What just happened? Xiaomi's global launch event wasn't limited to smartphones, with the company showing its return to the tablet market, as well as new AIoT (artificial intelligence of things) products for daily use. Besides the new Xiaomi Pad 5, the Chinese manufacturer also announced the new Smart Band 6 NFC, the Smart Projector 2 and the AX3000 wireless network mesh system.
After announcing the 11 and 11T Pro phones, Xiaomi introduced its new tablet, the Pad 5. Designed to be an "all-in-one workstation" for the classroom, office and home, the new slate marks the company's return to the tablet market with an attractive product.
Under the hood, the Pad 5 features 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, an 8,720mAh battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 SoC, which is basically a Snapdragon 855+ with higher clock speeds. The camera system consists of a 13MP camera in the back and a front-facing 8MP camera that should satisfy most tablet users. The tablet will be available in dark gray and white.
The tablet's 11-inch display has a WQHD+ resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate and supports HDR and Dolby Vision content. Moreover, it has a built-in Low Blue Light mode and True Display to reduce eye strain. The display is complemented with a quad-speaker audio system supporting Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio to offer a decent audiovisual experience, considering the tablet's portable nature.
Moving on to the AIoT products presented during the event, Xiaomi announced the new Smart Band 6 NFC. Much like the Smart Band 6, the new smart band will come in yellow, olive, ivory, orange, black, or blue, and features the same design and SpO2 function to monitor your health and help you improve it. However, it brings a new feature to the table, NFC.
In partnership with Mastercard, Xiaomi's new Smart Band 6 NFC will allow you to conveniently pay for your goods via smart band at any compatible terminal. Additionally, the new Xiaomi band also supports Amazon Alexa, a welcome addition if you own other Alexa-compatible devices.
Building on the success of the first Mi Smart Projector, the Chinese manufacturer announced the Mi Smart Projector 2. Despite its compact size, Xiaomi's latest projector sports a FHD resolution and can provide a 60-inch screen at 1.6m from a wall, increasing up to 120 inches at 3.2m. The Mi Smart Projector runs on Android TV with built-in Google Assistant and supports Dolby Audio, multi-angle auto-keystone correction and auto-focusing.
Last but not least, there's the Mesh System AX3000, which includes two units to create a dual-band Wi-Fi 6 network that can easily cover an entire house. Rated to cover up to 4,000 sq. ft. (combined) and support up to 254 devices, the Mesh System AX3000 ensures the network performs as it should, thanks to the 1024-QAM modulation, OFDMA, automatic network switching and 2x2 MIMO technologies.
The Xiaomi Pad 5 6GB + 128GB will be available for €349 ($413) and the 6GB + 256GB variant for €399 ($472). The Xiaomi Smart Band 6 NFC's MSRP is set at €54.9 ($65) and the Mi Smart Projector 2 at €599 ($708). Lastly, the Xiaomi Mesh System AX3000 (2-Pack) will be available for €149. The availability of these products varies by region.