The Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro is the better hardware-value buy if you spend most of your time reading, watching, gaming and taking ordinary notes, but the 11-inch iPad Air M4 makes more sense for artists and creators who depend on specific iPad apps. The Xiaomi offers a sharper high-refresh display, faster advertised charging and significantly more storage for the money; Apple’s advantage is what its incredible performance
Game settings, native FPS caps, thermal limits and emulator compatibility matter more than chip branding. Some Android enthusiasts may prefer the Pad 8 Pro’s platform for their own gaming libraries, while iPad-specific games and creative apps may better exploit M4. Xiaomi also uses UFS 3.1 on its 128GB version but UFS 4.1 on 256GB and 512GB models, making storage configuration a real performance consideration.
Notes, Drawing and Editing: App Availability Can Reverse the Verdict
Both support capable pressure-sensitive pens: Xiaomi’s Focus Pen Pro offers gestures and vibration feedback, while Apple Pencil Pro adds squeeze, barrel roll, haptics and hover. Hardware specifications are only the start of a handwriting comparison. Palm rejection, application features, PDF handling and the ability to open existing projects can change the buying decision more than pen sensitivity figures.
Procreate runs on iPad, making Apple’s ecosystem the logical choice if an artist’s workflow depends on it.
