![[Review] 3 months with the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro (12/512GB Matte Glass) - My Pros & Cons](https://preview.redd.it/fzcid8en8gbh1.jpeg?auto=webp&s=3179d137ef425485c11f3582aaf39aa54da235dc)
[Review] 3 months with the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro (12/512GB Matte Glass) - My Pros & Cons
I like tablets in general. I started with early Android tablets, moved to the iPad Mini (2, 4 & 5), and then went back to Samsung with the Tab A8 and S7 FE. The Pad 8 Pro is a huge step up for me.
I’ve been using it since mid-March (so over 3 months now). Here is my honest feedback. If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them in the comments!
Pros :
-Performance: The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 4 is an absolute beast. Everything is snappy, and it handles emulation and heavy gaming flawlessly.
-The Screen: Despite not being an OLED, I love this LCD panel. The matte glass version is a game-changer for daylight or outdoor use. It’s going to be very hard for me to go back to a regular glossy screen.
-Battery Life: Awesome. I get around 6 to 10 hours while gaming (closer to 6 hours for heavy titles like Tomb Raider at 120fps). Media playback consumes almost no battery. After 23 cycles since March, the battery health (SoH) is still at 100%.
-Accessories: The Pen and the Focus Keyboard are great. They are very useful, well-conceived, and genuinely improve productivity.
-Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work perfectly. I get excellent download speeds, and my Bluetooth devices never disconnect (unlike on some of my Windows laptops).
Cons :
-Speakers: Quite disappointing. They are quiet and pretty mediocre. They are serviceable, but if audio quality is a priority for you, look elsewhere. My old Galaxy S7 FE had much better sound. (I mostly use headphones, so it's not a dealbreaker for me).
-External Display Support: Pretty poor. It works, but only for screen mirroring—there is no "extend" or "external only" mode. Plus, you can't output in 16:9, so you're stuck with the tablet's 3:2 aspect ratio on your monitor.
-Software (HyperOS): It’s just okay. Coming from Samsung's OneUI, HyperOS isn't really exciting. Nothing is fundamentally broken, but nothing really stands out either.
-USB-C Dock Bug: When using a PD USB-C dock, the tablet sometimes fails to charge. I have to unplug and replug the power cable from the dock to kickstart it.
Overall, I’m really happy with this purchase. It's a solid device, and I hope it will last for years to come.