When Xiaomi first announced the Pad 7 Ultra, it wasn’t just unveiling another large screen device. It was, in many ways, a declaration. For years, the tablet market has been dominated by Apple’s iPad Pro series, with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab lineup holding its own in the Android space. Xiaomi, though not a newcomer to tablets, often played in the mid tier arena. The Pad 7 Ultra, however, represents something very different. This is Xiaomi’s most ambitious attempt yet to break into the premium segment, and it arrives with an air of confidence that’s hard to ignore.
This isn’t merely about competing on price anymore. The Pad 7 Ultra is about competing on experience sleek design, powerhouse performance, gorgeous visuals, and all the bells and whistles a modern productivity and entertainment device should have.
But bold claims and polished spec sheets are one thing. Living with a device using it day after day for work, play, and those in between moments is another. So, let’s take a long, deep dive into the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra. We’ll go beyond the numbers and talk about what it’s like to hold, see, and rely on this device. Along the way, we’ll compare it to rivals, highlight strengths and shortcomings, and figure out whether this tablet is the true iPad Pro challenger many hoped for.
First Impressions: Holding Elegance in Your Hands
Pick up the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra for the first time, and it immediately feels special. At just 5.1 mm thin and weighing around 609 grams, it feels like a notebook plucked straight from a designer’s desk. The first thought that crossed my mind when holding it was, “How is this even possible?” For a 14 inch tablet, it almost defies expectations of weight and thickness.The unibody aluminum frame is cool to the touch, with a matte finish that whispers sophistication. Xiaomi has opted for subdued yet elegant color options think Misty Purple, refined Gray, and soft Blue. Unlike some brands that scream luxury with flashy finishes, Xiaomi has chosen understated refinement. It’s the kind of design that doesn’t try too hard yet earns admiring glances when laid flat on a café table.
The build quality feels reassuring. There are no creaks, no loose edges, nothing that suggests shortcuts were taken. This is a tablet designed to compete in the same room as Apple and Samsung, and on that front, Xiaomi has nailed the premium feel.
Of course, thinness and lightness come with trade offs durability being the most obvious concern. At 5.1 mm, the Pad 7 Ultra is thinner than many smartphones. While Gorilla Glass 5 protects the screen and the aluminum body adds resilience, you’d probably still want a protective case if you plan to toss it in a backpack alongside books or cables.
The Screen: A Personal Cinema
The star of the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra has to be its 14 inch AMOLED display. Turn it on, and it greets you with an explosion of color and clarity. This isn’t marketing hype the panel is legitimately one of the most impressive I’ve seen on a tablet.With a 3.2K resolution (2136 × 3200), the screen is pin sharp. The 3:2 aspect ratio makes a world of difference when working on documents, sketching ideas, or reading lengthy articles. It gives more vertical space compared to the typical 16:10 ratio, making it feel like a digital notebook rather than just a stretched out phone screen.
Brightness peaks at 1600 nits, which means outdoor use is not only possible but enjoyable. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support add depth and vibrancy to movies and shows, transforming your Netflix binge into a pocket sized (well, maybe backpack sized) theater experience. I found myself rewatching a few episodes of Our Planet just to marvel at how the visuals popped.
Refresh rates go up to 120Hz, ensuring buttery smooth scrolling, sketching, and gaming. There’s also 240Hz touch sampling and a staggering 4800Hz PWM dimming, which makes extended use easy on the eyes. If you’ve ever felt eye strain after hours of staring at screens, you’ll appreciate this subtle but important detail.
Now let’s address the elephant in the room, the notch. Yes, Xiaomi chose to include a notch for the front camera. On a device this large, it doesn’t feel as obtrusive as on a smartphone, but it’s still noticeable, especially during fullscreen video playback. Some users will shrug it off; others might find it mildly irritating. Personally, after a week of use, it faded into the background, though I still wish Xiaomi had gone for a sleeker solution.
Audio That Matches the Visuals
A great display deserves great sound, and Xiaomi clearly understood the assignment. The Pad 7 Ultra houses eight stereo speakers, tuned with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio support.The result is a soundstage that feels wide and immersive. Watching action movies, you get clear separation between dialogue, background music, and environmental effects. Even at high volume, there’s little distortion. For a tablet this thin, the sound quality borders on remarkable.
Music playback is equally impressive. Pop songs have punchy bass, classical tracks carry rich depth, and podcasts sound crisp. While no tablet will replace a dedicated speaker system, the Pad 7 Ultra is one of the closest attempts I’ve heard.
Performance: The Beating Heart of XRing O1
Perhaps the most daring aspect of the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra is its chipset. Rather than relying on Qualcomm or MediaTek, Xiaomi introduced its own silicon the XRing O1.Built on a 3nm process, the chip features a 10 core CPU with dual Cortex X925 cores clocked up to 3.9GHz and an Immortalis G925 MC16 GPU. On paper, it’s designed to rival Snapdragon 8 Elite and even Apple’s M2 chip.
Benchmarks place the Pad 7 Ultra firmly in flagship territory, with AnTuTu scores around 2.6 to 2.7 million. Numbers are impressive, but what matters more is real world use.
Editing 4K video on this tablet feels smooth, with little to no lag during scrubbing or rendering short clips. Gaming is equally delightful titles like Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile run flawlessly at high settings, with stable frame rates and minimal heating. Xiaomi appears to have cleverly tuned the clock speeds slightly lower than their smartphones, prioritizing sustained performance and thermal control. This means the tablet doesn’t overheat or throttle performance during extended use, making it reliable for long work or gaming sessions.
Multitasking is another strength. Splitting the screen between a YouTube tutorial, a browser tab, and a notes app feels effortless. HyperOS 2 (Xiaomi’s custom skin over Android 15) helps here, offering a polished multi window mode that feels closer to a desktop experience.
Battery Life: A Marathon Runner
Thin devices often compromise on battery, but Xiaomi somehow squeezed a massive 12.000mAh battery into the Pad 7 Ultra.In mixed usage browsing, note taking, watching videos, and light gaming the tablet easily lasts 12 to 14 hours. Push it harder with heavy video editing or gaming, and it still powers through a full day without breaking a sweat.
Charging is equally impressive. With 120W fast charging, the tablet goes from empty to full in just over an hour. That’s faster than many smartphones, let alone tablets. There’s also 7.5W reverse wired charging, allowing the Pad 7 Ultra to double as a power bank for smaller devices.
The only missing piece? Wireless charging. It would have been a nice luxury, but given how fast the wired charging is, it’s not a dealbreaker.
Cameras: Not Just an Afterthought
Tablets have traditionally treated cameras as an afterthought, but the Pad 7 Ultra takes them seriously.On the back, there’s a 50MP wide camera with PDAF, capable of capturing detailed photos and smooth 4K video. While it won’t replace your smartphone for photography, it’s more than capable for scanning documents, recording quick clips, or even capturing lecture boards in a classroom.
The front houses a 32MP ultrawide camera, perfect for video calls. The wider field of view means you don’t have to awkwardly reposition yourself during a Zoom meeting. In good lighting, the quality is crisp, and even in dim conditions, it holds up reasonably well.
Combined with the tablet’s speakers, the camera setup makes the Pad 7 Ultra an excellent device for remote work or online classes.
Productivity & Creativity: Tools That Matter
A premium tablet isn’t just about specs; it’s about how it helps you create and work. Here, the Pad 7 Ultra shines.The optional stylus attaches magnetically and supports 8.192 levels of pressure sensitivity, making it a delight for sketching, note taking, or annotating PDFs. Latency is minimal, thanks to the 120Hz display, giving a natural pen on paper feel.
The keyboard accessory adds another layer of productivity. It’s spacious, with satisfying key travel, and doubles as a protective case. Pair it with the desktop style UI of HyperOS 2, and you’ve got a portable workstation.
I found myself comfortably drafting articles, editing photos, and managing spreadsheets without feeling the need to switch to a laptop. Of course, for highly specialized software or heavy duty tasks, a laptop still wins, but for day to day productivity, the Pad 7 Ultra is more than capable.
Connectivity & Storage
The Pad 7 Ultra supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, ensuring fast and stable connections. There’s also NFC and an infrared blaster little touches that add versatility.Storage options go up to 1TB UFS 4.1, paired with up to 16GB of RAM. This means you can store huge media libraries or project files without worrying about space.
The downside? There’s no cellular connectivity (no SIM slot) and no microSD expansion. You’re locked into the storage tier you purchase, so it’s worth investing in the higher capacity models if you plan to use this as a primary device.
How It Stacks Up: Comparisons with Rivals
No tablet exists in a vacuum, and the Pad 7 Ultra enters a competitive field.Against the iPad Pro (M4)
Apple’s iPad Pro is still the king of tablet ecosystems, with unmatched app optimization and accessories like the Magic Keyboard. However, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra rivals it in design, beats it in charging speed, and matches it in display quality. Price wise, Xiaomi undercuts Apple significantly, making it a compelling alternative for those not locked into iOS.Against the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra
Samsung’s flagship tablet offers similar OLED quality and strong performance with its Dimensity 9400 chip. However, Xiaomi’s XRing O1 chipset edges ahead in sustained performance, and the Pad 7 Ultra’s slimmer build makes it more portable. Samsung still holds an edge in software integration with its Galaxy ecosystem, though.In essence, Xiaomi has placed itself firmly in the top tier, something unthinkable just a few years ago.
Pros and Cons
What’s Great- Stunning 14 inch AMOLED display with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.
- Ultra thin, lightweight design with premium build quality.
- Powerful XRing O1 chipset with stable performance.
- Long lasting 12.000mAh battery with blazing 120W fast charging.
- Eight speaker audio system that feels cinematic.
- Stylus and keyboard support for productivity and creativity.
What Could Be Better
It’s not perfect. The lack of cellular support and expandable storage limits flexibility, and the notch won’t win any design awards. But these flaws feel minor when stacked against the strengths.
In a market where Apple and Samsung have long been the default choices, Xiaomi has finally carved out its place at the table not as a budget alternative, but as a genuine competitor. For those seeking a premium Android tablet that blends design elegance, powerhouse performance, and thoughtful features, the Pad 7 Ultra is not just worth considering. It’s worth celebrating.
- No cellular connectivity or microSD expansion.
- The notch can be distracting during fullscreen video.
- No wireless charging.
- Occasional minor stutters in HyperOS 2 animations.
Final Verdict: Who Is the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra For?
The Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra is more than a spec sheet marvel it’s a statement piece. It’s for the professional who wants a portable workstation, the creative who wants a digital canvas, and the entertainment enthusiast who wants a personal cinema.It’s not perfect. The lack of cellular support and expandable storage limits flexibility, and the notch won’t win any design awards. But these flaws feel minor when stacked against the strengths.
In a market where Apple and Samsung have long been the default choices, Xiaomi has finally carved out its place at the table not as a budget alternative, but as a genuine competitor. For those seeking a premium Android tablet that blends design elegance, powerhouse performance, and thoughtful features, the Pad 7 Ultra is not just worth considering. It’s worth celebrating.