In the world of tablets, there’s pretty much one dominant product: Apple’s iPad. There are plenty of Android tablets available as well — from the likes of Lenovo, Samsung, and others. But for the most part, they typically don’t hold a candle to the iPad. OnePlus, a premium Chinese brand that is also a sister brand of Oppo, is one of the smaller companies in terms of Android device manufacturers. Though it just released the OnePlus 11 this year, a lot of people still think of other Android smart phones first, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 or Google’s Pixel 7 lineups. Still, OnePlus is a reputable brand, just a little smaller than the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Google.
Technical Specifications
· Display: 11.61 inches, 144Hz refresh rate
· Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 9000
· Camera : 13MP rear, 8MP front
· Battery: 9,510, 67W SUPERVOOC Charger
· RAM/ROM: 8GB/128GB, 12GB/256GB
Design
The design of the OnePlus Pad is definitely distinctive, making it one of the more unique tablets on the market. It’s a unified metal body with cambered frames and 2.5D round edges, giving it a super slim and thin profile. Despite that fact, it’s surprisingly lightweight and comfortable to hold, even for extended periods. My favorite part of the OnePlus Pad is the color that it comes in: Halo Green. A lot of tablets on the market come in the same usual colors, like black, white, gold, etc. But the OnePlus Pad comes in a unique Halo Green, which is reminiscent of a sage green shade.
I thought the decision to have the camera centered is a rather peculiar design choice. However, OnePlus makes the argument that it’s for symmetry, especially when capturing landscape images. With a centered camera, the user doesn’t have to adjust when holding the OnePlus Pad. If it wasn’t already clear with the camera position, the OnePlus Pad is primarily meant to be used in horizontal landscape orientation. The front-facing camera is also placed along the longer side of the display, pretty much on the other side of the rear camera. When using the OnePlus Pad in the natural, horizontal position, you’ll find the power button at the top of the left edge and the volume buttons on the top left edge (adjacent to the power button). On the right edge is where you’ll find the USB-C charging port. There are dual speakers on both the left and right sides, giving a stereo surround sound experience.
Display
Moving on to the display and performance of the OnePlus Pad, it boasts an 11.61-inch LCD screen with a 2800 x 2000 pixel resolution and an interesting 7:5 aspect ratio. It is satisfactory for typical activities like social media, email, writing, and streaming services.
The standout feature of the display is its refresh rate, which can reach an impressive 144Hz. This refresh rate surpasses even that of most high-end smart phones and tablets, such as Apple’s Pro Motion display and Lenovo’s Tab P11 Pro Gen 2, with a maximum of 120Hz. With the OnePlus Pad’s 144Hz refresh rate, users can enjoy exceptionally smooth scrolling and animations, particularly in resource-intensive games and apps. However,
Despite being an LCD display, the OnePlus Pad’s screen appears sharp and crisp, delivering vibrant colors and deep blacks similar to Samsung’s smart phones known for their vivid hues. The tablet supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos surround sound, making it an excellent choice for multimedia consumption.
Performance
The OnePlus Padis equipped with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128GB UFS 3.1 storage, a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip, and ARM G710 MC10 GPU. While the OnePlus11 utilizes the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip from Qualcomm, the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 is still a high-end chipset from MediaTek, and OnePlus highlights its capabilities. The OnePlus Padboasts the ability to handle up to 24 live apps simultaneously. The tablet exhibited excellent performance throughout, providing a crisp and smooth experience even in multitasking.
OS
The OnePlus Pad operates on
Oxygen OS 13, OnePlus’ custom interface based on Android 13, which is also available on OnePlus phones. It includes features like the split-screen mode, enabling users to use two apps side by side for enhanced productivity. While the software generally runs smoothly, some peculiarities were observed. Additionally, the Google Wallet app comes pre-installed on the device.
Camera
The OnePlus Pad features a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing camera. The rear camera, positioned in the center, is adequate for occasional photos or document scanning rather than capturing family vacation moments. The camera software follows the design of other OnePlus devices, although it is considerably more simplistic. Camera modes can be accessed from the bottom of the screen, while toggles for flash, timer, AI enhancement, aspect ratio, and HDR are available on the left-hand side. Additionally, a simple toggle for 2x digital zoom is included.
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There are panorama, slow-motion, and time-lapse modes to choose from. The image quality produced by the rear camera is decent for a tablet, with good colour reproduction and dynamic range. The level of detail is also satisfactory for casual photos or taking pictures of documents. Similarly, the front camera delivers acceptable-looking images and videos suitable for video calls.
SpeakersThe OnePlus Pad features four speakers located in each corner, and their audio distribution is smartly adjusted based on the tablet’s orientation. This means that regardless of how you hold the device, the speakers on the left side will consistently play the left channel audio. The speaker quality is impressive, particularly when the Dolby Atmos support is activated. It is recommended to keep the volume at an optimal level as at maximum volume, the sound may deviate from the original pitch.
Battery
The battery life of the OnePlus Pad is one of its standout features. With its massive 9,510mAh battery, it can outlast many other tablets on the market. OnePlus claims it can provide 12.4 hours of consecutive video playback and about a month of standby time. Without accessories connected and with no background apps running, the battery life can extend up to 50 days.
OnePlus includes a SUPERVOOC power adapter with the OnePlus Pad, offering charging speeds of up to 67W. In just one hour, you can get around 86% charge from zero, and it takes about 80 minutes for a full charge. Considering the size of the battery, this is quite impressive, and frequent charging is not necessary.
As a light tablet user, a full charge of the OnePlus Pad lasted me approximately a week of occasional usage, including writing articles, playing casual games, web browsing, social media, and streaming NBA playoffs on YouTube TV. If used as a primary work or media consumption device, the battery may not last as long, but with the large battery capacity, heavy use should still provide at least a few days (2+) of battery life.
Accessories
The OnePlus Pad offers various accessories that are sold separately, increasing the overall cost of the device. One notable accessory is the OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard, which combines a folio case, keyboard, and track pad. It attaches magnetically to the tablet using pogo pins to transfer data. The folio case has a soft, leather-like texture on the outside for a good grip, while the inner side that touches the tablet’s back is felt-lined, helping to clean any smudges. Located on the longer side of the OnePlus Pad, there is a three-point pogo pin connector designed for the OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard, which is sold separately. Additionally, the top edge features a magnetic spot for attaching the OnePlus Stylo, a stylus pen.
The keyboard features a typical chiclet style design with reasonably sized keys, and it includes an Fn key for accessing commonly used functions. While it may take some time to adjust to the layout, the keys offer tactile feedback and a pleasant typing experience, enabling fast and accurate typing. Positioned below the keyboard, the centrally hinged track pad supports multi-touch gestures. However, using the case means the tablet must be kept at a fixed angle, which could occasionally affect the viewing angle. It’s worth noting that the keyboard lacks back lighting, and the track pad may feel small if you prefer to scroll across the entire screen.
Another accessory available is the wireless stylus called OnePlus Stylo, which connects via Bluetooth and charges magnetically by attaching to the top of the tablet. It provides great convenience for tasks such as scrolling through pages or engaging in creative activities like drawing.
Overall, the OnePlus Pad provides a unique design, good display quality, smooth performance, and impressive battery life. While it competes with the iPad Pro in terms of size and accessories, it is positioned as a competitor to the 10th-generation iPad in terms of price.
