Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro

The Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro is a compact flagship tablet. It pairs the Snapdragon 8 Elite, one of the most powerful Android chips available, with an 11.2-inch, 144Hz display in an aluminium body that is about 5.8mm thick and weighs 485g. That combination points squarely at people who want top-tier performance but find 12- and 13-inch tablets unwieldy. It should suit gamers, frequent travellers and anyone who reads or watches video in bed.

The spec sheet has a few practical extras that we like:

• Wi-Fi 7
• An infrared port, so the tablet can work as a remote control
• 22.5W reverse wired charging, which lets it top up a phone in a pinch
• HyperOS 3 based on Android 16 out of the box

There are caveats. The screen is IPS LCD rather than OLED. There is no IP rating. A charger is reportedly not included. We also have no confirmed price, and price matters a great deal for a tablet whose appeal rests partly on value.

On paper, the Pad 8 Pro gets the fundamentals right. The Snapdragon 8 Elite should leave plenty of headroom for games and multitasking. On every configuration except the 128GB model, UFS 4.1 storage should keep apps and file transfers fast. A 9,200mAh battery with 67W wired charging is a sensible pairing for a tablet this size. The thin, light metal build is a genuine selling point for a device you will hold for long stretches.

The display is where opinions will split. A 144Hz refresh rate, 344ppi resolution and HDR10/Dolby Vision support are all strong. However, an LCD cannot match OLED for contrast and black levels. An 800-nit peak is fine indoors but not exceptional. If you mainly watch films in dark rooms, that matters more than the refresh rate.

Several smaller points chip away at the package:

• The base 128GB model uses slower UFS 3.1 storage, so we would steer buyers toward a higher tier.
• There is no IP rating.
• A charger is reportedly not included, which means you need to buy one to get the advertised 67W speeds.
• The global launch came almost six months after the China debut, so the hardware is not as fresh as it seems.

We have not been given battery-life measurements, software-update commitments or accessory details, so our assessment of endurance and long-term value is necessarily limited.

The biggest unknown is price. Without it, we cannot say whether this is a bargain or simply a well-specced tablet. Our rating reflects strong hardware with some notable compromises. Pricing could move it up or down.