A trio of new Xiaomi Mi Pad tablets could be around the corner; boasting high-end performance, 120Hz refresh rate displays and some of Qualcomm’s latest silicon
Xiaomi moves from strength to strength in the smartphone space, occupying practically every segment with at least one capable entry and delivering some of the best value on the market, but there are now signs that the company plans to return to the long-neglected tablet space, with a series of new Mi Pads. We reviewed 2018’s Mi Pad 4 (an affordable 8in Android-based doppelgänger to Apple’s iPad Mini, which saw little appeal outside of China due to a lack of Google services) and found it to be a capable low-cost slate. Following its release, however, Xiaomi took its foot off the gas and instead choose to focus its attention on smartphones in the years that followed. Based on a series of new discoveries – initially unearthed by the XDA Developers community – it now looks as though Xiaomi might be prepping not one, but up to three new slates, that could arrive in a matter of months. While there’s no official event yet scheduled, the latest report from MyDrivers suggests a “mid-to-late August” release for the Mi Pad 5 line. This aligns with a statement from the Product Director for Xiaomi’s Redmi line – Wang Teng Thomas – who, in response to fan questions on Weibo, revealed that we shouldn’t expect to see the Mi Pad 5 series launch until the second half of 2021. This also helped dispel an existing rumour from the XiaomiUI Telegram group that suggested a 25 June unveiling. 2018’s Mi Pad 4, was a decidedly mid-range slate, available internationally on the grey market from import retailers at a respectable sub-£250/€290/US$350 starting price. Based on the expected hardware this new series of Mi Pads looks likely to feature – talk of Snapdragon 870 SoCs and 5G have been floating around – they’re expected to reach closer to premium slate pricing; albeit with Xiaomi’s iconic value still intact.
