Having fallen from the grace of consumers, the tablet business isn’t where it once was. And yet Xiaomi has decided to give the niche market one more go, dusting off and updating its tablet lineup with the announcement of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 in China.

The new slate from the Chinese technology company arrives with an 8-inch, 16:10 LCD panel that has a 1,920 x 1,200-pixel resolution. It also packs a powerful Snapdragon 660 chipset from Qualcomm, with the option of a cellular version equipped with 4G LTE for faster internet service where available.

SEE ALSO: Philippine prices of 2018 iPad with support for Apple Pencil

Stereo speakers and a 6,000mAh battery are housed inside the sleek, all-metal chassis. That said, most users shouldn’t have any difficulty getting a full day of use out of this tablet. However, do keep in mind that since charging maxes out at 10 watts, you’ll probably need to keep the Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 plugged in overnight to get from zero to full capacity.

Giving the niche tablet market one more go with the Xiaomi Mi Pad 4

There are 13- and 5-megapixel cameras on the rear and front, with the latter supporting Xiaomi’s face-unlock feature, in lieu of a fingerprint reader, for authentication. You also get a headphone jack, which is always great to have on a device purposefully built for mobile entertainment.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 price and availability

Preorders for the Xiaomi Mi Pad 4, available in Black and Rose Gold, opened today in China. The first shipment should arrive on June 19.

The Wi-Fi-only variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB memory has been priced at ¥1,099 (around P8,997 or $168), while the 4GB RAM and 64GB Wi-Fi option costs ¥1,399 (P11,452 or $214). Throw in an extra 100, for a total of ¥1,499 (P12,271 or $229), and you can purchase the  4G LTE model.

READ ALSO: Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro is 1st Redmi phone with notched screen

A powerful, 4G LTE-enabled device with a big screen for a little over P12,000 ($224)? That’s an instant buy for us. Let’s hope Xiaomi decides to bring it to the Philippines, because right now, the chances are rather slim, we’re told.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 specs

• Face unlock
• 8-inch LCD display, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution (16:10)
• Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor
• 3GB/4GB RAM
• 32GB/64GB expandable storage
• 13-megapixel rear camera
• 5-megapixel front camera
• 6,000mAh battery
• Android 8.0 Oreo

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Ramon Lopez

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Reviews Editor: Ramon "Monch" Lopez is an 18‑year media veteran who has helped shaped content for Yahoo and other top publications. He first dove into PR and marketing for an automobile brand, then ran the gadgets‑merchandising arm of a Philippine retail giant — proof he knows wheels and tech from the warehouse to the web. Now REVU's Reviews Editor, Monch balances his obsession with specs with a "quality over quantity" mindset, usually fueled by coffee, photography, videography, video games, basketball, and the occasional deadline chase.