It had been absent from the Indian tablet market for a while, but Xiaomi returned last year with the Mi Pad 5, and followed it up with the Redmi Pad, both of which did reasonably well. Now, the brand has launched the successor of the Mi Pad 5, the Xiaomi Pad 6. At Rs 26,999, it comes at the same starting price as the Mi Pad 5, but comes with significantly improved specs. The Xiaomi Pad 6 comes with an 11-inch 2.8k display with 144Hz refresh rate and is powered by the slightly old but still formidable Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor.
It comes with close to a dozen hours of battery life and a 33W charger that can recharge the tablet from zero to full in about 100 minutes. It also boasts quad speakers, support for Dolby Vision, good front and rear cameras and comes with a version of MIUI on top of Android 13, which has been tweaked to run well on a larger display. Round that off with a metal build, and accessories that are very attractively priced — the Smart Pen stylus at Rs 5,999 and a keyboard cover at Rs 4,999 — and Xiaomi’s new tablet looks like a formidable proposition.
However, the Indian tablet market has its share of tablets that can challenge this newcomer. The Xiaomi Pad 6 might be ticking most of the spec, feature and price boxes, but it still faces a number of challengers. Standing in its way are these five tablets, which anyone planning to invest in a tablet for around Rs 30,000 can consider.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite: The S Pen Specialist
Price: Rs 27,999 onwards
Initially released in 2020, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite got a new lease of life last year when Samsung released a slightly refreshed version of it in India. Some might find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G too mid-segment-y to compete with the Snapdragon 870 on the Xiaomi Pad 6, but on the flip side, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite comes with the iconic S Pen stylus (arguably the best stylus in Android tab-land) in the box.
You also get a slightly smaller but very bright 10.4-inch display. The cameras are not the greatest and the design is a little on the plain side, but battery life is good at close to ten hours and Samsung’s One UI interface works well and also lets you do more with that stylus.
There’s also a 4G version available for those who want a tablet with inbuilt network connectivity. Not a powerhouse, but definitely a very good option for
OnePlus Pad: The ‘Never Settler’ Now Has A Tab
Price: Rs 37,999 onwards
It might seem significantly more expensive, but OnePlus’ first tablet has already established itself in the minds of many as one of the best Android tablets around.
And it does pack in some very impressive specs — an 11.61-inch display with a rather different 2,800×2,000 pixels resolution (giving the tablet a 7:5 aspect ratio) and 144Hz refresh rate, a slightly old but still very powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, plenty of RAM and storage, and also a very eye-catching green shade.
Top that off with decent cameras, OnePlus’ relatively clean UI, good battery life with 67W charging, and stylus and keyboard accessories that are well-crafted and yet still relatively affordable, and you have a tablet that is formidable.
The functionality of the stylus (Stylo) is still relatively limited, but this is OnePlus with performance-improving updates always just around the corner.
Lenovo Tab P11 Plus: For Those Who Love Multimedia
Price: Rs 26, 499 onwards
This is another older tablet that has got a whole lot more affordable. The P11 Plus does not boast a very powerful processor. It comes with the MediaTek Helio 90 GT, which is a little on the old side and will struggle to handle most new high-end games.
Where the P11 Plus wins is in terms of multimedia with an excellent 11-inch 2K display and quad speakers with support for Dolby Audio. It is sleekly designed and while Android updates have been relatively slow to arrive on it, it remains a steady rather than spectacular performer. A battery life of about ten hours makes this tablet a very good option for those who like watching shows and videos on their tablets.
iPad (9th Generation): The Affordable iPad
Price: Rs 28,000 onwards
It is rare to see Apple keep an older iPad in the market when it launches a new variant, but this has happened with the iPad (9th generation), which continues to be officially available, even after the launch of the iPad (10th generation). One of the main reasons for this could be the steep price difference between the two models.
Although the iPad (9th generation) is officially priced at Rs 33,900 it is often available at prices below Rs 30,000. Which makes it a potential headache for Android tablets in that range. It might have a relatively small 10.2-inch display, and come with that round home button beneath the display that also doubles up as a fingerprint scanner, which Apple has phased out. But it remains a very solid performer even now.
The A13 Bionic chip is not the most powerful around but can handle most tasks easily, and well, Apple’s great hardware and software integration means that the tablet works very smoothly most of the time. The stereo speakers deliver great sound and battery life remains in the classic 10-hour iPad territory. It supports only the older Apple Pencil, but is assured software updates for a while.
It might be a little long in the tooth in tech terms, but it still works smoothly and well, it is an iPad. Which is enough for it to be a pain for any device in its vicinity.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE: For The Android Heavyweights
Price: Rs 37,999 onwards
It comes with a significantly higher price tag than the Xiaomi Pad 6, but then the Galaxy Tab S7 FE is arguably the most capable tablet in this lineup. Those extra bucks get you a sleek metal design, a large 12.4-inch display with 2,560×1,600 pixels resolution, as well as a bundled S Pen stylus, which works smoothly.
The sound is among the best in the segment, thanks to stereo speakers tuned by the legendary AKG. The tablet also comes with a massive 10,090mAh battery that delivers more than a dozen hours of battery life.
The only fly in this tablet-y ointment is the Snapdragon 750G processor, which is decent enough for most tasks, but will not really be able to handle high-end games at maxed-out settings.
At 608 grams, it is also a little on the heavy side for a tablet, but it remains a great option for those who love to draw and are multimedia addicts.