Review Verdict: Xiaomi proves that there’s a market for a compact tablet with the Redmi Pad SE 8.7. While it could have a better processor, it’s one of the best compact tablets you can buy for under Php 10k in the Philippines.

Pros

• Versatile cover case
• Excellent battery life
• Also available with LTE

Cons

• Could have benefitted from a better processor
• Plastic unibody build

While there are slim options for a compact tablet, Xiaomi is one of the few brands that want to give the iPad Mini a run for its money with the Redmi Pad SE 8.7. With an under Php 10k price, Xiaomi’s compact tablet aims to be an interesting iPad Mini alternative.

Redmi Pad SE 8.7 Review Philippines: Design

Unlike its other siblings, the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 settles for a plastic unibody build, which is a necessary compromise to keep its price low. The back panel has a textured finish and appears to be durable against daily wear and tear. What’s attractive is the case that Xiaomi bundles with it, as its built-in hand strap has a locking mechanism to prop up the tablet in landscape orientation.

For its button and port layout, you have the power and volume controls on the right side, an IR blaster and speaker on top, a MicroSD/SIM card slot on the left side, and a headphone jack, USB-C port, and speaker at the bottom. You do get an IP53 rating on the Redmi Pad Se 8.7, which is a nice bonus.

Redmi Pad SE 8.7 Review Philippines: Display and Speakers

As the name implies, you’re getting an 8.7-inch IPS display, making the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 slightly bigger than the iPad Mini 6, which has an 8.3-inch display. While the Redmi Pad SE 8.7’s 800×1340 resolution can’t match the iPad Mini 6’s Liquid Retina display, it does have a 90hz refresh rate and a decent peak brightness of 600nits.

Despite being an entry-level tablet, the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 keeps the Widevine L1 certification, so you can still enjoy your favorite Netflix shows in Full HD. Colors are decent on the Redmi Pad SE 8.7’s display, and it can stream YouTube videos at up to 1440p resolution.

This compact tablet comes with a stereo speaker setup, which sounds fairly decent for an entry-level device. If you’re not content with the audio quality, you can plug in your favorite pair of wired earphones to it.

 

Redmi Pad SE 8.7 Review Philippines: Cameras

The Redmi Pad SE 8.7 has a basic set of cameras that include an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. Those are cameras you’d typically find on entry-level Redmi phones like the A1.

Being a compact tablet, using the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 for taking photos is less awkward compared to conventional tablets. To Xiaomi’s credit, the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 can take decent photos–as long as you have good lighting. From the few photos we took, the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 can produce shots that are good enough for social media.

When it comes to video recording, the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 can shoot at Full HD, though you need to have a stable pair of hands since you don’t get any form of stabilization.

 

Redmi Pad SE 8.7 Review Philippines: Internals and Battery Life

The Redmi Pad SE 8.7 is powered by a Helio G85 and is paired with 4GB RAM and up to 128GB internal storage–the latter being expandable via MicroSD. You can choose between a WiFi-only version or one with LTE connectivity if you want to stay connected even without a WiFi network.

While we wished Xiaomi opted for a Helio G99, the Helio G85 is good for the Redmi Pad Se 8.7’s purpose, which is a compact tablet meant for web browsing and reading eBooks. The Helio G85 may be an aging chip, but it is among the reasonable options that brands use for an entry-level tablet. If there’s any consolation, you do get Android 14-based HyperOS out of the box.

You get a 6650mAh battery with the Redmi Pad SE 8.7, and HyperOS’ optimizations prove to be beneficial: we got a battery life of 22 hours and 36 minutes in PCMark, proving that this tiny tablet is very battery efficient. Charging speeds are decent, as you get 18w USB-C charging with it.

 

Redmi Pad SE 8.7 Review Philippines: Wrap-up and Conclusions

The Redmi Pad SE 8.7 is one of your best options in the Philippines if you’re not willing to fork a lot of money for an iPad Mini. We wish that Xiaomi equipped the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 with a more powerful chip, but otherwise, it is the best compact tablet that you can get for under Php 10k.

 

Redmi Pad SE 8.7 Review Philippines: Price

There are multiple versions of the Redmi Pad SE 8.7 in the Philippines. The WiFi-only version is priced at Php 6,999 for the 4GB/64GB model and Php 7,999 for the 4GB/128GB model. The WiFi+4G version, on the other hand, is priced at Php 8,999 for the 4GB/64GB model and Php 9,999 for the 4GB/128GB model.