OnePlus Pad: they made Android WORSE frfr
**The OnePlus Pad: A Review**
The OnePlus Pad is attempting to make a breakthrough in the tablet space. While there are a few good aspects, there are also some notable drawbacks. Let’s dive right into this review.
If there’s one thing OnePlus does exceptionally well, it’s presentation—both in terms of feel and finish. The OnePlus Pad checks many of these boxes with its aluminum body and rounded edges, making it very comfortable to hold while still feeling premium. Its green finish not only looks sharp but also matches some of the other products OnePlus has released this year.
Looking at the front, the screen stands out from other offerings on the market. At 11.6 inches with a resolution of 2800 by 2000, it’s fairly large and has a 7:5 aspect ratio, which sits between 3:2 and 4:3 ratios. OnePlus claims this is optimized for reading or drafting documents, offering more lines of text compared to other tablets. However, in personal use, I couldn’t really tell much of a difference compared to something like an iPad. Despite that, it offers a good balance for various use cases such as reading manga, watching videos on Netflix, and even typing up video scripts on Google Docs.
One of the standout features of the OnePlus Pad is its screen. It’s an IPS panel, which, while not OLED, has surprisingly good contrast, especially when playing back HDR content. The colors are vibrant and over-saturated, making them look awesome if accuracy isn’t a priority for you. That said, I do wish it could be a bit brighter, averaging around 500 nits. However, with its 144Hz refresh rate, navigating menus feels buttery smooth.
The tablet is also equipped with Dolby Atmos certified speakers, which sound good in any orientation. While they’re a bit on the airy side, they have good detail and get pretty loud with minimal distortion, making them ideal for casual listening.
Now, let’s talk about performance. The OnePlus Pad is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9000, a powerful chip built on TSMC’s 4nm process. It’s efficient and even beats out Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chips under sustained load according to synthetic benchmarks. Paired with 8GB of RAM, this tablet flies through simpler tasks and navigating around the UI feels incredibly smooth—though some of that perceived speed can also be attributed to the high refresh rate.
When it comes to more intensive workloads like gaming, the OnePlus Pad doesn’t hold up as well as the 10th generation iPad. While it does a decent job playing titles nearly maxed out at 60 FPS on paper, the iPad is able to push higher resolutions and maintain more consistent frame rates in games like Call of Duty Mobile and Genshin Impact.
Priced at $479, the OnePlus Pad is very competitive, putting it close to the 10th generation iPad, which costs $450, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE, which retails for $529. However, its performance lags behind these competitors.
Before you rush out to get a OnePlus Pad, there are some serious drawbacks worth mentioning. The first issue is battery life. While OnePlus claims it’s good for over 12 hours of video playback or a month on standby, in my three weeks of testing, I found it underperformed these estimates during moderate use—such as browsing the web, gaming, and watching YouTube. I often found myself needing to charge it mid-day. That said, it does have a impressive 67W charging brick that can fill up the battery from zero to 100% in just 80 minutes.
But here’s where things get tricky: while fast charging is great, ideally, you wouldn’t need to rely on it constantly, especially if you’re out and about without easy access to power. This brings me to my biggest gripe with the OnePlus Pad: the software. Running OnePlus’ Oxygen OS interface atop Android 13, this tablet struggles in terms of multitasking features.
On a phone like the OnePlus 11, I appreciate the aesthetic simplicity of Oxygen OS. But on a tablet, it misses one key feature that’s essential for productivity—a proper app-switching taskbar to manage programs you’re using. Instead, it has a bottom bar similar to any Android phone, which makes switching between apps feel clunky and linear—almost like using an iPad from five years ago.
While some multitasking features have made their way over from OnePlus’ phones, such as split-screen mode and a sidebar, it still feels disjointed. It’s clear that Oxygen OS was not optimized for a big screen in 2023, which is a major oversight considering the tablet’s size and potential use cases.
Moving on to optional accessories, the $99 stylus attaches magnetically to the pad for easy transport and wireless charging. However, it regularly misses my inputs while navigating Android, which feels like a dealbreaker for me. Additionally, the $149 magnetic keyboard case is decent but not perfect—despite having nice keys and a responsive trackpad, its awkward aspect ratio makes typing feel unnatural.
When you factor in taxes, shipping, and potential promotions, the total cost of the OnePlus Pad with its additional accessories adds up to $727 here in the US. That’s a tough pill to swallow for something meant to disrupt the market—unless “disrupting” is the goal of OnePlus’ product cycle.
Speaking of competition, Google recently announced the Pixel Tablet, which I believe could be a strong contender against the OnePlus Pad. While both products have their differences in philosophy and performance levels, they’re similarly priced. However, where the Pixel seems to excel is in multitasking features like the dock with apps, which I find essential for productivity.
To be fair, Oxygen OS is built on Android 13, which includes some multitasking improvements. But OnePlus has essentially paved over important features that Google already developed, such as the taskbar—features that are crucial for a smooth tablet experience. This feels like a step back considering how far Android has come with its tablet optimization in recent years.
Looking at the broader market, Apple and Samsung dominated last year’s tablet segment with over 80% of sales combined. It’s telling that Samsung chose to partner with Google rather than OnePlus, given the potential for a better experience. I’d recommend looking into the Pixel Tablet instead if productivity is your goal.
In conclusion, while OnePlus takes pride in its engineering and design (despite Oppo’s involvement), this review highlights how ego can sometimes hinder the creation of a well-rounded product. While the OnePlus Pad is another fighter in the ring, it simply doesn’t stack up against its competitors in terms of what matters most for users.
If you’re considering purchasing the OnePlus Pad, I’d recommend carefully evaluating your needs. For casual use cases like reading or watching videos, it’s more than capable—especially at its price point. However, if productivity is on your mind, there are better options available, such as the Google Pixel Tablet.
So, what do you think about the OnePlus Pad? Was this review too harsh? Let me know in the comments below and stay tuned for more reviews and updates! Thanks for watching this video on [denki Channel].
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*Note: Due to an apparent duplication in the transcription provided, some sections repeat verbatim. For brevity and clarity, only one instance of each section has been included in this article.*