Xiaomi has unveiled three new additions to its product lines, and one of these had observers taking a much closer look – the Mi Pad 2.
At first glance, the new Mi Pad 2 looks much like a clone of a rival, Apple's iPad Mini. Indeed, this was how the new Xiaomi iteration has been described by observers like Tech 2 when the China-based company unveiled it this week.
However, instead of taking on the iOS head-on with an Android counterpart, Xiaomi decided to launch the Mi Pad 2 in two platform variants. At the launch, it was revealed that an Android-based MIUI will be available in China starting Nov. 27, while there will also be a Mi Pad 2 that will come out pre-loaded with Microsoft's new platform, Windows 10, next month.
While it can be said that the Mi Pad 2 can be mistaken for another tablet, the new Xiaomi iteration has its own set of unique features and specs, particularly under the hood. Aside from being one of the newer tablets that come pre-loaded with Windows 10, XIaomi also overhauled the specs of he new Mi Pad 2.
First of all, Xiaomi has forgone the all-plastic, polycarbonate build of the original Mi Pad and made the newer edition with an all-metal chassis and form factor, giving the Mi Pad 2 a premium look and feel. Under the hood, Xiaomi also changed the chipset. The new Mi Pad is now run by a quad-core Intel Atom processor, paired with 2 GB of RAM. In addition, there is also integrated Intel HD graphics GPU onboard.
The Mi Pad 2 will be available in China in two launches. This month, the 16- and 64-GB Android/MiUI hybrid will be made available for around $156 and $200 respectively. The 64-GB Windows 10 edition, meanwhile, will be launched next month, also for around $200.
