realme Pad Mini: Small tablet, big entertainment value under Php 10,000

Just six months after realme introduced their first tablet called the realme Pad, the brand is adding yet another tablet to their lineup with the realme Pad Mini – a smaller version of the original model that comes in a more affordable price range. The size is comparable to that of a regular notebook, but this one’s way slimmer at only 7.6mm. That’s a good size for entertainment – may you be into gaming, binge-watching shows, or reading e-books — on the go!

Here’s what you can expect from this mini device:

INSIDE THE BOX

realme skipped the yellow packaging for the realme Pad Mini and opted for a white box instead, just like that of the realme Book i3. In front, you’ll find an image of the device, while main features are printed at the back. It comes with an 18W charger, data cable (USB Type-A to Type-C), a user manual, and a SIM ejector tool.

Be careful when unboxing the device as it doesn’t have the usual protective film and case. I store mine in a small drawstring bag to ensure that it won’t get scratched when I carry it around in my bag.

DESIGN AND DISPLAY

As someone who likes small gadgets, I love how the premium-looking realme Pad Mini easily fits in a hand bag or a slim sling bag! It only weighs approximately 373g with a 211.8 x 124.5 x 7.6mm dimension. I was able to get a gray color, but there’s also a light blue variant in the market.

The design is very similar to that of the realme Pad, but that’s expected as it’s even named after it. It has a matte metal chassis, an 8MP rear camera that is slightly protruded on the upper left corner, and a small realme logo on the lower right corner at the back. With not a lot of obstructions, this build makes it smooth and cool to touch.

On the right side of device, you’ll find the power/lock button beside the volume rocker. Even though the buttons are easy to click, I like how it doesn’t automatically activate when used in landscape mode. On the left side of the device is a card tray for one nano-SIM and a microSD card (up to 1TB). A 3.5mm audio jack and a loudspeaker can be found on top of the device, while the stereo speaker, USB Type-C port, and main microphone are stationed at the bottom.

Up front, you’ll get an 8.7-inch Large Display with 84.59% screen-to-body ratio and average-sized bezels – similar to tablets from competitor brands. The top and bottom bezels are a bit thicker, with a 5MP camera at the top center portion. Even though I personally prefer smartphones with little to no bezels, I don’t mind the bezels of the realme Pad Mini as I tend to hold it in landscape mode while watching shows, reading ebooks, and playing games. This stops me from accidentally pressing random buttons on the screen.  

The screen, despite its size, provides enough space for multitasking even as you go on split-screen mode. While the sharpness and colors do not give a wow factor, it’s decent enough for you to enjoy shows more vs watching from your smartphone’s screen.

CAMERAS

While it’s not the realme Pad Mini’s strongest suit, an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera are nice to have in a budget tablet. The images come out either pixelated or with a washed out glow and it gets worse as you zoom in a subject. Camera features include Portrait, Burst, Panorama, Pro, and 10 different filters to choose from. You can also choose to enable Beauty Filters and HDR mode to make your photos more presentable.

On video mode, you can choose between 480p, 720p, and 1080p via the rear cam; while you can only shoot up to 720p when using the front camera. I would suggest that you put it down on a flat and stable area when taking video calls as it’s not that comfortable to hold for hours.

STORAGE AND PERFORMANCE

There are currently two realme Pad Mini variants available in the Philippines – a 3GB+32GB LTE and a 4GB+64GB LTE variant with up to 1TB storage expansion. However, a 3GB+32GB WiFi variantwill also be arriving soon. It’s powered by a Unisoc T616 octa-core processor with a Mali-G57 GPU, which is decent enough, considering its price range.

Testing it on my day-to-day tasks for both work and play, the realme Pad Mini was able to hold up. It was able to run multiple social media apps (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter) while I edit files via Word and Excel sheets, open Google Chrome for quick searches, attend Zoom meetings, and continuously answer messages via Viber. After work, I go to Discovery+ or Twitch to watch my favorite series or some streams. Quality is okay but audio is superb as it comes with balanced sounds coming from its Dual Stereo Speakers.

In terms of gaming, I would suggest that you use it for simple games that don’t require high graphics. Since it’s not really made for gaming, the realme Pad Mini tends to become hot after some time.

The realme Pad Mini also runs on Android 11with realme UI, which improves system stability and performance. However, the interface isn’t as clean as what we see in smartphones. The icon layouts can be further improved so as not to take up too much screen space but this shouldn’t be an issue if you’re after its performance anyway.

BATTERY

As a “younger sibling” of the realme Pad, the realme Pad Mini only has 6400mAh battery but it comes with 18W Fast Charging via a USB Type-C port. This is enough to provide battery life for two straight days, but you can further optimize this by enabling Battery Saver. This feature automatically enables Dark Mode and turns off visual effects, “Hey Google”, and background activities to save juice.

When charging, you’ll need around two hours to get past 60%.

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions211.8 x 124.5 x 7.6mm
Display8.7” Large Display IPS LCD 800 x 1340px (179 ppi)
Weight373g
Processor2.0 GHz Unisoc T616 Octa-core Processor Mali-G57 MP1
OSAndroid 11 based realme UI
Memory3GB+32GB LTE / 4GB+64GB LTE, expandable up to 1TB MicroSD Card
3GB+32GB WiFi variantcoming soon
Rear Camera8MP
Front Camera5MP
SIM Slots1 nano-SIM
Battery6400mAh with 18W Quick Charge
ConnectorsUSB Type-C, OTG Support, 3.5mm Audio Jack
Wireless ConnectionsLTE, Bluetooth 5.2, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac A-GPS, GLONASS
ColorBlue, Gray
Inside the boxrealme Pad Mini, charger, data cable, user manual, and SIM ejector tool

PRICE AND PRE-ORDER DEALS

The realme Pad Mini will be available in 3GB+32GB LTE variant (Php 9,990) and 4GB+64GB LTE variant (Php 11,990), but a 3GB+32GB WiFi variant will also be available in the country soon. To get the realme Pad Mini below Php 10,000 for both variants, all you need to do is to avail the early bird offer exclusively via the realme Official Store on Lazada starting April 5:

On the other hand, those who will be purchasing the realme Pad Mini in stores from April 4-30, 2022 will be receiving FREE realme Mobile Game Finger Sleeves with every purchase.

SUMMARY

Overall, I would recommend the realme Pad Mini for people who want a portable device that can play videos, open ebooks and documents, play simple games, and act as a backup smartphone. While the device needs a bit more work to be considered as best in class, it’s decent enough for day-to-day productivity.


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2 Replies to “realme Pad Mini: Small tablet, big entertainment value under Php 10,000”

  1. Yay ang ganda naman po nitong RealMe Pad mini ganda ng kulay niya and dagdag pa yung quality and spec’s niya love it😍

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