If you put "tablet" and "productivity" together, it will definitely cause a lot of debate, but if you put "tablet" and "efficiency" together, the debate will be less voiced. Split screen, small window, parallel horizon and other functions, on larger screens, do have higher efficiency.
Therefore, the "efficiency innovation" mentioned when MIUI 13 Pad was released, I agree with it. But as a user of the two ecosystems of Xiaomi and Apple, when watching the conference, a voice has been echoing in my head: "This is not ..."
Recently, MIUI 13 Pad has pushed a stable version, that compared with iPadOS + iOS and MIUI 13 Pad + MIUI 13 Phone, which is better to use?
Lazy Directory
Can free windows rival PC multitasking?
Flow VS Relay, who is the right answer to efficiency?
Tablet keyboard upgrade, shortcut keys are easy to use?
Summary: Steady progress, still to be improved
Window, split-screen, multi-window switching, with trackpad gestures and keyboard shortcuts, make us more productive when using our pc. Therefore, it is often seen that users in digital forums ask: Why can't we implement a window that can be freely dragged on the tablet?
▲ On the desktop side, switching tasks is very easy
MiUI 13 Pad meets the needs of this group of users by using a new form on split screen: the global free window. Once you open the app, you can drag it diagonally up to create small windows of different sizes.
And MIUI 13 Pad is not just a simple change in size, but also redesigned the UI interface for different sizes, to file management as an example, if full screen or large window, will show the left column and the right side of the file, if the window is reduced again, the left column will be hidden, you can click on the upper left corner to expand the view.
Such optimizations are also reflected in system apps such as calendars, clocks, calculators, and app stores, but there are still some problems with adaptation. For example, the "Concept Board" of the free window will have a cropped interface.
▲ The outside of the color wheel cannot be selected
Another example is the free window of the system album, when opening the photo, it will bounce back to a small window of standard size, and when we test, there are often "the application running memory is large, and it does not support opening" prompt, and the app cannot be opened. This is not just a problem with miUI 13 Pad, it also needs to be optimized by third-party developers.
Although free windows are implemented, this feature has some limitations. First, it supports up to two apps running at the same time, if you open the window of the third app, the first app will be closed, and if you are in split-screen mode, the free window can only keep one.
Secondly, the free window is actually a multi-size adaptation of the app, not completely stepless changes, when dragged to a certain unadjugated size, the app will automatically become a neighboring size size, but the switch is very smooth, will not let the experience have any sense of separation.
Of course, these are not a big problem, limited by the screen size and third-party app adaptation, it is too early to talk about "comparable to PC", but compared to the split screen of iPadOS, miUI 13 Pad's global free window will indeed be practical.
▲ The iPad Widget can only stay left and right in a standard size
▲ MIUI 13 Pad small window can be freely stayed + change size
In addition to the edge uplining, small windows have multiple ways to enter. After entering an app, there will be more lightly colored joysticks on both sides of the lower touch bar, and the upper stroke can open the bottom taskbar, and you can start the free window by dragging the app; you can also press the app icon on the desktop to enter the free window.
However, adding a new operating lever to the existing touch strip is really not beautiful.
Overall, the free window of MIUI 13 Pad is still very innovative, but as mentioned earlier, "comparable to PC" is too early to be it, although it is leading, but in the actual experience will not be much stronger than iPadOS, the free window of the two apps and the left and right split screens of the two apps, how much can it improve in efficiency?
▲ It seems to just allow us to see the desktop as we do with a PC
Compared with the convenience brought by free windows, the operation of the MIUI 13 Pad split-screen app is more tedious. If you want to split the screen on the Xiaomi tablet, you need to enter the multi-tasking background, long press the app, click the split screen icon to achieve, compared to the iPadOS sweep split screen experience, or some distance.
▲ MIUI 13 Pad split screen, the steps are more cumbersome
▲ iPadOS split screen, swipe the top "..."
This is not only the advantage of iPadOS, other manufacturers' tablets also have most of the split screen gesture operation, may be in Xiaomi's view, the significance of the second screen is not large, free window is the future of tablet multitasking.
To sum up, the free window of MIUI 13 Pad is not just a simple display of apps in different sizes, but a more detailed design of different sizes, but only two apps can be used at the same time, and the free window adaptation of third-party apps is not yet perfect.
Or you can expect a larger Xiaomi tablet that will allow us to run more apps on the same screen.
Today, when the Xiaomi MioXiang Center has not yet been launched, the circulation between MIUI 13 Phone and MIUI 13 Pad is the first entrance for us to experience MIUI's "connecting everything". But when I introduced this feature at the press conference, I was echoing "Isn't this just..."
So, what is the difference between the circulation of xiaomi ecology and the relay of Apple ecology?
MIUI 13 there are two types of apps on your phone and tablet: opening tablet apps and using MIUI+.
When you open "Browser", "Notes", "Bilibili", WPS and other apps on your mobile phone, you will open the app on the tablet side and locate the same location where the phone browses and plays.
When this function is turned on, or the corresponding app is not installed on the tablet, MIUI+ is turned on and the mobile phone screen is directly projected onto the tablet.
The relay of the iPad mainly implements the first part of the function, that is, to open the tablet app corresponding to the mobile app and locate to the same position for browsing and playback. Third-party apps such as WPS and Ulysses have also adapted to this feature.
In addition, MIUI 13 also supports the circulation of functions such as clipboard, verification code, and photography, you can copy content on your phone and paste it on the tablet, and the actual experience is similar to the relay between Apple devices.
Apple ecology does not have a MIUI+ part, the overall operation is slightly stuttered, but the latency is not high, within the acceptable range. You can also drag photos from your phone directly into your tablet's notes for efficient operation. But it can not be small windows or hidden, must be used to keep displayed in the foreground.
During the experience, I encountered a small bug, when playing "Glory of kings" on the mobile phone with MIUI+, I somehow recognized the operation of dragging the roulette wheel backwards, causing me to not operate the character, and I would continue to retreat.
▲ Release the left roulette wheel and it will automatically go back
MIUI 13's flow uses MIUI+, which minimizes the impact of third-party adaptation on the user experience: even if the third-party app does not adapt to the flow, you can use MIUI+ to use the corresponding app on the tablet. However, compared with the circulation of apps, clipboards, verification codes, etc., the operations of MIUI+ are still slightly blunt and need to be further optimized.
MiUI 13 Pad also has a big upgrade, that is, keyboard shortcuts. This time, Xiaomi has made a more comprehensive adaptation of the task keys on the keyboard to achieve more functions.
Click the task key to evoke the taskbar, or double-click the task key to switch between apps.
At the same time, MIUI 13 Pad also introduces shortcut keys similar to computers, which can achieve more functions and can also be customized to open defined apps through "task keys + letters".
And some third-party apps have also been adapted, such as in WPS, "Bilibili HD", you can see underline, italic, adjust the volume, bullet screen and other app-specific shortcut keys.
On iPadOS 15, long press the command key to see the corresponding shortcut key, paste copy, back to the desktop, switch apps, the third-party apps are mostly adapted, to be honest in terms of shortcut keys, MIUI 13 Pad and iPadOS are not much different.
The difference in this regard is mainly reflected in the hardware, that is, the trackpad. Apple has brought the excellent trackpad experience on the Mac to the tablet, and you can completely implement various keyboard shortcuts on the trackpad by multi-finger sliding and pinching, clicking and dragging.
Of course, we can't put aside the price to talk about the experience, even if we buy Logitech Combo Touch keyboard-style protective case, the keyboard price of the iPad is also more than 1,000 yuan, the keyboard of the Xiaomi tablet has made great progress after the update, but just like I look forward to the Xiaomi tablet with a larger screen, if we can use the trackpad on the Xiaomi tablet, will the efficiency be improved again?
▲ After all, the Android platform also has tablets that use trackpads
Can free windows rival PC multitasking? Our answer is no, we can only open two apps and the adaptation is not yet perfect, compared to PC multitasking, there is still a long way to go compared to PC multitasking.
Flow VS Relay, who is the right answer to efficiency? Although there are slight differences and shortcomings, the two want us to have a seamless experience between different devices is the same, from the perspective of "seamless experience", MIUI 13 Pad with MIUI+ goes further.
Tablet keyboard upgrade, shortcut keys are easy to use? Easy to use, whether it's system-level operation or more adaptation of third-party apps, MIUI 13 Pad really makes the keyboard more practical.
Did not enter the MIUI 13 Pad internal test, I thought that at the end of January will receive a stable version of the push, yesterday (January 9) when I saw the push slightly surprised, MIUI head Jin Fan promised at the press conference that "will not let the rice noodles wait too long", he did it.
However, the various small bugs and unsmooths encountered in the experience, the imperfect adaptation of third-party apps, and the lack of killer apps are not only the Xiaomi tablet, but also the reason for the gap between the Android tablet and the iPad.
▲ Lumafusion, GoodNotes, Procreate and other tablet productivity apps recognized by users are only iPad
Global free window, multi-device circulation, keyboard shortcut optimization, coupled with the official and third-party apps that have been optimized for large screens, the Xiaomi tablet equipped with MIUI 13 Pad is indeed better to use, but whether it is hardware performance or software ecology, Xiaomi in the overall benchmark Apple also needs a more diversified tablet product line, and a more active third-party developer adaptation.
MIUI 13 Pad has made a good start, and the next step is the most difficult and critical part of the development of Xiaomi Tablet.