Updated 02-Nov-2023
Update November 2023
This particular device has really held its value and its performance. By value I mean that the same device costs nearly the same five years later (about 8,000 THB, though there are newer, larger screen devices that cost around the same). LineageOS on this has not had any difficulties over this same 5 years.
If wanting to upgrade, there is currently the Mi Pad 5 and the Redmi Pad (a cheaper, less performant, but similar 10" tablet). Prices are 10,000 and 7,000 THB respectively, while the cheaper Redmi version has lower quality chip and screen. At that price, both come with 6GB ram and 128GB storage. For 12,000 THB the Mi Pad 5 can come with 256GB storage. For 13,000 THB, the Xiaomi Pad 6 comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.
Obviously these prices and availability will change over time, but one gets the firm conviction that a 10" tablet is clearly affordable. Cheap chromebooks can compete on price, but not the performance, and cheap mini form factor PCs with the new Intel N100 processors can clearly compete, though are not portable.
On the other hand, there are now cheap laptops with 8GB RAM 256GB storage, Windows 10 Home and 10th gen i3 processors, and 14" IPS displays for around 13,000 THB. Of course Windows does not support Android apps (as of yet, and if so will do so poorly), and these are not in the realm of even low-end gaming laptops.
See also LineageOS on the Xiaomi Mi Pad 4
Google Play Store on Xiaomi Mi Pad 4
While the Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 ships with Google Play installed, if one does a factory reset, then the resulting MIUI 9.x does not bundle with Google Play Store or the GBoard keyboard. There are several steps needed to get it set up, including:
- Find, download, install Google Play Store + Google Play Services
- Install and enable the Google Gboard, and Gboard Keyboards
Evie Launcher and Launcher Configuration
I find the Evie Launcher to be a good, modern, and clean interface. Basically it prevents one from getting lost or accidentally creating new screens, which is a fundamental flaw on both Android and iOS default launchers.
Firefox Browser
The Firefox Browser is the go-to browser for all devices. Also, search is using Duck Duck Go.
Things to Turn Off, and On
- Quick Ball = off
- Battery Percentage Display = on
- Enable buttons, turn off full-screen gestures
Other Apps
- Foscam Viewer
- Telegram
- Google Contacts
- Duo
- Gmail
MIUI 9 vs. MIUI 10
MIUI 9 focused on speed, removing many components that were generally not used by consumers. MIUI 10 will have much more so-called intelligence, which will likely slow it down to a crawl (unless the AI is turned off, in which case MIUI 10 might be as fast as MIUI 9. For now, I'm holding off on MIUI 10 for most devices (except for the Xiaomi Redmi 6A which does have it come as an OTA update).