Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 vs Archos GamePad 2 Specs Comparison

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In terms of gaming performance, it’s no brainer that Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 really excels on that sector perfectly.

(Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 vs Archos GamePad 2 Specs Comparison)

Despite not being originally made as a gaming tablet, Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 is more than capable to execute any games that you see today on Google Play Store.

And that’s thanks to its Tegra K1 quad-core processor, a staggering 192-core of Kepler GPU, plus a huge 2GB of RAM, which is a great powerful hardware package that is indeed made for gaming.

However, if we talk a little bit deeper about gaming tablet specifically, then we probably would have a hard time finding the ‘real’ tablet that has all the element of gaming tablet.

I mean, okay, Tegra K1 tablets like Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 or NVIDIA Shield Tablet are no doubt insanely powerful for gaming, thanks to their monster processor.


However, i think powerful gaming performance is not enough to make a tablet great gaming device.

There are many other things that should be had on that tablet in order to be the best gaming tablet, like:
- the full support from game developers,
- huge catalog of well-optimized games specifically for that tablet,
- strong battery life,
- great touch response,
- fluid experience,
- comfortable design for gaming and of course,
- and the existence of physical gaming controllers.

This is actually the thing that Archos has been trying to deliver to the market through its Archos GamePad series.

This gaming tablet series now has stepped up to the second-generation model – Archos GamePad 2. Compared to the predecessor, this latest-gen model brings many improvements, but mostly on its design department, which now looks more mature and elegant.

Anyway, Archos GamePad 2 may not be as powerful as Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 with its monster Tegra K1 processor.

However, there’s one thing that makes this Archos tablet more superior than Xiaomi’s device.

And that is its physical gaming controllers. Unlike Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9, this Archos GamePad 2 tablet has the real physical gaming controllers – like gaming buttons, analog sticks and even trigger buttons on its shoulders.

This is actually the reason why today i’m really interested to bring up these 2 tablets in my next comparison review.

I think it would be awesome to see which one of these 2 devices that is a better gaming tablet in the whole aspect.

Archos tablet may not be as powerful as Xiaomi’s device, but its physical gaming controllers make this tablet on par with Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9, in terms of gaming experience as a whole.

Well, if you’re also eager to find out more about these 2 tablets and see their gaming performance comparison in this review, then here you go, my comparison review between Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 and Archos GamePad 2.


As mentioned above, in terms of gaming performance, then it’s no brainer that Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 will blow Archos GamePad 2 out of the water instantly.

Its monster Tegra K1 processor and a staggering 192-core GPU are just too powerful compared to a quad-core A9 processor and Mali-400 MP2 GPU found inside Archos tablet, which are already considered as older-gen hardware for today’s standards.

But apparently, that doesn’t stop Archos GamePad 2 from being an awesome gaming tablet.

Thanks to Archos’ impressive design approach on this device, Archos GamePad 2 looks really stand out as a real gaming tablet even compared to other flagship devices out there that have more powerful gaming performance than this Archos device - like Samsung GALAXY Tab S, Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9, NVIDIA Shield Tablet, LG G Pro, Kindle Fire HDX or even iPad mini Retina.

And that’s mostly because it has the real physical gaming controllers all over its body.

Archos GamePad 2. actually kind of reminds me with another handheld device from Sony – PlayStation Vita -, which also is a touch screen device and has the physical gaming controllers.

And that is the same exact thing that you can totally expect to see on this Archos tablet. It has the touch screen (of course), the gaming buttons (like X, B, Y, A, etc), pause and select buttons, analog sticks, directional pad and even the trigger shoulder buttons (like L, R, L1 and R2).

However, if pitted side-by-side against each other, Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 has a slight advantage compared to Archos tablet especially with the gaming compatibility of the next-gen games, plus of course the gaming performance as well.

But even so, both of these tablets in my opinion are still powerful for gaming.

But the questions remain, with all of the strengths and weaknesses found on both of these tablets, especially in terms of gaming experience, which one between Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 and Archos GamePad 2 that deserves to be the best gaming tablet in this comparison review?

Which one that is a better tablet in the whole aspect?

Is any of these 2 tablets worth to buy, especially for playing 3D high-performing games?

Well, if you want to learn more about these 2 tablets, be sure to read the rest of this review!


One thing that really impresses me a lot with Xiaomi is actually the material that this company uses for its devices.

Most of Xiaomi smartphones– including Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 – use plastic polycarbonate material all over the body, which usually is called as cheap material on today’s smart devices.

But that’s entirely wrong about that. Not all plastic polycarbonate material feels really cheap, as cheap as glossy plastic.

In fact, there are many manufacturers out there that manage to make this material feel premium on their devices, even as premium as iPads.

Xiaomi Mi Pad

Archos GamePad 2

And that’s the same thing you can totally expect to see on Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9. Despite using plastic coating, this rear-cover of this tablet amazingly feels really sturdy and comfortable to hold.

And it’s also not prone to catch finger prints or human grease (unlike the rear-cover of Google Nexus 9). Plus, it doesn’t feel cheap if you really have a hold on this device on your hands.

In terms of design, however, Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 may not have something to write home about, simply because it looks really identical with iPad mini Retina, especially with its 4:3 aspect ratio and the size of bezels.

And that turns out to be not quite shocking given that this tablet also blatantly copies the entire screen specification of iPad mini Retina – from the same 7.9-inch display, 1536x2046 pixels, -324 ppi and of course the same 4:3 aspect ratio.

This really contradicts with Archos GamePad 2. Unlike Xiaomi’s tablet, this Archos’ gaming tablet has its own characteristic compared to other regular Android tablets out there on the market.

And the most prominent element that makes it look stand out is definitely its physical gaming controllers.

As mentioned above, Archos GamePad 2 actually kind of reminds me with PlayStation Vita, which has the touch screen, the gaming buttons, directional pad, analog sticks and even trigger buttons on the shoulders.

Between Archos GamePad 2 and Xiaomi Mi Pad, i think i have to go with Archos GamePad 2 in terms of design, simply because it has its own identity compared to its rivals on the market.

And that’s something that is pretty rare to find on today’s tablet market.

With the arrivals of many Android tablets from wide range of different manufacturers, now tablets look really generic with their designs. And that’s something that should be appreciated on Archos through its GamePad 2 tablet.

However, when it comes to build quality, i think Xiaomi Mi Pad is slightly more superior than Archos’s tablet.

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Xiaomi Mi Pad

Archos Gamepad 2

No SIM Released June 2014, 7.9 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 1536 x 2048 pixels, (~324 ppi pixel density), 16M colors Quad-core 2.2 GHz Cortex-A15 Nvidia Tegra K1 Chipset ULP GeForce Kepler (192 cores) GPU 2 GB RAM Android OS - MIUI 16/64 GB of Internal storage microSD card slo for up to 128 GB 8 MP rear-facing camera 5 MP front-facing camera No EDGE, No GPRS, No Radio, No GPS USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 HTML5 Browser Java MIDP emulator Colors Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink, White, Gray Li-Po 6700 mAh battery

No SIM 7-inch 1280 x 800 pixels IPS capacitive display Android 4.2 Jelly Bean 1.6GHz Quad-core A9 Processor • Quad-core GPU Mali 400 MP4 8GB/16GB micro SD up to 64GB formatted to FAT32 2GB RAM Front-facing camera USB 2.0: Mobile Transfer Protocol Dual band WiFi Bluetooth Gaming Controls Two analogue thumb-sticks Directional pad 6 front facing buttons 4 shoulder buttons Built-in stereo speakers G-sensor HDMI output (Mini HDMI / HDMI cable sold separately)

As the next-gen tablet, Xiaomi Mi Pad is of course far more powerful in terms of specs compared to Archos GamePad 2.

And that’s mostly because its Tegra K1 processor, 192-core Kepler GPU, a high-resolution “Retina” display are just top notch in high-end class, as opposed to the quad-core A9 processor, Mali-400 MP2 GPU and a 720p display found on Archos GamePad 2.

However, that’s still acceptable because Xiaomi Mi Pad is new-gen tablet released just a few months ago, unlike Archos’ device that is already considered as older-gen tablet with older-gen hardware.

But even so, both devices are still great as gaming tablets. Archos GamePad 2 may not be as powerful as Xiaomi Mi Pad, in terms of gaming performance.

But at least, this tablet is still more than capable to execute even the most graphically demanding games like Modern Combat 4 (even 5), Asphalt 8: Airborne, Need for Speed Most Wanted or NOVA 3 all in buttery smooth performance and of course, in full highest graphics.


Something that for me is quite surprising to see on Xiaomi Mi Pad is actually its display.

Similar exactly just like the “Retina” display on iPad mini 2 Retina, this Xiaomi’s tablet also shares the same exact screen specs of Apple’s mini tablet – from the same 7.9-inch screen size, 1536x2048 pixel resolution, -324 ppi and even the same 4:3 aspect ratio.

So this actually makes this tablet ‘on the same level’ with Apple’s device.

And even in terms of quality, the screen of Xiaomi Mi Pad is also not too shabby at all compared to iPad mini 2 especially because it is supplied by Sharp, which is one of the main screen suppliers of Apple devices.

So when it comes to sharpness, color reproduction and saturation and viewing angle, the screen of this Xiaomi’s tablet is as top notch as iPad mini 2.

On the other hand with Xiaomi Mi Pad, Archos GamePad 2 is definitely not on par in terms of sharpness with Xiaomi Mi Pad. And that’s because this device only comes with 720p resolution (1280x800 pixels) on its 7-inch display.

It may look pretty sharp for some users, however, if compared side-by-side with Xiaomi Mi Pad, then we can certainly know how these 2 tablets are not on the same level on the screen department.


Xiaomi has been really consistent, in fact, will always be consistent with the use of its own heavily-customized MIUI on all of its devices. And Xiaomi Mi Pad is no exception here.

Similar just like its siblings, this Xiaomi’s tablet comes with MIUI along with all of its useful features and attractive visual presentations here and there on its pre-loaded apps.

I believe MIUI 6 has already arrived on this tablet a long time ago. So basically, it may slightly look like iOS 7/iOS 8 especially with the entire design and icons.

However, the UI of Xiaomi Mi Pad still has its own characteristic compared to Apple’s mobile OS.

In fact, i think MIUI has more cool stuff and features than iOS 7. And that’s why this UI consumes a lot of space in the memory/RAM (probably around 600MB to 900MB overall).

But the good news is, there’s a lot of tricks (on XDA developer forum) to literally ‘freeze’ some of the unnecessary features and pre-loaded apps of this MIUI, giving you more free space in the memory, making it run faster and smoother, decreasing the temperature of the device, plus making it more efficient with the use of battery life.

Not to mention, the method to root Xiaomi device is also really easy, of course, if you have the capability to do that.

On the other hand with Xiaomi Mi Pad, Archos GamePad 2 comes with entirely stock Android UI, without any meaningful customizations from the manufacturer to its software build.

And this is good because it will make the device perform much faster and smoother when playing games, plus more efficient with the use of battery.

Between Xiaomi Mi Pad and Archos GamePad 2, i think i have to side on Xiaomi Mi Pad because its MIUI offers a lot of benefits like useful features and more attractive plus advanced visual effects that cannot be found on Archos’s device.

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There’s no single doubt that Xiaomi Mi Pad is far more powerful in gaming performance than Archos GamePad 2.

And that’s clearly because its Tegra K1 processor is NVIDIA’s latest and greatest mobile processor shipping with a staggering 192-core Kepler GPU, as opposed to the quad-core A9 processor and Mali-400 MP2 GPU found inside Archos tablet.

So basically, Xiaomi Mi Pad has a lot more power especially in terms of graphical performance than Archos GamePad 2, thanks to its 192-core Kepler GPU.

But even so, despite not being as powerful as Xiaomi Mi Pad, the gaming performance of Archos GamePad 2 is actually not too shabby at all.

In fact, it’s really impressive to see how this Mali-400-powered device is more than capable to execute some of the games that are considered as the most graphics intense titles like Modern Combat 4, Asphalt 8: Airborne, Dead Trigger and NOVA 3 – all running smoothly even in full highest graphics.

Meanwhile, as a Tegra K1 tablet, Xiaomi Mi Pad has a far more powerful advantage than Archos GamePad 2, especially in terms of graphical performance.

According to some game makers and game engine developers, this Tegra K1 processor is capable to deliver the same graphic power as today’s desktops.

It even outperformed Apple A7 chipset and could bring 3 times graphical performance as Apple’s processor, as seen on benchmark tests on some tech sites.

So with that being said, then the gaming performance of Xiaomi Mi Pad is undoubtedly really insanely powerful.

Not only does this tablet have the power to run all Android games smoothly and in full highest graphics, but it’s also capable to play some console-quality games like Trine 2 (PS3), Half Life 2 (PC) and many other next-gen titles that are about to arrive in 2015 specifically for Tegra K1 tablets like Xiaomi Mi Pad.

However, in terms of gaming experience, i’ll definitely side on Archos GamePad 2 instead of Xiaomi Mi Pad.

And that’s mostly thanks to its real physical gaming controllers, which are no where to be found on Xiaomi Mi Pad. And this really adds up a lot of points to its gaming experience as a whole.

Archos GamePad 2 may not have the same powerful gaming performance as Xiaomi Mi Pad, nor the support from game and even console game developers with their console-quality next-gen games.

However, playing games on tablet with physical gaming controllers is definitely so much even better than playing games with on-screen virtual buttons.

Besides, this Archos tablet is still capable to run heavy games like Modern Combat 4 or Asphalt 8: Airborne, all smoothly even in full highest graphics. And this what really matters for today’s gaming, right?

However, in the long run, Xiaomi Mi Pad has a much bigger advantage than Archos GamePad 2 especially because its processor and GPU are really powerful and fully supported by many game and even console game developers.

And this means, the next-gen console-quality games in 2015 can all be executed perfectly on this device.



The other thing that always impresses me with Xiaomi devices is actually their cameras. Despite being affordable devices, many of Xiaomi devices surprisingly have great and sharp cameras, capable to take some decent quality shots and even 720p videos.

Well, that’s not shocking because the camera sensors used on many Xiaomi devices are mostly supplied by Samsung.

And we all know that Samsung flagship devices have always been really top notch in terms of camera. So you can totally expect the same thing on Xiaomi Mi Pad.

The photos are pretty sharp and the 720p videos taken with its camera are really impressive.

Unfortunately, there’s no rear-facing camera found on Archos GamePad 2. So if you’re into photography, you will be left disappointed with this device.

The good thing is, there’s still a front-facing camera embedded on this tablet, allowing you to do selfies and video calls.


Xiaomi Mi Pad is powered by 6700mAh power battery, the same battery capacity found on other Tegra K1 tablet – Google Nexus 9.

Meanwhile, Archos GamePad 2 comes with a polymer Lithium battery, although its capacity is no where to be found on the spec sheet.

In terms of battery life, i think both devices are pretty equal. I mean, they both are of course capable to survive in a solid day in moderate use.

But their battery life would drain drastically faster to probably around 4 to 6 hours if used for doing some heavy intense tasks without resting the screen at all – like watching HD movies in marathon or playing games in the row.

However, the use of stock Android UI on Archos GamePad 2 probably will give more advantage to Archos tablet given that its UI will be more efficient with the use of energy, as opposed to the MIUI of Xiaomi Mi Pad that is really power hungry, especially if all of the pre-loaded apps are running at the same time in the first boot, like miCloud, software updates, etc.


So in my final conclusion, i think it’s a bit harder to determine which one between Xiaomi Mi Pad and Archos GamePad 2 as a better gaming tablet because both of these devices have their own strengths and weaknesses. I mean, Xiaomi Mi Pad may have a far more powerful gaming performance.

However, the physical gaming controllers on Archos GamePad 2 really makes the gaming experience of this device more awesome and better than on Xiaomi Mi Pad.

Not to mention, the fact that Archos GamePad 2 – with its A9 quad-core processor and Mali-400 MP2 GPU – is still capable to run Modern Combat 4 and Asphalt 8: Airborne smoothly in full highest graphics, also makes it ‘on the same level’ with Xiaomi Mi Pad – at least for now in 2014.

However, in the long run, it’s definitely Xiaomi Mi Pad that will be the best gaming tablet in this comparison review.

It’s not only capable to run games like Modern Combat 4 or Asphalt 8: Airborne in full graphics, but it’s also more than happier to execute many next-gen console-quality games that are about to arrive in 2015.

In fact, there are 2 games that are ported from console and PC – Trine 2 (PS3) and Half Life 2 (PC) – that both are made specifically for Tegra K1 devices like Xiaomi Mi Pad.

So in the near future, Xiaomi Mi Pad will finally show off its real gaming capability to the world, while Archos GamePad 2 is probably not gonna be that powerful anymore to execute next-gen games in the future.

The other thing that makes Xiaomi Mi Pad much better tablet than Archos GamePad 2 is also its hardware specs and the most importantly, its overall quality.

Despite being an affordable tablet, i’m personally really impressed a lot with the quality that Xiaomi provides on its devices.

Many of parts used on Xiaomi devices are mostly supplied by big manufacturers, like Sony, Samsung, Sharp and many more.

So that’s the reason why Xiaomi devices mostly have great camera, great display, good battery, and solid build quality.

Archos GamePad 2 also has decent quality overall.

However, its lack of rear-facing camera and its ‘only’ 720p display, really make it harder to recommend compared to Xiaomi Mi Pad, which has decent quality cameras and a “Retina” 1536x2048 display (exactly just like iPads).

So bottom line, in this comparison review, i think i have to go Xiaomi Mi Pad as the winner in this review compared to Archos GamePad 2.

It may not have the real physical gaming controllers just like on Archos’s tablet, however, then entire aspect plus its more powerful gaming performance really make it up for its lack of physical gaming controllers.

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