Xiaomi has just announced a new Redmi Pad SE 2 tablet for the Chinese market, with strong odds that it’ll make its way over here in due course. The major question is: which version of the Redmi Pad SE will it replace? The cheaper 8.7in version or the more costly 11in?
It’s a tough call because the sequel sits in between those two in terms of size, but adds a 120Hz refresh rate. It also bumps up battery capacity. Is the new Redmi Pad SE 2 replacing both? That seems like a more likely conclusion.
Check out my new Pad SE 2
The newest affordable Redmi tablet doesn’t really skimp much on the screen, despite going a little smaller. The 9.7in screen features a 2,048 x 1,280 resolution, that 120Hz refresh rate, and 600 nits of brightness. The latter point isn’t ideal for outdoor use, but the expanded 7,600mAh battery suggests that Xiaomi knows folks are using these indoors. For long periods. Instead of dealing with their issues. Ahem… anyway.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6s Gen 2 powers the display, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. Owners can expand storage by up to 2TB if their wallets can stand the strain of buying the microSD card. It’s all tucked into a metal body (aside from the glass display, of course).
The tablet has cameras in front and rear, but these aren’t really worth bothering with. Convenient snaps (likely of documents) and video calls are their likely strengths.
But there’s the price to consider. Chinese pricing is known, which, converted to South African Rands, works out to around R2,650. That also puts the Redmi Pad SE 2 right in between the two existing models currently sold in SA. It’s also, for what you’re getting, rather affordable.




