Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4 Review: Stylish & Versatile

Value When Reviewed

Unavailable within the US

Xiaomi’s newest high-end Android pill is the Pad 6S Professional 12.4, and it’s one thing of a head turner –  smooth all-metal physique and a 12.4-inch 3K show on the skin, highly effective Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor with as much as 12GB reminiscence and 512GB of storage on the within. 

In addition to providing patrons a substitute for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely – one other highly effective Android pill – and the Apple iPad Professional (2022), Xiaomi has made a pill that seems to have the ability to do something. 

Highly effective audio system and an in depth show promise an excellent multimedia expertise. There’s additionally a Xiaomi Focus Pen stylus, which in addition to letting you doodle and take notes on the Pad 6S Professional, comes with an fascinating cropping function, and a rubberised cowl with a kickstand. 

There’s additionally the Touchpad Keyboard dock within the pipeline, which ought to allow you to crack on with some work if you’re executed with streaming and sketching – this peripheral was not supplied with the overview pattern, sadly, and on the time of writing, neither was a launch date. 

With costs beginning at £599, the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional can also be competitively priced, and will do for high-end Android tablets what the Xiaomi Pad 6 did for mid-range tablets.

Check out our present picks for the most effective tablets cash should buy.

Design & Construct 

• Wafer-thin all-metal jacket
• Digicam module juts out from the physique
• You’ll most likely desire a case

The Pad 6S Professional’s physique is comprised of a metallic alloy that’s out there in only one color, a darkish silver which Xiaomi calls ‘graphite gray’. At the moment, the official Xiaomi Professional Cowl folding case can also be solely out there in gray. Hopefully extra color choices might be made out there sooner. 

The metallic jacket and 7mm bezel give the Pad 6S Professional a sensible, tidy look. It’s laborious to imagine that the skinny edges of the gadget home no fewer than six exterior audio system – two speaker grilles sit on both edge. 

On the left-hand fringe of the Pad 6S Professional (when holding it in portrait mode) you’ll discover the facility button. The amount rocker sits across the nook, on the highest fringe of the gadget, which makes for simple screenshot taking. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

The highest edge additionally contains a magnetic strip, for the Focus Pen stylus to be related to for charging and storage. Over on the suitable hand facet between the 2 speaker grilles is a Sort-C USB port. There are not any ports, connections, or grilles on the underside edge. 

The front-facing digicam sensor is tiny, barely noticeable within the bezel. Over on the rear is a digicam module which seems to be prefer it’s been transplanted from the Xiaomi 14 smartphone. It rises about 2mm up from the remainder of the pill’s physique, which signifies that the Pad 6S Professional gained’t relaxation flush with a desktop. If I had been a cynic, I’d say that the intent right here is to power you to purchase a protecting cowl along with your pill. 

The Professional Cowl, with its rubbery coating, makes the Pad 6S Professional simpler to grip and maintain, plus, the clasp helps the stylus in place when it’s charging. Whereas the pill is pretty weighty, you’ll be able to (nearly) maintain it in a single hand and swipe and sketch within the different.

Be aware that it doesn’t include an IP score for mud and water safety just like the IP68 Tab S9 vary.

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Display screen & Audio system

• 12.4-inch LCD panel
• Most refresh fee of 144Hz
• Six exterior audio system

The Pad 6S Professional’s 12.4in show is an LCD kind, which means that it gained’t provide the beautiful ranges of distinction that you simply get from an OLED show – just like the one on the the Samsung Tab S9 Extremely – however with quoted peak brightness of 900 nits, distinction right here continues to be good.  

The excessive decision and 144Hz refresh fee signifies that video games and video content material seems to be properly detailed as nicely. The three:2 side ratio signifies that video content material is letterboxed, however the additional top you get in contrast with 16:10 shows makes for roomier internet searching and workplace duties. 

The images I’ve taken would possibly counsel in any other case, however the show was vibrant sufficient to punch via the noon solar, even when the reflective coating does decide up glare fairly badly. With the Excessive Brightness Mode engaged, I recorded peak brightness of 921 nits, barely increased than the listed most. The show is greater than vibrant sufficient for indoor use. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Audio from movies and music performed via the stereo audio system sounds incredible, all issues thought-about. Dialogue all the time sounded clear as a bell above background noise, even in motion sequences, such because the battle scene of Episode 9 of Shogun. 

Tracks with stereo and 5.1 mixes sounded much more spacious than they’d on most tablets, and whereas the bodily limitations of a tool of this dimension imply that bass response is all the time going to be restricted, I used to be impressed with how weighty songs sounded.

It’s no substitute for a standalone speaker or soundbar, naturally, however as pill audio system go, they’re superb certainly. 

Focus Pen stylus 

• 240Hz contact sampling fee
• 8192 ranges of strain sensitivity
• Nice for sketching and writing
• Highlighter instrument and palm detection wants work

A key promoting level of the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional is the Focus Pen, an lively stylus which pairs with the Pad 6S Professional by way of Bluetooth. 

It makes use of proprietary Xiaomi expertise, and in line with spokespeople isn’t based mostly on AES expertise. In different phrases, if you happen to attempt to use one other stylus with this, likelihood is if it does work in any respect, its performance might be restricted.

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

In addition to functioning as a stylus as you’d anticipate, the Focus Pen has some fascinating methods up its sleeve. There are three controls on the facet of the Focus Pen, which allow you to motion various things.

The Writing button (the one closest to the tip) quick-launches the Mi Canvas note-taking and sketching app. The Screenshot button (the center button) launches a cropping instrument, which which you’ll be able to seize and save particular parts of what’s in your show, or take a whole screenshot, as an alternative of getting to succeed in for the facility key and quantity rocker. 

Lastly, there’s the standalone Highlight button, which may do plenty of issues. Urgent and holding this button sees a pink dot cursor seem on the display which you’ll be able to the transfer round with the stylus, successfully utilizing the Focus Pen like a digital laser pointer. It’s simple to make use of, enjoyable, and efficient sat shut up and stood distant.

Whereas I used to be ready to make use of this comfortably when stood two meters away, at such a distance, it’s additionally tough to see what’s on the show, so maybe not greatest employed in giant conferences.  

Urgent the Highlight button as soon as brings up a highlighter instrument which does an identical factor, though in observe, that is tougher to make use of, due to the cursor abruptly veering off in a single course, or the highlighter not all the time highlighting, despite the fact that you’ve obtained the button pressed down. Attempting to make useful annotations to pictures felt like performing keyhole surgical procedure with a Nintendo Wii controller. 

One other factor you are able to do with the Highlight button is use it as a distant digicam shutter. 

You may be considering, ‘Sure, that is all very good, however how does it fare as a stylus?’ Fairly good, because it occurs. 

The Focus Pen boasts 8192 ranges of strain sensitivity (double that of the Apple Pencil 2nd gen), a 240Hz contact sampling fee (the variety of instances the Pad 6S Professional’s show can sense the stylus per second), and 3ms of latency (the delay between you writing one thing and it showing on the show).

In easy phrases, it’s a really delicate stylus that’ll allow you to rapidly scrawl away with little or no activation power. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

The Mi Canvas app demonstrates this nicely – I had plenty of enjoyable producing sketches of pine cones and marvelled on the very refined adjustments you can also make to drawings. For instance, the pencil instrument will yield stronger, darker marks the tougher you press, as you would possibly anticipate. With the pencil opacity set to 60%, this impact grew to become uncannily lifelike, as with tiny flicks of the stylus, I may simply add slight particulars, or heavy shading just by urgent a mite tougher. 

That is nice not simply due to the pleasing impact of the expertise, however as a result of it saved me from having to cease drawing, dive into the settings, improve opacity, and leap again. I may have simply missed the deadline for this overview on account of how a lot enjoyable sketching is. 

The ink pen instrument was a bit slower to reply, with some noticeable delay between pen strokes and the ‘ink’ showing on the display. Aside from that particular instrument in Mi Canvas, there was no discernible delay. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Mi Canvas additionally as an intriguing AI Pen instrument, however this selection is presently solely out there to beta testers, so I can’t say if it’s an enchancment on what we noticed at this yr’s Cell World Congress. It will probably flip a easy, garbage even, sketch into usable paintings.

The pill’s palm rejection measures normally labored – the Pad 6S Professional may normally inform each time I used to be resting my hand on the show, and wouldn’t decide that up once I was sketching, however, I discovered that each time jotting down issues within the Notes app in panorama mode, my palm would, as a rule, by chance launch the keyboard, which was irritating.

Fortunately, I by no means encountered this when holding the pill portrait-wise, which might be how most individuals might be holding it whereas taking notes, so arguably, not as large a difficulty as it’d seem but it surely’s nonetheless annoying. 

This apart, the handwriting recognition side of the Notes app is excellent. I actually needed to strive laborious, by writing badly on goal, to idiot the software program into changing my handwriting into the incorrect phrase, however the majority of the time, the Pad 6S Professional had me beat.

Specs & Efficiency 

• Glorious general efficiency
• Not fairly as highly effective because the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely
• However Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional’s battery lasts longer

The Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional’s efficiency is excellent certainly. In addition to the aforementioned Mi Canvas app working very easily, high-end sport Asphalt 9 ran like greased lightning with added grease.

Basic on a regular basis operations like internet searching and even simply swishing via menus feels incredible as nicely, a sensation helped by that 144MHz show.

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

There are two variations of the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional out there, one with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, one with 12/512GB, neither of which might be expanded with microSD playing cards. The mannequin provided for testing is the entry degree one. 

Each are powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which boosts as much as 3.19GHz – slower than the overclocked Samsung variant, which boosts as much as 3.36GHz.

It’s maybe not a shock then to see that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely leaps forward of the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional in nearly each benchmark, particularly the Geekbench CPU stress take a look at. It’s a bit behind the Apple iPad Professional 12.9 as nicely – a pill from 2021.

However, to paraphrase Blade Runner, the pill that burns brighter eats via battery energy extra rapidly – the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional is probably not as highly effective as these, but it surely’ll outlast them in a long-distance run (extra on battery life later). 

Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional 12.4 benchmarks

Connectivity-wise you get Wi-Fi 7 right here, promising speeds far above 1Gbps, offered you’re related to an up-to-date router, and Bluetooth 5.3. There’s no 5G assist both. 

Cameras

• 50Mp essential digicam with 2Mp depth lens and LED flash
• 32Mp entrance digicam

Cameras on tablets are not often a lot to put in writing house about, and the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional isn’t any exception. 

Photographs are comparable with what you’d see from a mid-range cellphone so stills are inclined to look advantageous in daylight, or areas with loads of synthetic gentle. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

The primary 50Mp sensor is fast to concentrate on topics and takes images rapidly, so as a rule, your snaps are inclined to look very crisp and detailed. This usually holds up when zoomed in at x2 magnification, however pushed past that and issues quickly deteriorate. 

Colors are a bit washed out and fewer vibrant than they’re in actuality, however general, outcomes are good. In darkish areas, or at night time time, it’s a unique story. 

One of the best factor about the primary digicam for me is the doc scanner instrument, which does a very good job of rapidly zeroing in on what you need. 

The front-facing 32Mp digicam is ok for video calls. The angle that the Pad 6S Professional sits at with the Professional Cowl kickstand out signifies that individuals on the opposite finish get a very good take a look at your face as an alternative of trying up your nostrils or instantly at your chin.

Stills usually are not so good, because the outcomes are sometimes fairly grainy and noisy. 

Battery Life & Charging 

• 10,000mAh battery is sufficient energy for a working day
• Lasted over 9 hours in benchmark take a look at
• Fees again up from flat in simply over 40 minutes

The battery lifetime of tablets sometimes isn’t nice, particularly if they’ve vibrant, detailed shows, however the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional fared a bit higher than most. 

Working the PCMark Work 3.0 benchmarking instrument with brightness locked at 200 nits noticed the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional lasting 9 hours and 10 minutes, barely forward of equally ‘specced tablets. The battery will sit at round 80-85 after an hour of streaming music on YouTube or watching TV. 

Better of all although is how rapidly you’ll be able to replenish the tank with the whopping 120W mains adapter. From empty, after quarter-hour, I used to be at 48%, and after half an hour, 81%, lastly hitting 100% after 43 minutes.

It’s nice to see that share counter go up so rapidly. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Software program & Options 

• Xiaomi HyperOS on high of Android 14 
• Some (however not all) bloatware might be eliminated
• Two years of OS updates
• Three years of safety updates

The Pad 6S Professional’s consumer interface is fairly simple to familiarize yourself with, and might be immediately acquainted to anybody who has used an Android pill earlier than. 

Particularly, it comes with Xiaomi’s new HyperOS customized consumer interface working on high of Android 14. It doesn’t massively differ from the inventory Android expertise and is a reasonably inoffensive customized UI. 

Many of the stuff you’ll wish to begin enjoying with are put proper in entrance of you after you’ve completed setting the factor up – though, bizarrely, Xiaomi determined to cover the superb Mi Canvas app away on the menu display instantly to your proper.

Dragging down from the highest proper nook opens the fast settings panel the place you’ll be able to toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness and the like. 

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Whereas on the floor, HyperOS doesn’t look a lot completely different to Xiaomi’s previous MIUI interface, it’s much less resource-intensive. 

HyperOS comes with a handful of Xiaomi apps and companies pre-installed, like Xiaomi Dwelling, a hub via which you’ll be able to handle and management Xiaomi good house units – and is subsequently solely actually helpful if you happen to even have any Xiaomi good house units. When you don’t, at the least you’ll be able to uninstall it – which is greater than you’ll be able to say for the Mi Browser, which you’ll be able to’t uninstall. 

As I didn’t have a Xiaomi cellphone handy whereas testing out the Pad 6S Professional, I can’t say how nicely the brand new Dwelling Display screen+ function works – this allows you to forged your cellphone’s display to your pill and work together with it remotely. 

By way of assist, Xiaomi confirmed that the Pad 6S Professional will get two years of OS updates and three years of safety cowl. It’s a fundamental degree of assist and we might hope for extra contemplating Xiaomi gives 4 years OS and 5 years of safety for its flagship telephones.

When you may be spending some huge cash between the pill and its elective equipment, it solely lasting three years on the software program facet isn’t nice worth for cash. The likes of Samsung and Google provide longer assist.

Value & Availability

The Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional is on sale now, though be aware that on the time of writing, availability is restricted. 

Within the UK, you should purchase instantly from Xiaomi, the place the 8/256GB and 12/512GB fashions can be found for £599 and £699 respectively. 

You can even decide up the Focus Pen stylus from Xiaomi for £79, and the Professional Cowl for £29. 

The Touchpad Keyboard will not be but on sale, and no launch date has been introduced, however Xiaomi has confirmed to me that will probably be priced at £169.

Be aware that the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional 12.4 is not going to be occurring sale in america, Canada, or Australia.

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Thomas Newton / Foundry

Must you purchase the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional 12.4?

When you’re out there for a high-end pill and also you’re concerned about branching out into digital artwork, or simply usually like the thought of getting some sketching executed in between work and Netflix binges, then the Xiaomi Pad 6S Professional should be in your purchasing checklist. 

It may not be as highly effective because the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely – nonetheless essentially the most succesful Android pill on the market – but it surely’s smaller and subsequently simpler to hold round, the battery lasts longer, and it’s significantly inexpensive as nicely. 

If sketching or utilizing a stylus to take notes is of much less significance to you, then the mid-range Xiaomi Pad 6 may be a greater possibility, or the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional – it may be a mannequin from 2021, but it surely’s nonetheless a very good value-for-money purchase. 

What the Pad 6S Professional doesn’t have on its facet in comparison with rivals is longevity due to quick software program assist.

Specs

• Show: 12.4in 144MHz 3:2 LCD show
• Decision: 3K (3,048×2,032), 3:2 side ratio
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Octa-core as much as 3.19GHz
• Storage: 256/512GB
• RAM: 8/12GB
• Digicam: 50Mp+2Mp entrance, 32Mp rear
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3
• Sound: Six Dolby Atmos-branded stereo audio system, microphone
• Battery Life: As much as 9 hours
• Charging: USB-C (USB 2.0)
• Weight: 278.7 x 191.6 x 6.26mm 
• Dimensions: 590g