Redmi Pad 2 Review – Best Budget Tablet of 2025?

Looking for a cheap yet capable tablet? The Redmi Pad 2 offers a sharp display, long battery life, and solid performance starting at just £169. Here’s our full hands-on review.

Redmi Pad 2 Review – Budget Tablet That Actually Delivers in 2025

If you’re a parent hunting for an ultra-affordable tablet to toss into your bag and hand over to the kids on road trips—or just need something simple to keep little ones entertained without losing your mind—Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad 2 could be your savior. Starting at just £169, it undercuts most of the competition while still packing features that make it genuinely usable for streaming, gaming, and light productivity. But does the low price come with compromises? Here’s everything you need to know.

Compact, Travel-Friendly Design

The Redmi Pad 2 is clearly made with portability and family use in mind. It features an 11-inch form factor that feels more compact and lighter than many modern tablets, including Xiaomi’s own Pad Pro from last year. Weighing just 519g, it’s light enough for children to hold comfortably while binging on Bluey or Paw Patrol.

While the base version comes with a metal frame, the 4G model switches to a plastic back—likely to accommodate the antenna setup. The two-tone rear design is simple yet functional, with minimal camera bump, meaning it sits flat on surfaces without wobble. You get to choose between Mint Green or Graphite Gray.

There’s no official water resistance rating, but the build feels sturdy enough to handle the chaos of daily life, especially when being passed around by kids or carried in backpacks.

Display: Bright and Sharp for the Price

One of the Redmi Pad 2’s standout features is its 11-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1600. While it doesn’t offer OLED-level contrast, it still delivers sharp visuals and decent black levels for an LCD. The 90Hz refresh rate keeps scrolling smooth, whether you’re browsing the web or flipping through photos.

Brightness tops out at around 600 nits, which is enough to make the screen viewable outdoors—as long as the sun isn’t directly reflecting off it. There’s no HDR support for Netflix or other streaming services, but considering the price, that’s forgivable.

Audio That Surprises

A quad-speaker setup in a budget tablet? Believe it. The Redmi Pad 2 manages to get impressively loud, with good clarity even at high volume. While you’re not going to get surround sound-level immersion, it easily beats the tinny mono audio you might expect at this price point. Even better, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-res audio—perfect for plugging in some quality headphones and getting immersed.

Decent Everyday Performance with Smart OS

Running HyperOS 2 on top of Android 15, the software experience is up to date, although Xiaomi promises only two years of OS upgrades and three years of security patches. That’s expected for a budget device.

The interface does have its quirks. Simple tasks like setting a custom wallpaper can be a chore (requiring workarounds through Google Photos). But the bloatware is minimal, which is a welcome surprise. No Facebook, no LinkedIn, no unnecessary junk—just a handful of Xiaomi’s own apps.

Storage, Connectivity & Optional 4G

The base model ships with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, though there’s also a version with 256GB and 8GB RAM. Storage is expandable via microSD—up to a whopping 2TB.

As for connectivity, the 4G model supports a SIM card but lacks eSIM and 5G capabilities. Honestly, unless you need mobile data on the go, you’re probably better off skipping the 4G version and using that extra cash to upgrade the RAM and storage instead.

Stylus Support and Accessories

While it doesn’t ship with a keyboard case, the Redmi Pad 2 does support Xiaomi’s Redmi stylus, which allows for writing, sketching, and even taking screenshots. There’s also a smart cover accessory available that doubles as a stand and automatically puts the tablet to sleep when closed.

Again, Xiaomi seems to be targeting this more as a content consumption device than a productivity tool.

Cameras: Basic But Serviceable

Don’t expect stellar photography here. The Redmi Pad 2 packs a 5MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear camera. They’re good enough for video calls, taking basic pictures, or letting the kids go wild filming their pets. Nothing special, but perfectly functional.

Performance and Gaming

Powered by the MediaTek Helio G100 Ultra chipset, the tablet handles day-to-day tasks well—especially if you go for the 8GB RAM variant. App switching, web browsing, and even split-screen multitasking all work smoothly.

Gaming performance is surprisingly solid. Titles like Call of Duty Mobile and PUBG run well, even on higher graphics settings. The tablet holds a steady frame rate, and there are no major heating issues. Just don’t expect to play graphically intense titles like Genshin Impact with the same ease.

Battery Life: A Major Win

A 9,000mAh battery keeps this tablet going for days. Expect over 10 hours of streaming on a single charge, making it ideal for travel. Charging is capped at 18W, so make sure you plug it in well ahead of any long trip—it’s not the fastest, but again, this isn’t premium territory.

Final Verdict: Worth Every Penny (Almost)

The Redmi Pad 2 is one of the most affordable, kid- and travel-friendly tablets you can buy in 2025. It’s perfect for families, students, or anyone who wants a media device that won’t break the bank. Skip the 4G model unless you truly need mobile connectivity, and use the savings to upgrade the RAM and storage.

With a sharp display, long battery life, and strong media features, it delivers exactly what most people want in a budget tablet—and a little bit more.