Xiaomi unveils its latest tablet offering decent specs at a bargain price

Tablets continue to struggle

Xiaomi

Andrew Barclay

Published: 4:45pm, 25 Jun 2018

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This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Xiaomi launched its latest tablet in China last night -- a budget offering with an 8-inch display that pitches itself as being the first to be powered by the Snapdragon 660 processor.

The Mi Pad 4 has a starting price of US$168. (Picture: Xiaomi)

The Mi Pad 4’s release comes at a tough time for tablets, whose shipments have declined for 14 straight quarters, according to figures from IDC.

The first quarter of 2018 saw an almost 12 percent year-on-year decline -- equivalent to more than four million tablets.

Of those sold, Apple still dominates with 29% market share, almost double that of its closest Android rival Samsung.

Among China’s tablet vendors, Huawei is the biggest -- sitting at third overall with 10% market share, while Xiaomi doesn’t rate a mention in the top five.

Xiaomi says the device can be used with one hand. (Picture: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi will be hoping the budget price tag -- which starts at US$168 for the entry-level model -- will prove popular with Chinese consumers.

On the spec front, the Mi Pad 4 comes with either Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + LTE -- along with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of storage.

It’s also the first tablet to come with the Snapdragon 660 processor -- a mid-range chip also found in the Vivo X21 as well as Xiaomi’s Mi A2 and Mi 6X smartphones.

How Xiaomi forged a unique path

Design wise, this model is smaller than its predecessor meaning the device can be used with one hand. It also lacks a fingerprint sensor, with facial recognition taking its place.

There’s no news yet on a US release, but the company has made no secret of its desire to enter the US market with its smartphones in the near future.

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