Unveiled on 26 June in China, the device is Xiaomi’s most serious attempt yet to muscle in on turf dominated by the iPad Pro and Samsung’s Tab S-range.

The Pad 7S Pro arrives hot on the heels of the Xiaomi 15S Pro, the first phone to carry the Xring O1 chip. Now the same silicon is being pitched into the tablet market, suggesting the company is not just toying with the idea of self-designed processors. 

The 12.5-inch LCD comes with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a 144Hz refresh rate, which should make it reasonably smooth for gaming and general swiping. At 5.8 mm thick, the tablet is trim, though its 576 g weight means it is no featherweight. Still, that might be forgiven given the sizeable 10,610 mAh battery.

That battery supports 120W wired charging, which puts it at the top of the tablet heap for charge speed. Xiaomi seems to be paying attention to the entertainment crowd, throwing in six speakers and Dolby Atmos support to crank up the media experience.

With the Pad 7S Pro, Xiaomi is aiming squarely at the upper crust of the Android and iOS tablet world. While there are no wild design departures, the big pitch here is performance with its own chip, high refresh screen and fast charging all forming the company’s line of attack.

The move  telegraphs Xiaomi’s long-term chip ambitions. It has already registered the Xring 02 trademark, suggesting a second-gen chipset is in the works even if details are scarce.