Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE Tablet review – Downgrade instead of improvement?

The Redmi Pad SE is delivered with Android 13 installed. Furthermore, the manufacturer uses its own user interface, version 14 of MIUI. At the time of testing, the latest Android security patch was from November 2023. According to Xiaomi, the tablet is set to receive security updates until September 2026. These updates are supposed to be supplied every 90 days and the Redmi Pad SE is also set to receive one major update, namely Android 14. 

Compared to stock Android, the Xiaomi interface is a little more colourful and there isn’t an app drawer. On the flip side, the software features more customization options. Ex-works, 21.5 GB of storage is already in use. Thankfully, there isn’t much bloatware installed onto the tablet. Aside from a few Google and Xiaomi apps, only Netflix and WPS Office come preinstalled.

The software allows you to display apps as floating windows. Their sizes can be changed and moved around the screen. Certain apps can be displayed horizontally next to each other, however, not many apps support this. Moreover, Xiaomi offers a conference tool for video calls. This apparently lets you change functions in full-screen mode, such as subtitle transcription.