Xiaomi Pad 8: A Versatile and Affordable Tech Gem

Price When Reviewed

Unavailable in the US

Best Prices Today: Xiaomi Pad 8

I’ve long recommended members of its line as the best Android tablet alternatives to iPads, and the Xiaomi Pad 8 is another solid slate from the Chinese brand – it updates the specs of the Xiaomi Pad 7 and makes a few other improvements.

Released alongside the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro, this model has a larger battery, thinner frame, and more RAM than its predecessor, but the biggest upgrade is the use of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, which provides this entry-level model with near top-end processing.

Beyond the upgrades, it’s still the Xiaomi Pad 7 that we know and love – our favorite value tablet of last year. It offers a relatively compact and portable Android tablet that’ll be great for students, with a good-looking display and reasonable battery life. All for just £399, though you’ll often find it for less.

If any criticisms can be leveled, it’s in departments that haven’t seen wish-list upgrades, and I found the Smart Keyboard had a few problems.

Design & Build

• Compact yet premium
• Camera module protrudes
• Three color options: green, blue, grey

Xiaomi has kept the design language from its previous tablets in place with the Pad 8, but it’s made some small refinements that aren’t revealed at first glance.

The gold rush on thin devices may not be as impassioned in 2026 as it was a year ago (Honor MagicPad 4 aside), but Xiaomi has managed to trim the width of the tablet down to 5.75 inches, and the weight down to 485g (admittedly only a saving of 5g, but better than nothing).

Tom Bedford / Foundry

Those all come together to create a slate that feels a little more compact than many other Androids on the market, and I’ve come to really like the company’s slates as they’ll fit in a bag or on a cramped desk much more readily than alternatives.

Like in its predecessor, Xiaomi hasn’t put a fingerprint scanner in the Pad 8, but having tested the Pro model’s implementation of the power button-mounted sensor, it’s no loss. This button, and the volume rocker, don’t stick out very far from the tablet – I can’t say the same about the giant camera bump, and the few times I didn’t use a case, this made the tablet rock when placed flat on a table.

The tablet comes in Pine Green, Blue, or Grey (tested) options, a buying decision which’ll amount to little if you choose to buy a case to clad the slate in.

Accessories

• Focus Pen stylus
• Two keyboard options, one stand
• All sold separately

The Xiaomi Pad 8 sells alongside a few different accessories, all of which seem ‘inspired’ by Apple’s equivalents, but they are welcome options nonetheless. I tested them all alongside the tablet, and kept the Focus Pen and Focus Keyboard hooked up to the device for the entire testing period.

The first is a stylus. It connects to the tablet via a magnetic strip on a long side, and charges when it’s tethered like this – no separate USB charging required.

It connects automatically to the Pad 8, and is just as useful for navigating at a swipe as for drawing or jotting notes. It even has a few gestures, like squeezing to bring up a mini menu to change your pen type, and I prefer it as one of the best Apple Pencil rivals I’ve ever used.

Tom Bedford / Foundry

The Focus Keyboard has all the keys you need, as well as a trackpad – I personally don’t use trackpads much on touch-screen devices, but it was useful when I needed precision. The folio feels sturdy and didn’t pick up a mark or dent in many backpack ride-alongs.

One odd issue I found, though, is that when typing with the Keyboard and halfway through a word, the operating system would sometimes auto-complete the word and add in the finished article, yet not remove the half-written one. I’d have to backspace to remove the hanger-on. It didn’t happen all the time, but every few minutes, and it didn’t occur when I typed with the on-screen keyboard.

If you don’t need the trackpad, the Keyboard gives you more space for typing. Want to keep things simple? The Pad 8 cover does what it says on the tin: keeps the thing covered up when it’s in your bag. It can also hold the slate vertically or horizontally, with a little kick-stand-type folding mechanism.

All of these peripherals are designed for the Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro, so you can use them if you’re on either device.

Tom Bedford / Foundry

Screen & Speakers

• 11.2-inch 3.2K display
• LCD, 144Hz
• Quad speakers and Dolby Atmos sound

Xiaomi has opted for the “if it ain’t broke” mantra when picking screen specs, as the Pad 8 display has seemingly no upgrades over its predecessor – and doesn’t really need it.

That means it’s an 11.2-inch display, the same as Apple’s entry-level iPad, but at a 3:2 aspect ratio, making it wider. The resolution is 3200 x 2136, or 3.2K, with a pixel-per-inch count of 345, and a refresh rate of 144Hz. Movies, shows, and games look great, and I don’t imagine a slate could look better without upgrading to OLED.

This is LCD, but one of the best you’ll find and a reason why Xiaomi is able to hit an affordable price.

The Xiaomi Pad 8 supports Dolby Vision, which boosts HDR in video. However, I often found that when using the tablet’s auto-brightness, it’d make content look way darker than I’d like (or than other slates do). I found myself manually changing brightness as a result, which made my shows look way better.

See also  Google's Battle for AI Dominance: Overcoming Search Remedies to Achieve Tech Supremacy