Xiaomi launches affordable iPad mini rival with 165Hz screen and large battery

Xiaomi has launched a new compact flagship tablet in China, the Redmi K Pad 2. While it's not as small as the iPad mini A15, the 8.8-inch display puts it basically in the same category. The minimalist design on the back even makes it look very similar to the compact Apple tab.

Speaking of the display, while the Redmi K Pad 2 doesn't feature an AMOLED screen, it promises a very responsive experience. It's a 165Hz LCD panel with a peak brightness rating of 1,100 nits, wide color gamut, and 540Hz touch sampling rate.

The company says that the table has multiple optimizations to make users get the best out of this high refresh rate display. For example, Xiaomi notes that some games can reach 165FPS.

Under the hood, the Redmi K Pad 2 features the Dimensity 9500, the current-gen flagship SoC from MediaTek. However, unlike in the Redmi K90 Max phone, Xiaomi didn't pair it with the dedicated D2 graphics chip, but claims that the gaming performance will remain solid across multiple titles.

Another gaming-centric feature of the tablet is the dual-port configuration. Similar to the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5, there are two Type-C ports, allowing gamers to use one port for charging and the other for an accessory.

There's a 9,100mAh battery inside with support for 67W fast charging and 22.5W reverse wired charging. A speaker setup with Sound by Bose tuning, stylus support (Metapen A8 curr. $14.99 on Amazon), and a large vapor chamber is among the other major highlights.

As for the price, the Redmi K Pad 2 has a starting price of CNY 3,599, around $527, which is for the configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. Its top-end option features 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which goes for CNY 4,999, about $733. The first-gen model was launched globally as the Xiaomi Pad Mini, and the company is also expected to introduce the newer tab to the global market.