iPad vs. Xiaomi Mi Pad Price & Specs: Copycat Tablet Runs Android; Is It a Decent Alternative?
Rumors of Chinese tablets that very closely resemble Apple's iPad have been going around online for quite a while now, but the brand Xiaomi has finally put those rumors to rest. Xiaomi Inc. is a privately owned electronics company based in Beijing, China. In an event in Beijing, CEO Lei Jun confirmed that the brand has been planning to produce a tablet for some time now. He also added that Xiaomi does intend to directly compete with Apple's iPad by announcing its new product, the Mi Pad.
The Xiaomi Mi Pad does indeed offer a good bargain for a device of its kind. It boasts a 7.9-inch Sharp display that has a crisp 2048x1536 pixel resolution at a 324-ppi density. However, this is not even its best feature. What is more impressive on the gadget is that it sports a 4+1 2.2 GHz Nvidia Tegra K1 chip and a 192-core Kepler GPU, a first to offer this kind of processor in a tablet. The internal storage is set at either 16GB or 64GB with the expandable option of up to 128 GB additional through microSD, while 2 gigs of RAM serve as the memory. For the camera, the Mi Pad is equipped with an 8-megapixel Sony rear camera while the front camera can shoot 5-megapixel photos at f/2.0. It is powered by a 6700 mAh LG battery and the speakers are found at the back of the device. Its dimensions are 202.1 x 135.4 x 8.5 mm, weighing in at 360 grams.
The exact date of the release of the Xiaomi Mi Pad is still unknown, but it will begin an open testing phase around next month. This will allow the early adopters to try out the device and point out possible bugs. Also unknown is if the device will be released to support 3G/4G capabilities. The Xiaomi MiPad will come in 6 colors at an equivalent of $240 (CN¥1,499) for the 16 GB Wi-Fi option and an equivalent of $270 (CN¥1,499) for the 64 GB Wi-Fi model.