Xiaomi

In the premium segment, buyers expect nothing but the best from their smartphones. This would include excellent displays, crazy-good cameras and phenomenal battery life. But come 2025, we witnessed the reemergence of compact flagships. Devices that claimed to offer 'Pro'-grade hardware (including cameras) in a compact form factor, minus the 'Pro' price tag. A segment once dominated by Samsung's Galaxy S series, now has competition from a bunch of manufacturers like Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi that launched a series of compact and premium devices. 2026 is no different. Rising prices (due to the RAM crisis) have forced manufacturers to add more variety, with handsets like Vivo's V series entering the fray, starting at as low as Rs. 51,999. With so much competition, it does seem a bit odd that Xiaomi decided to raise the price of its latest compact flagship tag to a new high.

The high-value, do-it-all Redmi Pad is finally back after a 3-year wait. Aptly called the Redmi Pad 2, the tablet appears to be slightly different and features some essential additions that were missing from the first model. There's a new processor, a slightly more pixel-dense display, and a slightly bigger battery, all of which I found to be questionable at best. However, there are also some new additions, such as stylus support and cellular connectivity, which seem to make it even more attractive than the previous model. I have been using this tablet for a couple of weeks, and I feel that despite the minor upgrades, the Redmi Pad 2 offers good value, and here's why.

Xiaomi has long been a dominant player in India's budget smart TV segment, and it continues to strengthen its position with the launch of its latest X Pro QLED TV 2025 lineup. The new series brings a notable upgrade over standard LED TVs by incorporating QLED panels, promising better colour accuracy, brightness, and overall picture quality.