Xiaomi is one of those brands that is always in the headlines. As time has gone by the phone maker has expanded their device lineup and also started a massive global expansion. In addition to their phones, their MIUI software is also well known and sought after. Why all the hype around this company you might ask. Well, it might have something to do with the fact that they release high spec, dependable devices at less than half the price of the big brands.
Over the last year or two there have been rumors of a Xiaomi tablet but it just never happened. Then out of the blue the MiPad was announced and soon hit the stores. Obviously Apple inspired the MiPad looks like an iPad mini but is all Android inside thanks to the MIUI ROM. I was curious about the tablet but also curious about the Nvidia K1 processor so I figured I could kill two birds with one stone. So let the review begin.
Unboxing
I ordered the Xiaomi MiPad from 1949deal and the tablet was shipped within a few days by EMS. When it arrived it was very well packaged.
The box for the MiPad is of a plain brown variety. While it's nice to see cool packaging for a device I really don't care when it's not there. It's the device that needs to be amazing not the box, right? Inside was the tablet, some instructions, a micro USB cable, and a wall charger.
- 7.9″ 2048 x 1536 display
- Nvidia K1 quad core clocked at 2.2 Ghz
- 2GB RAM
- 16 GB storage
- expansion slot that will support up to 128GB cards
- 5MP front and 8 MP rear cameras
- 6700 mAh battery
Physical Features
The Xiaomi MiPad measures 202 x 135.4 x 8.5 mm and weights 360 grams. It's quite comfortable to hold due to it's thin design but you do need to be careful when holding it. The back of the device is very smooth and I could easily see it's slippery surface being the cause of the device hitting the floor.
On the bottom is the imcro USB port.
On the right is the volume rocker and the power button.
On the top is the 3.5 mm head set jack.
The top center is the location of the front facing camera.
The top center is the location of the front facing camera.
Looking at the back the camera is in the top left corner with the dual speakers being at the bottom.
Display
The 7.9 inch display of the MiPad has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 for a 324 ppi pixel density. The screen feels solid thanks to the Gorilla Glass 3 and is very responsive.
The viewing is equally as good as the angles are good and the picture quality is fantastic.
Software
The Xiaomi MiPad is using MIUI which is their version of a custom Android ROM. It's based on 4.4.2 KitKat and offers an appearance much like iOS where the apps are all dropped onto the main screens. Included are lots of customization options but if you still don't like the look you can always use a launcher from Google Play.
Looks aside the software is stable and runs very well. The only drwback I've found is the Wi-Fi drains the battery fairly quickly even when the device is sleeping. The only fix I have found is to change the Wi-Fi setting to only engage when the device is awake.
Google Play store came on my device but that was put there by the reseller. Regardless, it's an easy fix as you can just use the included app store to search Google and install the Play Store. When it asks to install other files like frame work, allow it and you'll be all set in a matter of minutes.
The boot time was 25 seconds.
Wi-Fi
The MiPad comes with dual band wi-fi. I tested both the 5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz.
My house has a basement and a main level. The router is located at the center point of the basement so I took readings at the router as a baseline and then tested it's range by venturing upstairs.
5 Ghz
Router= 72.7 mbps
On the basement level the results remained around 70 mbps.
Main level= 10.06 mbps ( As I worked my way toward the far side of the level the signal dissapeared completely)
2.4 Ghz
Router= 68.05 mbps
Main level above the router= 20.58 mbps
Far corner of the main level = 19.7 mbps
As you can see, the Wi-Fi for the Xiaomi MiPad is quite good and the 2.4 Ghz signal easily covered my entire house.
Speakers
The dual rear speakers on the MiPad are perfectly located right on the curvature of the tablet. This makes them harder to muffle when holding the tablet sideways watching movies or playing games but allows the user to put it down without experiencing any problems with the sound.
Overall I was very impressed with the sound quality as the speakers were very clear and reasonably loud. They performed well with all genres of music and picked up a good amount of bass without sounding muddy.
Video Playback
The GPU in the Nvidia K1 is a real powerhouse allowing it to perform well in any situation, video playback included. I used the stock player as well as VLC to try a variety of HD online video clips as well as HD movies in different formats. Everything played very well and combined with the excellent display and quality speakers watching media on the tablet was a great experience.
Web Browsing
I used Maxthon browser to test out surfing the web and everything went very well. Pages loaded quickly even if they were image heavy and overall the device was quite snappy when online. It seems like the Nvidia K1 is the real deal.
Cameras
The front facing camera on the Xiaomi MiPad is a 5 MP unit and works very nicely for video chatting as well as taking quality selfies. The rear 8MP camera really impressed me. In general I've found the cameras that are used for tablets are rather poor so I wasn't expecting much. The main camera focused fairly quickly and took some rather nice shots. The only downside is there is no flash, so make sure you have lots of light.
Benchmarks
Nvidia talked a big game regarding their new K1 processor so let's have a look and see if it really is a threat to the current market technology.
Antutu
38,080
Antutu 5
It appears to be at the upper range of the current devices. Let's keep testing.
Nenamark 259.7 fps
Nenamark 259.7 fps
CPU Prime
8994
Very nice score. The MiPad is the first device I've personally come across that beats the Nvidia Shield in this test.
Vellamo
Vellamo
The MiPad thanks to its Nvidia K1 gets top marks in all tests. If you are looking for a powerhouse device the Xiaomi MiPad gets the nod.
BatteryThe big question about the Nvidia K1 is how much does it take out of the battery to get those awesome benchmarks. I put the tablet display on auto and used VLC player to create a video loop. The tablet lasted a respectable 8 hrs 23 minutes. Performance and efficiency. Very nice.
Gaming
Nvidia heavily promoted the GPU on the K1 so one would hope it performs well in the gaming tests. I started with Into the dead and gameplay was very responsive and smooth. As I upped the ante by loading Dead Trigger 2 the graphics defaulted to the highest settings and gameplay was very nice. same scenario with Asphalt 8. I even opened a bunch of apps to run in the back ground and everything remained buttery smooth. If you like your video games, the Xiaomi MiPad delivers.
Final thoughts
Pro's
- Quality device
- Good display
- Great performance
- Good speakers
- Cameras are better than expected
- Battery drain when in sleep (caused by Wi-Fi), hopefully this will be fixed in future software updates
- No flash on main camera
Bottom line: resonable price for killer performance.
