Poco Pad M1 review

Cameras

The Poco Pad M1 has a single 8MP camera on its back, enough for a tablet on a budget. It will likely be used more for QR codes and document scanning rather than taking proper photos or videos.

And, as you can imagine, its photo and video quality is rather uninspiring. On a positive note, there is always-on electronic video stabilization.

8MP photo • 8MP photo • 1080p video snapshot

The front camera is meant for video calls and selfies. It is another 8MP imager - in fact, the camera sensor is the same as the one used by the rear camera, but without an autofocus lens. The photo and video quality is once again nothing to really talk about. It works; that's it.

8MP selfie • 1080p video snapshot

Our verdict

The Poco Pad M1 gets an easy recommendation from us for its great display, battery life, speakers, and feature-rich software package. And we really appreciate Xiaomi's efforts to supply first-party accessories even for its budget tablets.

The Poco Pad M1 has a large Dolby Vision display with a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate - ideal for streaming, gaming, or multitasking with office apps. The four loud Dolby Atmos speakers are something we did appreciate as well.

The Poco Pad M1 is powerful enough to do the tasks we have already mentioned, and it costs around €300, which is competitive, if not very attractive pricing.

There is a catch - the Poco Pad M1 doesn't seem to be available in Europe through the official Mi stores. You can still find it on Amazon and other retailers. What's tougher to find are the optional first-party accessories. You can always use those from the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, though, as they are fully compatible.

And speaking of the Redmi Pad 2 Pro, you may want to check it out first, as it may come in a bundle with the cover or even the keyboard, and thus be the better deal.

Pros

• All-metal unibody.
• 12.1-inch screen, 120Hz, Dolby Vision.
• Powerful speakers, Dolby Atmos.
• Superb battery life.
• 27W reverse wired charging.
• Feature-ich OS.
• microSD, audio jack.
• Affordable, excellent optional accessories.

Cons

• Slow charging overall.
• No ingress protection.
• No cellular version.
• Not available through the official channels.