Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro: New Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite tablet already available globally starting at $499 via importers

Yesterday, Xiaomi updated its flagship Pad tablet series with the Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro. Replacing last year's Pad 7 and Pad 7 Pro (curr. $599 on Amazon), the Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro remain exclusive to China for now. Based on Xiaomi's recent release strategy, that may remain the case until MWC 2026, which the GSM Association has scheduled between March 2 and March 5, 2026.

In the meantime, third parties like Giztop have started offering the Pad 8 Pro to those living outside China. Incidentally, the Xiaomi 17, Xiaomi 17 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max are already available via importers, details of which we have covered separately. For the time being, Giztop is only stocking the Pad 8 Pro. By contrast, the Pad 8 is currently listed as being out of stock, although it should eventually be available for around $359.

Meanwhile, the Pad 8 Pro starts at $499 with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Alternatively, Giztop offers the tablet with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage or 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage for $599 and $699, respectively. For the time being, the retailer is not selling Xiaomi's official keyboard or stylus accessories, though. Please note that imported Pad 8 Pro tablets will run the Chinese version of HyperOS 3 that features English and Chinese language support with Google Mobile Services (GMS) pre-installed.