realme Pad 2 Review: It’s made for entertainment

There are only a few budget tablets around in the market and if you want a good one that you might want to use for multimedia then you might want to take a look at the realme Pad 2. This tablet might have entry-level specifications, but it does pack a large display and features that are made for multimedia usage.

A premium and solid build

realme has opted for a metal build on the realme Pad 2 instead of the typical plastic build. This move made the tablet look and feel more premium and it also has a subtle Splice Design that adds a little bit of beauty to the tablet.

realme sheds the plasticky exterior of its first-generation Pad in favor of a premium aluminum unibody for the Pad 2. The subtle “Splice Design” catches the light with a textured finish, adding a touch of visual intrigue to both the Imagination Gray and Inspiration Green colorways.

The camera placement of the realme Pad 2 is better to be used in landscape mode while the buttons are accessible and has a clicky feedback. But my favorite on this one is its speaker as it has a Dolby Quad Speakers which gives off a powerful performance which is perfect for watching movies on Netflix and also on YouTube.

As for the camera, the realme Pad 2 comes with an 8MP rear camera and also a 5MP front camera. While this isn’t the best one or work at the same level as their smartphones, this one would work just fine for basic needs such as messaging apps and video calls. But of course, you have to set your expectations if you’re gonna use it for taking photos and videos.

For the battery, the realme Pad 2 comes with an 8360 mAh battery inside and it can last for days in my normal usage for a tablet. As for charging, it comes with 33W of charging which will take some time to fully charge the tablet but for a tablet, this is just pretty average for me. 

Large display, great for multimedia

The realme Pad 2 features a large 11.5” display with 2K resolution and also a 120Hz refresh rate. It has a weird 5:3 aspect ratio which makes the tablet too wide to use but this also means that the tablet also has a narrower body that can fit most bags and also a wider display for watching video.

The tablet might have a high refresh rate and a high resolution but this one isn’t an AMOLED panel. So colors aren’t the best but the tablet is definitely usable outside so it’s definitely fun to use for whatever reasons.

It also has a 120Hz refresh rate which makes navigating smoother on the smartphone on the menu and some apps. 

Entry-level performance

First of all, the realme Pad 2 rocks a MediaTek Helio G99 processor which isn’t new but if you’ve read my reviews of other products with the same processor, we all know that the Helio G99 is capable of the basic apps and even some of the light and casual games. If you’re just into watching videos, listening to music, browsing your feed on social media, the Helio G99 is already enough for you. It also has a bigger RAM now at 8GB with an option to add 8GB more via Dynamic RAM.

However, heavier games would be a problem on this one as you need to set the graphics settings at the lowest settings to make it playable on the tablet. Since this has a lower-tier, the tablet can’t really take advantage of the 120Hz on most apps and games. Nonetheless, it’s still a feast for the eyes when the high refresh rate is noticeable when browsing on apps. But hey, at least we were able to run Genshin Impact and also Honkai: Star Rail on this tablet. 

For the benchmarks, it’s definitely what we can expect from a device with that chipset.

When it comes to the UI, the realme Pad 2 comes with realme UI for Pad, which is a customized version of their UI and it’s more optimized for the larger screen like the realme pad 2. There’s the option to do multi-window but it’s a little bit of a hassle as you need to swipe up from the bottom and tap on the multi-window button then choose the other app that you want to run it with. It’s definitely not as easy as other UI. You can also do pop-up window on this which can maximize your productivity on the tablet. 

Verdict

The realme Pad 2 is a big leap from the predecessor and it’s a good option for those people who are looking for a tablet that they can use for multimedia purposes thanks to its large and bright display and its quad speaker setup. It also has a decent battery life and the UI is definitely optimized for its large display. It might not have a headphone jack and only a Helio G99 processor. I still appreciate its large display for entertainment purposes. However, if you’re planning on using it for gaming, do set your expectations as this one comes with a Helio G99 processor only. 

The realme Pad 2 is now available for Php 11,999. A big leap from the previous generation as well but the price is worth it for the hardware that you’re getting.