Highlights

– Realme Pad 2 offers a 2K 120Hz screen with a 3:5 aspect ratio and it is capable of displaying 1 billion colors,  providing an excellent viewing experience for media consumption.

– The tablet features a Dolby Atmos-tuned quad-speaker setup, delivering impressive audio quality with good depth and reasonable bass.

– With its MediaTek Helio G99 SoC and up to 8GB of RAM, the Realme Pad 2’s performance is smooth enough for multitasking and running apps, making it a competent budget option.

– The tablet’s starting price of Rs 19,999 makes it an attractive choice for the budget audience looking for a capable media consumption device.

Realme has announced its latest entry into the tablet segment with the Realme Pad 2. It is a device that can work to solidify the Chinese electronics giant’s position in the budget tablet segment.

The Realme Pad from last year was easily one of my most recommended option for people looking at the sub Rs 15,000 market.

This time around with the Pad 2, the company has done some stellar improvements that is surely going to make the tablet a crowd favourite for its starting price of Rs 19,999.

The Realme Pad 2 packs in a 2K 120Hz display boasting a 3:5 aspect ratio and support for 1 billion colors, delivering a mesmerizing visual experience.

Powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 SoC and offering up to 16GB of dynamic RAM, the tablet is likely to ensure seamless performance for all your tasks.

Apart from that there is also a massive 8,360mAh battery allowing you to enjoy extended tablet usage without worries, while the Dolby Atmos-tuned quad-speaker setup guarantees immersive and top-notch audio quality.

We got to test out the Realme Pad 2 for a while and in this review let’s see if the tablet’s Rs 19,999 pricepoint is justified and what kind of competition it will have to face.

Realme Pad 2: Key Features

• 11.5-inch 2K display with 120Hz refresh rate
• Quad-speaker setup with Dolby Atmos
• 8,360mAh battery
• 33W fast charging
• 8MP rear camera
• 5MP selfie camera
• 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128GB/256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage
• 4G LTE support
• Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13

Realme Pad 2: Pros and cons

Realme Pad 2: Unboxing

The unboxing experience of the Realme Pad 2 is quite standard. Opening the box, you see the tablet placed on the top.

It is packaged expertly in a translucent cover that comes off quite easily. We have received the Inspiration Green colour variant which looks quite good from the outside.

Below the tablet are two compartments, one of which houses a 33W white charger and companion USB Type-C cable.

The second compartment has the regular paperwork, involving an operational manual, and a SIM ejector toolkit.

Realme Pad 2: Design and Display

Let’s first look at how well the Realme Pad 2 is crafted. Its extremely thin and light design make it a handy companion when you are travelling.

With just 7.2mm in thickness the device is quite easy to hold although the rest of its dimensions may want you to prop it on a table for better utility.

Currently no case or keyboard folio is on offer for the Pad 2 although it’s likely that Realme can announce both in the future. The construction on the tablet is metallic in nature which gives it a sturdy look.

From a durability standpoint the tablet’s exterior is quite firm and doesn’t bend even when considerable force is applied on both sides.
The tablet weighs just above 500g, which is decent enough for device with a 11.5-inch screen.

As mentioned above, we quite like the Inspiration Green colour scheme which is present in two shades of floral green. The portion with a lighter shade runs vertically down the camera module while the darker tone is present across the rest of the back.

On the bottom you can spot a Type-C port for charging purposes and it is flanked on either side with speakers.
The top edge also has a couple of speaker grills, which provide the tablet with stereo sound, and there is the power button on the side.

Apart from that the camera housing encloses a single sensor even though the size of the camera hump falsely suggests room for more optics. Also the camera ring does jut out ever so slightly from the back.

Talking a bit about the viewing experience, we did enjoy the expansive screen offered on the Realme Pad 2. What’s more it is the only device in its segment to offer an 11.5-inch screen with full 2K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.

Any operation or swiping or just navigation in general is extremely fluid on the panel. Realme also claims to display 1 billion colours on the Pad 2 thanks to the O1 Ultra Vision Engine.

While there is no HDR capability on offer, the content we viewed on the tablet was punchy in its colour reproduction and quite vivid.

Brightness levels of 450nits can be achieved which we feel is good enough for indoor usage.

Apart from that bezels surrounding the panel are relatively trim and offer enough space to place your fingers without incurring accidental touches.

Realme Pad 2: Features and Software

The device is meant for usage in landscape mode and most of the tablet’s UI elements are catered to accomplish that.

We checked apps like Chrome, YouTube, and several of the pre-installed Realme applications, all of which utilise the Tab 2’s large screen real estate.

On Chrome the interface is quite akin to what you experience on a PC or a laptop with tabs present on the top half.
YouTube is similar as well with the a list of recommended videos displayed alongside the main video that is playing.

Realme UI 4.0, based on Android 13 is running on the tablet. There are of course the familiar issues of bloatware that plague the device but apart from that the interface is actually quite nice to use.

The multitasking capabilities of this system offer a range of convenient features. With Split Screen, you can effortlessly use two apps simultaneously side by side.

Additionally, the Flexible Window feature allows you to create floating windows within apps, making multitasking even more intuitive.

For quick access to functions and apps, the compact Smart Sidebar panel comes in handy.

Moreover, the Reading Mode enhances the e-reading experience by replicating the texture of real book pages, providing users with a comfortable and eye-friendly interface that closely resembles reading a physical book.

On the back you can also find an 8MP camera which is not the best for any great photography needs but can be used for a standard point and shoot experience.

The 5MP selfie shooter is at the centre of the top-bezel, an ideal position for effective video calling, which the device accomplishes without a hitch.

The device also has 4G LTE functionality and you can insert a nanoSIM inside the tablet to have internet on the go. We did test it out on Jio’s Noida network and got decent download speeds.

The audio quality on the Realme Pad 2 is also quite impressive. Its quad-speaker setup has very good depth and also reasonably good bass, while the volume can get pretty loud without cracking up.

Together the massive display and the audio setup make the Pad 2 a very competent media consumption machine.

Realme Pad 2: Performance and Battery

Running underneath the hood is a MediaTek Helio G99 SoC, a capable budget chipset that has been efficient on several smartphones before.

This also includes a few phones from the Realme stable as well. While our testing process does include benchmark numbers to give a more quantitative analysis of the performance of a device, for some reason none of our standard apps were downloading on the tablet.

However, in general, our usage was relatively smooth, helped, of course, by the fluid 120Hz panel. App switching was fast as were their opening speeds.

The 8GB of RAM also aids with the several Chrome tabs that we operated while testing the device.
You can increase this memory via virtual swap with the internal storage so that the total operational RAM becomes up to 16GB.

We also tried BGMI on the tablet and it ran effectively at 45fps while graphics were set at Ultra.
Of course, there is scope for improvement in the performance aspect of the device and users with more processing needs might not be entirely satisfied with the Pad 2’s output.

As for the battery life, the device’s 8,360mAh cell makes the tablet quite easily a two day device, if all you are doing is browsing media content and social media.

I kept the device running at 120Hz and at about 60 percent screen brightness the entire time, for this battery test.

Charging up the device with the 33W charger in the box is slightly slow and takes more than three hours to completely juice up.

Final Verdict

For its starting price of Rs 19,999, the Realme Pad 2 is actually a very good deal. It certainly has a spec sheet that imbibes Realme’s philosophy of providing the best bang for the buck.

Chief amongst them is a 11.5-inch 2K panel that refreshes at 120Hz, a feature that no other tablet is offering in the segment.

There’s also the design aspect of the tablet which makes it quite ergonomical to use although having a case provided alongside would help a lot.
Performance did not feel lacking although a better chipset could have been used in my opinion.

The software is modified effectively for tablet usage, but Realme still insists on using a lot of its own pre-installed apps.

As for the battery life, it is in the acceptable range, and I’m really impressed with the speaker setup on offer.

Overall, the Realme Pad 2 gets my thumbs up as an effective media consumption tool under Rs 20,000.

Realme Pad 2 – My Mobiles Rating

Design – 4/5

Display – 4/5

Features – 4/5

Battery Life – 3.5/5

Overall Performance – 3.5/5

Software – 3/5

Realme Pad 2: Pricing and Availability

Realme Pad 2 is competitively priced, starting at Rs 19,999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, while the top model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is priced at Rs 22,999.

Exciting offers include an instant discount of Rs 1,500 for ICICI Bank, SBI, and HDFC Bank cardholders. Pre-booking opens later this month, with the first sale scheduled for August 1.

The tablet comes in two elegant colours – Inspiration Green and Imagination Grey, featuring a sleek metal finish.

Realme Pad 2 vs Other Leading Alternatives

While the Realme Pad 2 is a one of a kind offering at Rs 19,999, it is not the only tablet to consider in the budget market. There is still the Realme Pad 1 that is on offer, and it is currently selling at Rs 12,999.

Apart from that Xiaomi’s Redmi Pad is also on the market along with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A8.

Let’s see what these alternatives to the Realme Pad 2 have to offer.

Realme Pad

The Realme Pad has a 10.5-inch WUXGA+ panel with FHD resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. For processing needs the MediaTek Helio G80 SoC, a chipset designed specifically for gaming, powers the Realme Pad.

It has 64GB of internal storage and up to 4GB of RAM as standard, and you can add an additional 1TB of storage with a microSD card.

The most expensive Realme Pad models have 4G/LTE connectivity, making it possible to make both voice and data calls. In addition, the tablet has Bluetooth 5 and dual-band Wi-Fi ac for smooth wireless connectivity.

The Realme Pad has a sizable 7,100mAh battery that guarantees prolonged usage time. It also supports 18W rapid charging that can juice up the battery quickly.

Xiaomi Redmi Pad

The Redmi Pad boasts of a 10.6-inch 2K IPS LCD display for stunning visuals and is powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 SoC, also used in budget smartphones like the Redmi 11 Prime.

With a massive 8000mAh battery and 18W fast charging (22.5W adapter included), the tablet ensures long-lasting performance.
It supports Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.3 but lacks a cellular variant. It runs on Android 12, has up to 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

As far as specs go, the Galaxy Tab A8 has a Unisoc T618 octa-core chipset running underneath the hood. It has a 10.5-inch panel that can display a FHD resolution and a maximum brightness of 500nits.

There’s 4GB RAM on board 64GB of internal storage that can up upgraded to 1TB. The device is still running on the older Android 11 platform, and it has as 7,040mAh battery with support for 15W charging.

REALME PAD 2 KEY SPECIFICATIONS 

Ques: What is the RAM capacity of Realme Pad 2?

Ans: Realme Pad 2 is available in two RAM configurations – 6GB and 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking and app performance

Ques: Is Realme Pad 2 suitable for multitasking and productivity?

Ans: Yes, with the MediaTek Helio G99 SoC and multitasking capabilities, Realme Pad 2 is optimized for efficient productivity, making it a reliable tool for work and study.

Ques: Which Android version does Realme Pad 2 run on?

Ans: Realme Pad 2 runs on Realme UI 4.0, based on Android 13, providing a user-friendly interface and access to the latest features.

Ques: Is Realme Pad 2 suitable for gaming?

Ans: Realme Pad 2 offers smooth performance and runs games effectively, making it suitable for casual gaming experiences and entertainment on the go.

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Also Read: Realme Pad 2 with 11.5-inch 2K display, Helio G99 SoC, 33 W Charging, 4G LTE & quad speakers launched in India: Price, Specifications & Availability