIN each time you want to unlock the tablet.
Redmi Pad SE Review: Display and Audio
The Redmi Pad SE’s 11-inch LCD screen is the right size for a tablet, and the plus point is that it supports an adaptive 90Hz refresh rate. However, it doesn’t feel buttery smooth all the time. That said, the colour reproduction and contrasts are pretty good and you will enjoy watching content on YouTube or Netflix on the tablet. The viewing angles and content visibility are good as well. The default colour scheme is slightly warm but you can tweak it as per your preference. The brightness levels are just acceptable, though there can be difficulty when using the tablet under direct sunlight—the auto-brightness also faulters, mainly due to the lack of a proper ambient sensor. Redmi has used a virtual one.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 11-inch |
| Type | LCD |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1200 pixels |
| Refresh rate | 90Hz |
| Peak brightness | Claimed – 400nits |
| Other features | TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light and TÜV Rheinland Flicker Free Certifications |
Reading Mode 3.0 ensures there’s less eye strain, especially if you want to binge on your favourite e-book or a web series at night. The quad-speaker setup is quite suitable for personal use. Including a 3.5mm audio jack is a good decision making this handy for commuting.
Redmi Pad SE Review: Performance and Software
The Snapdragon 680 chipset makes the Redmi Pad SE a good performer. While it is a fairly older chip, it does a reasonably good job in tasks like video-streaming, reading, and random scrolling through apps. You get up to 8GB of RAM (with extended RAM) for multitasking. Games like Subway Surfer and Temple Run run smoothly. You can also play games like BGMI (HD, HDR, Ultra HDR, and Extreme HDR settings are not supported), but the smooth gaming experience is missing, and the graphics are underwhelming. This was not a dealbreaker, considering the Pad SE is not catered towards gamers.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | Snapdragon 680 SoC |
| RAM | Up to 8GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 128GB eMMC 5.1 |
| Geekbench | Single-core, 414, multi-core, 1,417 |
| Software version | MIUI Pad 14 based on Android 13 |
| Connectivity details | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 |
The Redmi Pad SE runs MIUI for Pad based on Android 13, which is mostly neat. There’s no bloatware (except for the Netflix app), which is great. There are a few nifty tablet features (which also have a dedicated section in the Settings). Split-screen, for instance, is great for opening multiple windows simultaneously. Floating Windows, as the name suggests, lets you open small screens of the apps (up to 3) together, which is useful while working on multiple things simultaneously.
You also get the Video toolbox feature, which is quite handy when watching videos. With this enabled (via Settings), you get easy access to recording a video or even taking screenshots. You can enable its shortcut, which would mean a simple swipe on the left or right edge of the screen. The tablet’s Task Manager and even Google Discovery are well-optimised. The Settings app is easy to navigate. You get two years of major Android updates and three years of security patches.
Redmi Pad SE Review: Battery and Charging
The Redmi SE has an 8,000mAh battery, which can stay alive for hours on a single charge. I charged it once, and it was sorted for three to four days. I used the device for a few hours each day. This can be useful when you are off on a trip; by the end, there may still be some charge left. The problem is with the time it takes to charge fully. It took close to 3 hours, which can be annoying. On top of this, Xiaomi bundles a 10W charger, which is quite slow.
Redmi Pad SE Review: Cameras
The Redmi Pad SE houses an 8MP primary and a 5MP front camera. The front camera is placed on a horizontal bezel, which makes it easier to conduct video calls. This is an ordinary set of cameras, doing a fair job. If you need to click pictures in good lighting conditions, the rear snapper will help. Selfies follow the beautification technique (common on Redmi phones) and offer acceptable results. The camera also comes with a document scanner, which is quite handy, especially for students and official work.
Redmi Pad SE Review: Verdict
The Redmi Pad SE, with a starting price of Rs 12,999, is safely the top option in the budget tablet category as of now. It is well-suited for a good viewing experience and daily tasks. Not to forget, it’s attractive and easy to carry around. However, I still would have appreciated a faster charging solution. So, if this matters to you, consider the Redmi Pad, which is available for the same price and offers an 18W charger and a 2K display too.
You can also choose between options like the Galaxy Tab A9 and the Lenovo Tab M11. However, the Redmi Pad SE undercuts the competition by offering more features for the same price. If you are willing to spend a few extra bucks, you can go for the Realme Pad 2 with a 120Hz display, a capable Helio G99 chipset, and 33W fast charging.
