Redmi Pad 2 9.7: Wide Display, Affordable, and Lightweight, but Some Performance Limitations

Not all tablets need to chase raw power and high-end specifications.

The Redmi Pad 2 9.7 comes from a different idea: a large screen, generous battery, and a price starting at €179.90 in Italy, for those looking for a second screen to use for streaming, reading, and some light activities, without expectations of a portable workstation. We tested it for about two weeks, putting it through its paces in everyday use of TV series, social media, a few video calls, and prolonged reading. Here’s what we found.

Technical Specifications and Design

The Redmi Pad 2 9.7 features the Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 under the hood, a low-end solution produced with a 6nm process featuring an octa-core cluster made up of four Cortex-A73 at 2.9GHz and four Cortex-A53 at 1.9GHz, accompanied by the Adreno 610 GPU. In the configurations available on the Italian market, RAM is capped at 4GB, although other markets also offer a 6GB RAM and 128GB storage option. Storage in Italy comes in two sizes, 64GB or 128GB, in both cases on UFS 2.2 memory with the possibility of expansion via microSD, a feature that is increasingly rare even in the budget segment.

On the back, there is only a single 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, while on the front, there is a 5-megapixel f/2.2 module, positioned on the long side to facilitate video calls when the tablet is in a horizontal orientation. Both cameras are limited to Full HD video at 30 frames per second, consistent with the accessory role photography has on such a product.

In terms of connectivity, the Redmi Pad 2 9.7 offers dual-band Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX codec, and USB Type-C port, while there's no cellular module in the version intended for the Italian market. An impressive 7,600 mAh battery powers everything, with fast charging supported up to 18W. The operating system is HyperOS 3, based on Android 16. The only biometric unlocking system available is facial recognition via the front camera, a convenient solution for everyday use but not designed for scenarios that require truly secure authentication, as there is no fingerprint sensor.

In terms of build quality, the rear casing is made of aluminum, with a glass front (the manufacturer doesn’t specify the exact type) and a metallic frame. The flat finishes on the sides improve grip, a detail appreciated especially in one-handed use, while the dust and splash resistance certification is a plus that is rarely found in this price range.

With a thickness of 7.4mm and a weight of 406 grams, the tablet is surprisingly compact for a 9.7-inch display. In direct testing, the ergonomics convinced us: the relatively contained dimensions allow for a natural grip even during prolonged reading or content viewing sessions, something that becomes increasingly uncomfortable with larger tablets. The perimeter layout of the controls follows an intuitive logic, with the power button and a speaker grille on the top side, a second speaker, the USB-C, and the 3.5mm jack (still present, despite the general trend to eliminate it) on the bottom side, and the volume buttons along with the microSD tray on the right side when the tablet is horizontal.

In the package, besides the tablet, are included a pin for extracting the microSD tray, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and an 18W charger (though the charger actually included in the box is 15W). The book cover is sold as an optional accessory.

Technical Specifications - Redmi Pad 2 9.7

Operating System: HyperOS 3 (Android 16)
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 (6nm), octa-core 4x2.9GHz Cortex-A73 + 4x1.9GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Adreno 610
Memory: 4GB RAM + 64/128GB UFS 2.2, expandable via microSD
Display: 9.7" IPS LCD, 2048 x 1280 (268 ppi), 16:10, 120Hz, typical brightness 500 nits (600 nits HBM)
Rear Camera: 8MP f/2.0, Full HD video 30fps
Front Camera: 5MP f/2.2, Full HD video 30fps
Audio: Quad speaker, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res 24bit/192kHz, 3.5mm jack
Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX), USB Type-C, no cellular modem
Battery and Charging: 7,600 mAh, fast charging up to 18W (included charger 15W)
Construction: Glass front, aluminum casing and frame, dust and splash resistance
Dimensions: 226.5 x 148 x 7.4 mm
Weight: 406 g
Colors: Graphite Gray, Silver

Display and Audio

The panel is a 9.7-inch IPS LCD with 2K resolution (2048 x 1280 pixels, about 268 ppi) and a 16:10 format, a more vertical ratio compared to traditional widescreens that proves useful in reading and navigating documents. The refresh rate goes up to 120Hz, with intermediate steps at 60 and 90Hz, while the declared brightness is 500 nits typical, reaching 600 nits in HBM mode under more demanding conditions.

The panel impresses more in use than on paper. The 2K resolution ensures crisp text and images, and the high refresh rate makes scrolling and interface animations fluid, a detail especially noticeable during daily app navigation.

The analysis was conducted using the X-Rite i1Display Pro colorimeter and the HCFR software suite, preceded by calibration of the instrument using the X-Rite i1 Pro 2 spectrophotometer. In terms of brightness, the panel peaked at 536 nits both in reduced window (APL 15%) and full screen (APL 100%), a typical behavior for IPS panels lacking any dynamic boost logic related to illuminated area.

As this is an LCD panel, the contrast remains far from the levels of an OLED, where each pixel can turn off independently down to absolute black. From the data extracted from the colorimeter, the native contrast stands around 1,428:1 in Vivid mode, which is normal for the category but still distant from the deep blacks reserved for emissive technologies. Among the two available color profiles, Standard is the most accurate, with an average DeltaE of 4.3 calculated over the 18 color patches of the Macbeth Color Checker.

Audio and Performance

The four-speaker system offers a wider performance than the more common stereo setups in this segment, with good separation between track elements and dialogue always understandable in video content. Depth and full bass are lacking, a limit common to almost all tablets, but the maximum volume reached is sufficient to fill a small room without obvious distortion. Completing the picture is the support for Dolby Atmos for spatial audio and the Hi-Res certification at 24 bit/192kHz, while the 3.5mm jack remains a practical addition for those who prefer wired headphones.

The Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 is not designed to impress in benchmarks, and the numbers confirm this. In our tests, Geekbench 6 scores reached 483 points in single-core and 1,355 in multi-core, among the lowest recorded values in the tablet category, while the graphics part (Geekbench GPU) capped at 381 points.

Translated into real experience, this means that the tablet handles basic activities (streaming, reading, social media, some light productivity apps) without issues, but shows its limits as soon as more is asked.

The storage department performs slightly better: in our CPDT tests, sequential reading reached 615 MB/s, an average value for the category, while writing stood at 378 MB/s, with a memory copy of 4.37 GB/s. In browser-oriented benchmarks, the Redmi Pad 2 9.7 scored 13,873 points in Google Octane 2.0 and 73 runs/minute in Speedometer 2.0, numbers that place it at the lower end of the rankings.

For gaming, lighter titles remain accessible to the chipset: Mobile Legends runs at around 40 frames per second on medium settings, while Genshin Impact caps around 26fps on low settings. For more demanding titles, it is necessary to lower graphic details and still accept an inconsistent experience during the more chaotic moments. This is not a tablet designed for heavy gaming, which was already somewhat predictable given its price positioning.

The software side has the Redmi Pad 2 9.7 running on HyperOS 3 based on Android 16. The interface remains clean and intuitive, with features like shared clipboard and cross-device interaction aimed at those who already own other Xiaomi products, as well as the Circle to Search function for quick searches directly from the screen. Some pre-installed apps are excessive, along with a limited yet noticeable presence of ads in some system apps, while Xiaomi has not yet specified how many years it will guarantee software updates and security patches.

Battery Life and Charging

The 7,600 mAh battery is probably the most balanced point of the entire technical sheet. In our overall battery test, conducted with display brightness set to 200 nits and a script simulating human interactions on web pages, video streaming, and alternating CPU and GPU benchmark sessions, the Redmi Pad 2 9.7 achieved a score of 560 minutes.

The result places it in the lower middle range of tested tablets: it falls short of the 720 minutes of HONOR Pad 10 and the 620 minutes of Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro, but is in line with the 560 minutes of HONOR Pad 9 and still better than the 460 minutes of HUAWEI MatePad Pro (2025). This score translates to several days of battery life in daily use with moderate usage that includes intermittent readings and streaming, aided by decent efficiency from the combination of the LCD panel and power-sipping chipset.

Charging occurs via USB-C and supports a maximum power of 18W. A full cycle from 0 to 100% takes about 2.5 hours, a time not particularly fast but consistent with the battery capacity and the power of the included charger.

Camera

On a tablet, cameras remain more of an accessory than a strength, and the Redmi Pad 2 9.7 follows this rule. The rear 8-megapixel f/2.0 module produces decent shots in good light, sufficient for sharing a photo on social media or scanning a document, but creative ambitions should be directed elsewhere: to achieve more ambitious results, it's better to rely on a smartphone.

In low light, the quality drops significantly: digital noise becomes more evident and details easily get lost, a predictable behavior for a sensor of these dimensions without optical stabilization. Shots remain satisfactory for a tablet, considering the secondary role that photography plays on this kind of product. The front 5-megapixel f/2.2 camera fulfills its primary task, video calls, with acceptable results for online meetings and remote lessons. Placing it on the long side, instead of the short side as is often the case with tablets, favors the naturalness of framing when the device is used horizontally, the most common setup during a video call.

In video, both sensors are limited to Full HD at 30 frames per second, a limitation that weighs on a budget product today. The quality remains acceptable in good light conditions, while in the dark, digital noise becomes noticeable with about the same intensity seen in still shots.

Price and Final Considerations

In Italy, the Redmi Pad 2 9.7 comes in two configurations, both with 4GB of RAM: the 64GB storage version costs €179.90, while the 128GB version rises to €199.90. Among the official accessories is also the dedicated cover, the Redmi Pad 2 Cover 9.7, sold separately. The pricing strategy is clearly focused on accessibility and should be judged with that in mind.

After two weeks of testing, the balance remains between concrete strengths and expected compromises. The wide and fluid display, the battery capable of supporting daily use without charge anxiety, and ergonomics that make the tablet comfortable to handle despite the panel size, are the most convincing points in favor of the Redmi Pad 2 9.7.

On the flip side, the performance does not keep up with the current industry standards: it suffices for a moderate use of streaming, reading, and social media, but shows limitations as soon as the workload increases, aided by the only 4GB of RAM in the most common configurations. This is not a surprise, given its price positioning, although a generally greater responsiveness would certainly have been appreciated. The cameras, as expected for the category, remain a useful accessory rather than a true strong point.

For those looking for a second screen to use on the go for entertainment and light activities, without paying too much attention to the technical sheet, the Redmi Pad 2 9.7 remains a sensible option. For those who think about replacing a laptop or need room for intense multitasking, it is better to look at a higher price range.