Xiaomi’s stylus-enabled tablets are becoming more popular among artists, students and professionals who need active pen accuracy, but not all models are equipped with this feature — most budget devices only work with passive styluses (resistive-tipped pencil) that are inferior in accuracy and pressure. In this article, we will look at which Xiaomi tablets officially support active styluses, how they differ from their counterparts and what to look for when choosing.
It is important to understand the difference between an active stylus (powered, pressure and tilt sensors) and a passive one (a simple pencil without electronics). The former offer up to 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, minimal input delay (9-20 ms) and gesture support (e.g., a flip eraser). The latter work like regular capacitive sticks — no additional features. Xiaomi produces active stylus under the Mi Smart Pen brand, and they are only compatible with certain models.
If you're looking for a tablet to draw, take notes or work with documents, this guide will help you avoid mistakes when buying. We analyzed all the current models (including the Redmi Pad, Mi Pad and POCO Pad), checked compatibility with branded and third-party styluses, and collected user feedback about the real work of the pen. At the end of the article, we have an FAQ with answers to frequent questions and a comparison table.
Xiaomi Official Tablets with Active Stylus Support
To date (2026), only three series of Xiaomi tablets officially support active styluses: Xiaomi Pad 6, Xiaomi Pad 5 and Redmi Pad Pro. All of them work with the Mi Smart Pen (or its modifications), but there are nuances by generation and regional versions.
Important: Even if the tablet supports a stylus, not all functions can work on informal firmware (for example, custom ROMs like LineageOS). Also, some budget models (for example, Redmi Pad SE) are sold with the marketing mark "stylus support", but in fact work only with passive pencils - this is a scam of customers.
- 📱 Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro – flagship with Snapdragon 8 processor+ Gen 1, supportive support 2.8K 144 Hz and Mi Smart Pen 2 stylus (4096 pressure levels, magnetic fastening).
- 📱 Xiaomi Pad 6 – a simplified version with Snapdragon 870, screen 2.8K 144 Hz and the same stylus, but without wireless charging pen.
- 📱 Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro – 2021 model on Snapdragon 860, screen 120 Hz, compatible with Mi Smart Pen 1 (2048 pressure levels).
- 📱 Redmi Pad Pro – budget version with Helio G99, 90Hz screen and support for Mi Smart Pen 1, but without magnetic mounting.
Note: POCO Pad (released in 2023) does not support active styluses, despite similar features to the Redmi Pad Pro. This is due to the lack of a layer of digitizer in the screen. Also, do not confuse the Mi Smart Pen with cheap counterparts - the latter often have delays and inaccuracies when drawing.
Xiaomi’s Mi Smart Pen 1 vs Mi Smart Pen 2
Xiaomi has released two generations of active styluses, and they are very different in characteristics. Mi Smart Pen 2 (for the Pad 6 series) surpasses its predecessor in all respects: more pressure levels, lower latency, there is gesture support and magnetic mount with wireless charging. However, it is incompatible with older tablets (for example, with the Pad 5 Pro).
The table below shows the key differences between the two styluses:
| Characteristics | Mi Smart Pen 1 | Mi Smart Pen 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure levels | 2048 | 4096 |
| Delayed input (ms) | 20–25 | 9–12 |
| Tilt support | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes, up to 60.°) |
| Magnetic anchorage | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes (with charging) |
| Compatibility | Pad 5 Pro, Redmi Pad Pro | Pad 6, Pad 6 Pro |
Critical: Mi Smart Pen 2 doesn’t work with tablets older than 2022 due to a change in the communication protocol between the pen and the digitizer. If you buy a used Pad 5 Pro, make sure that the original Mi Smart Pen 1 comes with the kit – otherwise the stylus simply won’t be recognized by the system.
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Before buying a stylus, check the tablet serial number in the settings (Settings → About Phone → Model).Some regional versions (e.g. India) may have limited pen support.
How to check the compatibility of the stylus with your Xiaomi tablet
To avoid buying mistakes, follow this algorithm:
- Find out the exact model of the tablet (written on the box or in Settings → About phone). For example, Xiaomi Pad 6 and Xiaomi Pad 6 Pro are different devices!
- Check the year of release. The stylus is incompatible between generations (e.g. Mi Smart Pen 2 won't be suitable for the Pad 5 Pro 2021).
- Some tablets are sold in bundles with a stylus (for example, Pad 6 Pro + Mi Smart Pen 2), which is cheaper than a single purchase.
- Note the regional version. Chinese models (with the CN suffix) may have a different digitizer.
If you buy a stylus separately, be sure to check its article:
- 📌 Mi Smart Pen 1 — MDZ33AA (black MDZ33AB (white-coloured).
- 📌 Mi Smart Pen 2 — MDZ36AA (colour).
☑️ Checking the compatibility of the stylus
⚠️ Attention: There are many fake Xiaomi-branded stylus products on the market that are seemingly indistinguishable from the original ones, but have delays and incorrect pressure work. Buy only from official retailers (e.g. Mi Store, AliExpress Official Store) or check the packaging for the presence of a hologram.
Alternative stylus for Xiaomi tablets: is it worth buying?
The official Mi Smart Pen stylus is expensive (from 5,000 to 8,000 rubles), so many users are looking for cheap counterparts. However, there are pitfalls: most budget styluses (for example, from Baseus or Zagg) do not support full sensitivity to press and have delays of up to 30-50 milliseconds, which is critical for drawing.
From the proven alternatives can be distinguished:
- ✍️ Lammy ST510 — Supports 4096 pressure levels, is compatible with Pad 6 and Pad 5 Pro, but requires manual adjustment in the app.
- ✍️ Wacom One (DTC-133) — Universal stylus for Android, works with most Xiaomi tablets, but without magnetic mounting.
- ✍️ Adonit Note+ — Good alternative for notes, but poorly suited for professional drawing due to low accuracy.
⚠️ Note: Even if the alternative stylus physically works with the tablet, the tilt and gesture functions can be disabled at the software level. ST510 Does not support double-touch tool switching in Adobe Fresco on Xiaomi Pad 6.
How to set up a third-party stylus on Xiaomi Pad?
The best apps to work with a stylus on Xiaomi
Even with the most advanced stylus, the tablet won't be a complete tool for creativity without the right software.-5 Apps optimized for Mi Smart Pen:
- Xiaomi Notes (preinstalled) – supports handwriting, text conversion and synchronization with Mi Cloud.
- Adobe Fresco is the best for drawing (brushes with imitation of watercolor, oil), full support for pressure and tilt.
- Concepts is a vector editor with unlimited canvas, ideal for sketches and drawings.
- Nebo is a smart notebook with handwriting recognition and text conversion (supports LaTeX for formulas).
- Infinite Painter – more than 160 brushes, support for layers and animation, optimized for the Mi Smart Pen 2.
For maximum performance, it is recommended to disable battery optimization for these applications (Settings → Applications → Permissions → Battery Optimization). Also, Adobe Fresco and Concepts need to manually enable stylus support in the settings:
App settings → Enter → Stylus → Xiaomi Pen (or Wacom)⚠️ Note: On Redmi Pad Pro tablets, some stylus features (such as a flip eraser) may not work in third-party apps due to firmware limitations.This is treated by installing a custom core (such as Xiaomi.eu), but requires unlocking the bootloader.
Frequent stylus problems on Xiaomi and how to solve them
Even with official stylus users are faced with bugs, and here are the most common problems and solutions:
- ❌ Stylus is unrecognizable. → Reboot the tablet, check the pen charge (for the Mi Smart Pen 2), update the firmware.
- ❌ Delay in drawing → Turn off the power saving mode, close the background applications, lower the screen resolution to FHD.
- ❌ Incorrect pressure. → Recalibrate the stylus in settings (Settings) → Additionally. → stylus → Sizing).
- ❌ The pen spontaneously shuts down. → Check the magnetic mount (for the Mi Smart Pen 2) or replace the battery (for the Mi Smart Pen 1).
If the problem persists, try resetting your tablet (Settings → System → Reset), but backup your data beforehand. In extreme cases, you may need to flash it through the Mi Flash Tool (instructions are available on the 4PDA forum).
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Before contacting the service center, check whether the problem is software. For example, a bug with a “jumping cursor” in Xiaomi Notes is solved by updating the application to the latest version.