Product test

OnePlus Pad review – this tablet comes with special features and stamina

16.8.2023

Translation: Veronica Bielawski

OnePlus has taken its first steps into the world of tablets. Dark green, with a round camera module and a special format, this tablet makes a good first impression. And what’s inside has potential, too.

With the OnePlus Pad, the Chinese manufacturer has launched its very first tablet. I was able to get my hands on it at MWC 2023 and was left with a positive first impression. As it’s now available in Switzerland, I, of course, couldn’t hold back from properly testing it. It has a handful of special features that can make it a great device for light productivity use and entertainment.

The OnePlus Pad has some special features, but also weak points.
Source: Michelle Brändle

Design and accessories

The OnePlus Pad is only available in dark green. I like the matte aluminium case with its rounded corners and curved glass. It lies comfortably in the hand. With an aspect ratio of 7:5, the OnePlus Pad lies between the iPad’s almost square format (4:3) and the typical elongated format of Androids (16:10).

The OnePlus Pad (in pink) is between the usual Android format (in black) and iPad (in green).
Source: Michelle Brändle

Personally, I don’t find the main camera important in a tablet. But at least in terms of design, OnePlus sees things differently; the round camera module is quite dominant on the device’s back. Even the aluminium case’s finish matches the circle.

The finish of the housing brings the round camera module into focus.
Source: Michelle Brändle

The keyboard and Folio Case are solid

The accessories, sold separately, match the design of the tablet. The keyboard (not available with the Swiss layout) comes in the same green. When you attach it to the tablet, it creates a small triangle at the back which serves as a stand. It’s the same mechanism you might be familiar with from iPad keyboards. The keyboard is only available in the U.S. ANSI layout. You can also connect other tablet keyboards via Bluetooth, such as those from Logitech or Hama. All in all, the keyboard feels well-made and is pleasant to type on. The trackpad is nice to have, though it’s a bit small.

The keyboard is only available in ANSI layout. But I’m happy with the build quality.
Source: Michelle Brändle

The shimmering stylus detects pressure and tilt

The OnePlus Stylo lies comfortably in the hand and has a pleasant weight. Since it has low latency and detects pressure and tilt, it’s also suitable for artists. The stylus can be attached magnetically to the tablet’s long upper edge and charges this way. And it has a fine shimmer to it.

The OnePlus Stylo charges directly via the tablet.
Source: Michelle Brändle

A display with a good resolution

The 11.6-inch AMOLED display with rounded edges is 258 × 189 millimetres in size and has a resolution of 2,000 × 2,800 pixels. The image displays a bright white and good contrasts. According to OnePlus, the display has a maximum brightness of 500 nits. Although I can see well enough in the sunshine, it could be a bit brighter still. 500 nits seems like a bit of an optimistic estimate to me.

When the sun’s out, I can at least see something. But the display could be brighter.
Source: Michelle Brändle

The frame rate is 60 Hz by default, but goes up to 144 Hz depending on the settings. This makes for a very smooth user experience, especially when scrolling. If, however, you prefer to extend battery life, you can leave it at 60 Hz.

The hardware: decent performance and Dolby Atmos

The Mediatek Dimensity 9000 you’ll find in the OnePlus Pad is also in the OnePlus Nord 3 phone. I use Geekbench 6 to test performance – alongside two other tablets for comparison. First, Samsung’s 2022 flagship, the [Galaxy Tab S8],(/s1/product/samsung-galaxy-tab-s8-11-128-gb-graphite-tablet-18383083) with an 11-inch display and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. This particular SoC can also be found in various flagship phones. Second, the Google Pixel Tablet, also with an 11-inch display, and the Google Tensor G2 chip.

The results are interesting because they’re very mixed. Samsung has a narrow lead in the single-core test, while the OnePlus Pad lags a bit further behind. In the multi-core test, Samsung falls into last place – albeit with a relatively small advantage over the OnePlus Pad and Google Pixel Tablet.
In terms of GPU, Samsung wins again, with OnePlus relatively close behind, and the Google tablet falling further back. Overall, the results for the OnePlus Pad are good. I take a closer look at how it performs in everyday use further down.

The OnePlus Pad offers 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage, which is ample. If that’s not enough working memory for you, you can use up to 8 GB of the internal memory as RAM. The internal memory itself can’t be expanded, and there’s no SIM card slot, either. In other words, you’ll need Wi-Fi or a hotspot to use the internet.

The battery has 9,510 mAh and should last up to 30 days in standby according to OnePlus. The key thing is that the battery lasts into the evening on busy days.
After playing back videos on a continuous loop for over seven hours, the tablet still had 50 per cent. That translates into about 14 hours of battery life. That’s impressive.

The main camera on the back offers 13 megapixels. To me, the front camera on tablets is interesting from the point of view of video calls. On the OnePlus Pad, it has 8 megapixels and is conveniently located along the long edge. The quality is just about adequate, but the image is somewhat overexposed. I also find the angle a bit awkward. There are two microphones built into the frame: one by the volume controls and a second by the USB-C port. The people on the other side understood me well during video calls.

This is what I look like on the OnePlus Pad’s camera during video calls. The image is just okay. The person I’m talking to can hear me well.
Source: Michelle Brändle

If you like watching movies on a tablet, you’ll be happy to know the IPS display displays natural colours. But the black could be a bit darker. Thanks to the high contrast, however, you can still see the picture well even in darker scenes. Because of the 7:5 format, you’ll have to put up with a bit larger of a black border at the top and bottom – though it’s still smaller than on an iPad. The OnePlus Pad has four speakers that are Dolby Atmos certified. On medium volume, they sound good for such a small device. After that, sound quality decreases rapidly as you amp up the volume.

Watching movies is great, but the screen’s format creates quite the large black bands at the top and bottom.
Source: Michelle Brändle

Software: Android 13, Google and split screen

The OnePlus Pad is equipped with Android 13 and OnePlus’s OxygenOS user interface. Besides Google services, WPS Office and Netflix, no other apps are pre-installed. OnePlus guarantees three years of Android updates and four years of security updates for the Pad.

I tested out the keyboard and Stylo in a few use cases. I find the OnePlus Pad with the keyboard perfect for office work. Gaming also works smoothly and the quality is good. Even drawing proves fun. You do, however, make minor sacrifices in all areas.

Working works well in the OnePlus ecosystem

If you have a OnePlus phone, you can easily connect it to the OnePlus Pad to exchange data or mirror the screen on the tablet. Unfortunately, you can’t use the Pad as a secondary display for your computer. At least you can transfer data via USB-C.

You can create documents, spreadsheets and presentations with the pre-installed Google services and in WPS Office. That’s quick and reliable.

After-work fun: painting and gaming

Many Android games are much more fun on a larger screen. I tried playing Asphalt 9 and Sky – Children of the Light. I was able to connect my PS4 controller via USB-C to game.

The Pad’s max refresh rate of 144 Hz isn’t used consistently in all games. With Display Checker, I can see that it generally stops at 120 hertz. The adaptive display setting allows the tablet to work at 60 hertz as needed. The games feel smooth even at lower refresh rates.

I can play Asphalt 9 on the big screen in superb quality.
Source: Michelle Brändle

To test whether the tablet is also suitable for artistic work, I download Infinity Painter from the Play Store. Because the Stylo pen detects pressure and tilt, sketching feels natural. The trouble arises when I try to draw exact lines. The pen isn’t ultra precise; the lines I draw always start with a bit of a delay. Creating the outer lines of a figure this way – like my Mew – is quite tricky. A pity, because drawing feels pleasant and lag-free otherwise.

Drawing Mew is fun, but the outer lines take some patience.
Source: Michelle Brändle

The lowdown: a good price with minor weak points

All in all, the OnePlus Pad is a good tablet with room for improvement. It’s more than adequate for crafting documents with a keyboard and for surfing the web. Video calling and gaming are also smooth. Drawing with the pen is also fun.

Here’s the thing: you have to make do with limitations in many cases. For example, you can connect the Pad to a OnePlus phone, but you can’t use it as a secondary display for the computer, nor can you equip it with a SIM card. In video calls, you get good sound but a not-so-good image. And drawing requires patience due to the inaccuracy of the strokes, especially when creating an outline. When watching movies, you’ll enjoy good contrast even in dark scenes – but you have to deal with quite wide black bars at the top and bottom. And the display could be brighter overall.

If you can live with these trade-offs, the tablet is an untiring companion for versatile tasks. The OnePlus Pad costs a fair 499 francs. The Stylo for 100 francs and the Folio Case for 63 francs are available separately.

OnePlus Pad (WLAN only, 11.60", 128 GB, Halo Green)

Tablets

CHF429.–

OnePlus Pad

WLAN only, 11.60", 128 GB, Halo Green

Tablet cases

OnePlus Folio Case

OnePlus Pad

Styluses

OnePlus Stylo

Header image: Michelle Brändle

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Michelle Brändle

Editor

Michelle.Braendle@digitecgalaxus.ch

In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.

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