OnePlus Pad tablet quick reviewPromising debut

By Abhik SenguptaThe OnePlus Pad is an important part of OnePlus’ plan to create an ecosystem similar to Apple or Samsung. The company has already demonstrated its capabilities in the smartphone market with multiple generations of devices. In the audio space, its Buds Pro series remains a favourite that is affordable compared to Apple AirPods and Sony headphones. Its premium TVs are also giving tough competition to competitors such as Xiaomi and Samsung.

Although the OnePlus Pad is a late entrant, the timing could be ideal for the company as it is gradually gaining momentum in India and worldwide. The OnePlus Pad also takes all the right inspiration from existing tablets but features a touch of premiumness-yet-affordability that the company is known for. The starting price of Rs 37,999 may seem inflated, but it is reasonable as you get a 144Hz display, MediaTek Dimensity 9000 SoC, and 8GB of RAM. Compare these specifications to Rs 26,999-worth Xiaomi Pad 5 or Rs 44,900-worth iPad 10th-Gen — price seems justified.

Overall, the OnePlus Pad is a promising Android tablet in a market dominated by Apple iPads. However, OnePlus has a long way to go to rival Apple’s seamless integration across devices. As a standalone device, the OnePlus Pad is highly promising tablet in its price range. Here’s why in this quick review.

Firstly, the 11-inch display will be ideal for many customers who want a large tablet that does not occupy too much space in their daily backpack. At 552 grams, it is not the lightest tablet on the market compared to the Xiaomi Pad 5 (511 grams) or Apple iPad 10th-generation (481 grams). The weight distribution is thoughtful, making it portable and easy to use. Another area that I like is the build-quality. The company has not been shy when it comes to exploring sandstone finish or glass bodies for smartphones. The Pad features a metal body, which offers a great degree of durability and extravagance.

The placement of buttons is also decent, though there’s no alert slider to switch between loud and silent profiles. The placement of the front camera is in the landscape orientation, which I generally don’t like. This placement makes sense if you are using the tablet with the case, as you tend to open the tablet like a laptop. Without that case, most people pick up the device like a smartphone in portrait orientation. This is just a minor design element which may not even get your attention.

However, some areas elicit mixed reactions. For instance, I like the green finish on the tablet since I’m not a fan of traditional black-coloured gadgets. If you prefer a sleek black shade, there are no colour options. Similarly, the placement of the round rear camera module is also debatable. I didn’t enjoy the design too much, but after showing the tablet to friends and family members, the opinions were divided.

When it comes to the viewing experience, there’s very little to complain about, at least from my short usage. Since the front and centre of a tablet is the display, OnePlus has made no compromises. Sure, it features an IPS display, which generally offers muted colour compared to high-end OLED and AMOLED panels. OnePlus has tried to address the hardware limitations with AI-powered solutions. From the display settings, there are loads of options to tweak colours and contrast.

To test the display (with 2800×2000 pixel resolution), I watched a Beef on Netflix and an EPL match on Disney Plus Hostar in very brief usage. Compared to an M2-powered iPad Pro with a mini-LED display, the differences are stark as the dark spots are faintly grey, and reds won’t be as vibrant. If you compare the display performance against any high-end PC with the same LCD, there’s very little to differentiate.

For regular customers, the display should be adequate – further complimented by a capable sound system. The Pad includes four speaker outputs to offer loud sound. The bass isn’t prominent, but that’s generally the case among most Android tablets. Yes, this tablet also supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, which can improve the viewing experience with supported movies and shows on supported apps.

OnePlus says the OnePlus Pad is the first tablet with a 7:5 aspect ratio to offer better edge-to-edge viewing. I will have to run more apps and watch movies to test this claim.

In terms of performance, I did not face any issues, but it is too early to give a verdict. Make sure you’re following India Today Tech to get all the details in our full review.

Until that happens, I won’t be surprised if the OnePlus Pad outperforms some of its rivals. It draws power from MediaTek’s 4nm process-based Dimensity 9000 SoC, which also powers some high-end smartphones, including Vivo X80, Tecno Phantom X2, and Oppo Find N2 Flip. The chipset is accompanied by 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. While this memory configuration should be more than enough, there’s another variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage (which I am testing) for Rs 39,999.

In my brief usage, I browsed the UI and some apps on the OnePlus Pad. The Pad ships with Android 13-based OxygenOS, which appears to be cleaner than the OS for OnePlus smartphones. You can continue to enjoy some popular OnePlus smartphone features, such as the shelf or game booster mode to improve gaming. My favourite is the single swipe gesture to split the screen, which Oppo introduced on its Find N folding phone. This could be highly useful to check emails and read news simultaneously.

OnePlus says users can use the phone’s hotspot to enjoy 5G speeds on the tablet since there’s no variant with cellular connectivity. You can also manage TV with the tablet, but for that, Google Home on any device and Google TV OS are enough, and not a dedicated tablet from any brand.

Lastly, OnePlus has also launched a OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard for Rs 7,999, which features a nice faux-leather finish. This extends the tablet’s premium looks, though any faux leather starts tearing over time, and it is crucial to keep this in mind. The keys do not have a backlight, which could be a setback for some customers. Otherwise, the keys are mushy and offer nice feedback, which could be useful for long hours of typing. The case is also the rarest among Android rivals to include a trackpad that works quite nicely. And if you enjoy doodling or are an upcoming content creator, there’s a OnePlus Stylo stylus for Rs 4,999. It offers a lag-free performance.

However, the stylus’ feedback is a little too smooth, which some content creators may not enjoy. Affordable Apple iPads also have similar limitations, but many creators I know use a coarse paper feel screen guard to solve that issue.

We will talk about all this, including the battery (9510mAh), dual cameras (13MP back + 8MP front), and video calling in our full review.