Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE 8.7 is a tablet in a compact format. With a screen of 8.7 inches, it sits roughly between a normal mobile phone and a typical tablet in screen size. There aren't many options to choose from in this size, but we do have the iPad Mini and Samsung's Galaxy Tab A9, particularly the latter is very similar.
Since the beginning of 2020, consumer prices have risen by about 25 percent. Electronics are of course also affected by inflation, and if their prices were to follow the CPI, a tablet for 2000 kronor in 2020 would cost 2500 kronor today. Now, electronics prices themselves have also gone up on their own, and even in 2020, it was rare to find a tablet for under 2000 kronor, even more so today. This alone makes the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE 8.7 with a recommended price of 1900 kronor stand out. Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 costs 2350 kronor in comparison.
Of course, it's not luxury you get for that money. The tablet has a simple plastic back and frame with a structure of circles that gives a little pattern but not much grip resistance. The bezels around the screen feel reasonably thick, enough black around the screen so you can hold the tablet without accidentally pressing anything, but not so much that you're bothered by the screen being small relative to the tablet.
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Low-resolution screen
The screen is of LCD type and has a reasonable maximum brightness of 600 nits, but it's the first time in a long while that I experience a screen as pixelated. I think the relatively low screen resolution often becomes apparent, with apps often feeling a bit blurry. The color reproduction is a bit pale, but I'm not bothered by shifts when I hold the screen at different angles, something you otherwise easily notice in cheaper LCD screens. The screen has a maximum refresh rate of 90 Hz. The liquid crystals can't quite update that fast, and the automatic speed switching often seems to prefer 60 Hz, but when I set the tablet to always use 90 Hz, I find that panning and scrolling text feels a bit smoother.
In Sweden, the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 is sold in only one configuration, with 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Thus, it is a bit limited in storage space, but there is room for a memory card. If you want to connect while traveling, you need to find Wi-Fi or use your mobile as a hotspot. Variants with 4/128 GB and 4G connectivity are sold in other countries and are available in online stores with distribution in Sweden.
The tablet is powered by a chipset I never thought I would see again in a new product, the Mediatek Helio G85. I can't describe it as a fond reunion; the chipset was quite slow and intended for budget models even when it was new. That was in May 2020, four and a half years ago. A lot has happened with performance since then, even for budget models, and it shows. The tablet is really slow; there's no getting around it. It can't even run several of the performance tests. Sometimes when I press the screen and the tablet doesn't respond, I'm unsure if it's still thinking or if it hasn't registered my touch. On the other hand, when I'm in apps and games, they are quite good at limiting themselves according to the tablet's resources, so it's fine to play not too graphically demanding games or watch movies on the tablet. It's perhaps mainly when I'm browsing the web that I'm bothered by the tablet being slow, and it sometimes feels like it has frozen when trying to render a webpage, but it usually comes back to life after a few seconds.
Redmi Pad SE 8.7 comes with Android 14 and version 1.0.5 of Xiaomi's interface Hyper OS. Xiaomi has not stated how many system updates the tablet can receive, but since it is marked with Android Enterprise Recommended, they have at least committed to providing security updates at least once a quarter until August 2027.
As for Xiaomi's user interface, it is quite different from Google's standard interface, and in a way that feels quite messy and difficult to navigate. Sure, you can choose whether you want an app drawer or all apps on the home screen, and whether you want notifications and quick shortcuts in one field or divided depending on whether you swipe from the left or right, but on the other hand, this means that the user has to dig quite a bit into the settings to get the tablet the way they want it. The tablet is relatively free from bloatware, but you do get Xiaomi's own browser in addition to Google Chrome.
The camera in the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 is not much to talk about, it takes 8-megapixel photos that are at best somewhat sharp. The camera is good enough for documenting receipts and scanning QR codes, but don't expect high-quality images.
The battery life of almost ten hours of screen time at maximum brightness is good for a tablet. In comparison, it's almost double what we got from the iPad Mini in the same test.
I think the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 is worth its 1900 kronor, it manages to perform the tasks I can think of wanting to use it for, sometimes with a bit of delay. If anything, it's rather the screen that bothers me more with its low resolution and slightly washed-out colors. But you can't have everything for 1900 kronor.
Questions and Answers
Does the tablet have a fingerprint reader? No, it's a pin code, swipe gesture, or less secure face unlock.
How is the speaker? The tablet has stereo speakers that are okay if you're watching a movie, for example.
Is it a good tablet for movies? As I mentioned, I think it's a bit pixelated even at best, and when I stream, sometimes I don't get full resolution despite a good connection. So sometimes the tablet's limited performance doesn't quite keep up there. However, it usually resolves fairly quickly.
An alternative
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 is similar in screen and format. Even though that tablet is a year old, it has better performance, but it's also a couple of hundred kronor more expensive.
