This 8GB tablet was cheap to start with: I'm astounded it's dropped to £165!

Sometimes a product comes along that completely resets your expectations. The Redmi Pad 2 did exactly that for me when I first lifted it from its packaging, back in June. What I expected was a typical cheap tablet – plastic build, sluggish performance and terrible speakers. What I got was something that genuinely rivals tablets costing twice as much.

And now that the higher-specced 8GB version has dropped from £219 to £165 on Amazon, I reckon it's an absolute no-brainer.

I've been using this tablet daily for months now, and it's become my go-to device for everything from morning news reading to evening Netflix sessions. And it's proven to me that you don't need to spend £400 or more to get a genuinely good tablet experience.

Redmi Pad 2 £219.99 £165.99 at Amazon
Save £45: If you're looking for a budget tablet, you'll struggle to find better value than this right now. You're getting specs typically reserved for tablets costing £300 or more (aluminum construction, quad speakers with Dolby Atmos, expandable storage, a high-refresh display, and excellent battery life) for around half the price.

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First impressions that last

For me, the 11-inch display hits that perfect sweet spot for portability and usability. The 2560 x 1600 resolution means text is crisp and photos look detailed, whilst the 90Hz refresh rate keeps everything feeling smooth. I've used it extensively for everything from movies and YouTube to reading digital magazines and comics.

As for battery, I routinely get two full days of moderate use, and even heavy streaming sessions only drain about 10% per hour. There's something liberating about not constantly checking battery percentage or hunting for charging cables.

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Xiaomi has made smart choices with the connectivity, too. The return of the 3.5mm headphone jack is genuinely useful – not everyone wants to rely on Bluetooth for everything. The microSD slot supporting up to 2TB of additional storage means you're never going to run out of space for downloaded content or photos.

Furthermore the optional Smart Pen, often bundled for just £19, is surprisingly capable for note-taking and basic sketching. It's not going to replace an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil for serious creative work, but for jotting down meeting notes or annotating PDFs, it's more than adequate.

Now with this major price drop, the Redmi Pad 2 has moved from "good value" territory into "exceptional bargain" status. For students who need a reliable device for research and note-taking, families looking for a shared entertainment screen, or anyone who wants tablet functionality without iPad pricing, this is an easy recommendation for me to make.