Earlier this year, Poco introduced its first-ever tablet, the Poco Pad 5G, to the global market. Now, the brand has launched the tablet in India, and we have it here for review. In the competitive Indian tablet market, known brands like Samsung, Lenovo, Xiaomi, Realme, and OnePlus dominate. The question remains: Will the Poco Pad 5G help Poco establish a strong presence in the tablet segment in India? Here’s a closer look at what the Poco Pad 5G has to offer.
1. Design and Build
The Poco Pad 5G’s retail box includes the tablet, a 33W charger, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and some paperwork. The tablet features an aluminium unibody, measuring 7.5mm in thickness and weighing 571 grams. It comes in Pistachio Green and Cobalt Blue color options, both with a dual-tone finish on the back. The blue variant, which I have for review, tends to attract fingerprints, so I recommend investing in a case for better protection.
The left side of the Poco Pad 5G’s back panel features dual camera rings, which include a camera and an LED flash. Additionally, there is “Poco” branding towards the bottom.
The Poco Pad’s top edge has a power button and a pair of speakers with “Dolby Atmos” branding in between. The left edge is barren, while on the right side are a volume rocker and a pair of microphones. On the bottom, it features a pair of speakers with a USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack in between.
On the front, the Poco Pad 5G features a front camera positioned in the right bezel, making it ideal for video calls when used in landscape orientation. The screen is also equipped with Gorilla Glass 3 protection for added durability. Poco offers accessories such as the Poco Smart Pen, Poco Keyboard Cover, and Poco Pad Cover in the global market for Poco Pad buyers. Poco did not announce these accessories for the Indian market. The promotional images of the Poco Pad showcase a keyboard cover and a smart pen, implying that these accessories may become available in the future.
2. Display and Audio
The Poco Pad 5G has a 12.1-inch LCD panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio. It offers a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. With 600nits in high brightness mode, the tablet can be readable outdoors, but only when the sunlight is not too harsh.
It comes with color schemes, such as Vivid, Saturated, and Standard. When it comes to refresh rate options, such as Default and Custom. The latter offers options, such as 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. However, in the Default mode, the refresh rate can go down to 48Hz and 30Hz while watching videos online.
While it comes with Dolby Vision support, there is no support for HDR10. The tablet comes equipped with Dolby Atmos powered quad speakers. It offers a balanced sound output and a satisfying experience while binge watching.
3. Performance and Software
The 4nm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, LPDDR4x RAM, and UFS 2.2 storage power the Poco Pad 5G. It runs on the HyperOS 1.0-based Android 14. Overall, the user experience is good, as it offers a snappy performance.
I tried playing games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty, but the device is not meant for high-end gaming. When it comes to multi-tasking, it allows users to open two apps in Split Screen mode or Floating Windows. With both options, users can open up to four apps on the same screen, as shown in the image below. A good thing is that the Poco Pad is promised to receive three years of OS upgrades and four years of security updates.
The Poco Pad 5G houses a 10,000mAh battery, which takes around 2 hours to achieve a full charge using the 33W in-box charger. Depending on usage, the device can last for up to 2 days. Here’s how the tablet performed on benchmarking apps.
4. Camera and Other Features
On the front, the Poco Pad 5G features an 8-megapixel camera for selfies and video calls. The back panel also features an autofocus-enabled 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash. The rear camera is capable of shooting up to 30fps 1080p quality videos.
The camera app available onboard is designed for tablet use. With ample light, the Poco Pad can shoot decent shots. The front camera also captures decent selfie shots with good dynamic range when there is sufficient light.
In the absence of a fingerprint scanner, the Poco Pad 5G offers only front camera-based face unlock security option. The hybrid SIM slot available on the device supports a 5G SIM card and a microSD card. As far as 5G, I found the Poco Pad to offer stable connectivity. Additionally, it supports both Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Lastly, it lacks a vibrator motor.
5. Verdict
Considering that the Poco Pad is Poco’s first-ever tablet, the company has done a commendable job of launching it. It’s a solid device offering a sturdy build, a nice display coupled with quad speakers, and long battery life. It also offers decent performance for productivity and gaming. Adding a fingerprint scanner and offering better cameras would have made it an even more compelling choice.
I am surprised that the company did not say anything about accessories like the keyboard and stylus for the Indian market. I will update this post accordingly if there’s any update on this front.
Poco Pad 5G price in India
In India, the Poco Pad 5G comes in 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB options. Both variants are priced at Rs 23,999 (~$260) and Rs 25,999 (~$300), respectively.
The best time to purchase the Poco Pad 5G is during its first sale, which begins on Flipkart on Aug. 27 in India. During this sale, buyers can avail of a Rs 3,000 discount using ICICI, SBI, and HDFC bank cards, along with an additional Rs 1,000 discount for students on the first day. Other offers include three or six months of no-cost EMI, six months of Microsoft Office 365, and a one-year Times Prime membership for the first 1,500 buyers.
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