Summer 2023 feels like a long time ago, for more reasons than one. Among the few launches that left an impression was the Xiaomi Pad 6. An attempt to bring Android tablets back to some kind of relevance. After years of trying to make a real case to compete with the Apple iPad, or focus on productivity. Xiaomi didn’t leave much on the table in terms of performance, battery endurance, design, a gorgeous screen and building in some tablet specific utility features with the MIUI software, which was meant for smartphones and was hampered by the limitations of Android. Now times have changed.
It’s been a struggle. Due to Android’s lack of effort towards any kind of specific functionality for tablets and usability based on the advantages of larger display real estate (multi-tasking, being important), tablet manufacturers have developed some layers themselves. Samsung’s DeX mode which makes the home screen on their recent Galaxy tablets look like a Windows desktop. OnePlus’ multi-tasking smart is in OxygenOS on OnePlus Pad and OnePlus Pad Go. But none has introduced software changes as sweeping as Xiaomi’s HyperOS.
A complete overhaul is what defines Xiaomi HyperOS at its best. After all, it is designed to replace MIUI, a software that has created a legacy for itself. MIUI, for significant parts of the last decade, defined the flexibility of software customization (especially relevant to phones). Over time, it didn’t seem so fresh anymore. HyperOS’s flexible approach fits Xiaomi’s smartphones and tablets as it opens a new chapter. In a way, HyperOS will be the common thread between the company’s phones, tablets, and smart home devices, as well as the mobility activities they’re increasingly focused on.
Because it’s built from the ground up, its approach to the basics results in faster performance, lighter file systems, supports more file systems and takes up less storage. On the Xiaomi Pad 6, there’s a noticeably quick response to app loads and app switches, even more than MIUI (and it wasn’t sluggish by any stretch of the imagination). Changes are pleasant. The font looks easy on the eyes. The interface breathes better. On the Xiaomi Pad 6, the HyperOS update defines a refresh that is not always possible. The experience feels completely new, and it’s not just the visual change.
The Xiaomi Pad 6 x HyperOS now makes a strong case for a primary or secondary work device to carry along to the office, home or meetings. Even more than before. The key to this is the flexible frame – the apps you use on your phone seamlessly adapt to the wider screen layout on the tablet. The HyperOS interface, home screen, and app drawer look pleasant — though I wish there were options to modify app icon sizes and app dock dimensions as well.
A new Workstation Mode has been introduced. Turn it on, and an Android tablet turns into something you’ll be very happy to work on. Something you may be more familiar with, too, is the transition between Windows desktops, macOS, and iPadOS. Absorbing the strengths of each should keep HyperOS in good stead.
The app dock on the home screen becomes wider, and you can have more app icons at quick access – the Microsoft 365 suite, a VPN app, web browser, notes, to-do lists, and maybe even your favorite sports scores app. This mode only works in landscape orientation, precisely because you’re expected to have the keyboard docked and primed to work on documents, respond to emails, or do some editing.
I’ve always complained that the multi-tasking options on the Apple iPad (though certainly more detailed after a point) present a steep learning curve for a beginner. This is absolutely not the case with HyperOS. The three-dot menu above the active window is your quick reference point for multiple apps (we tested up to three apps) that share the same screen space, side-by-side, quickly and in a windowed look. . For example, when you work on a document or read a web page, it’s convenient to see more than one app – your email aside.
The scaling is optimized quite well for this 11-inch (2,800 x 1,800 pixels) resolution display.
Turn off Workstation mode, and you have a regular Android tablet in your hands. The app dock on the home screen becomes slightly smaller and therefore holds fewer app icons (be more selective here). Icon and widget scaling, as well as text size, look pleasant. There are a bunch of lock screen customization options that are fun to try out. Control Center, which can be accessed by swiping down from close to the right edge of the display, has a very iOS-esque look – and that’s only a positive thing, as it’s quite streamlined (with every feature There’s also an option to enable names, if icon-only confuses you).
I noted that two apps sharing the screen outside of Workstation mode automatically close if you minimize them even momentarily. This is a bug that could easily be fixed with a future HyperOS update, but for now, stick to Workstation mode for serious workflows.
The overall system rework means preloaded system apps get a new set of features and visual appeal – Gallery, Notes, Calculator and Weather, the biggest gainers. I would also have preferred a versatile file manager, which would be of significant use to those envisioning a desktop-esque experience. Something similar to Apple’s Files, which also covers other cloud storage platforms including OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive. There’s significantly less bloatware (in simple terms, pre-loaded third-party apps that you may or may not want), and we haven’t encountered any ad notifications or injections within apps so far.
Battery life is likely to get even better down the line – it already lasts two full days as a work machine (screen at 50% brightness; refresh rate set to auto), before the meter reads 9 % reads and also gives a strict suggestion for charging. Most of the experience, at least on our Xiaomi Pad 6, feels well optimized (except for the multi-tasking bug). It wouldn’t be strange to say that HyperOS makes the Xiaomi Pad 6 feel like a brand new tablet. More sophisticated, certainly more relevant to the hybrid computing era.