Gadget Review: Good specs meet premium design in OnePlus’ first tablet
ANDROID TABLETS MAY have seen a resurgence during the pandemic, but even the best budget tablets still have much ground to cover before they can challenge the tablet-first apps and fluidity of the all-conquering iPad. OnePlus has taken its time launching the OnePlus Pad, but it’s done so in true OG-OnePlus style — offering impressive features and specs at a relatively lower price.
Let’s start with what you get for the INR 39,999 you’d spend on the 12GB/256GB model I tested — there’s an 8GB/128GB model that retails at `37,999 as well. A milled aluminium body with a concentric brushed pattern on the rear encases the 11.6- inch 144Hz, 2800x2000-pixel LCD panel. Under the hood is a flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset with fast LPDDR5 memory and UFS 3.1 storage, along with a 9510mAh battery and 67W SuperVOOC charging with the included charger. The Magnetic Keyboard cover (`7,999) and the Stylo stylus (`4,999) are optional extras.
Straight off the bat, the slate is dressed to impress, with the ‘Halo green’ unibody design screaming the sort of premium not usually seen at this price point. Three sides are curved, and one side is flat — to stow and charge the magnetically attaching stylus — and when you consider the camera positioning in the middle, it’s clear OnePlus intends for the Pad to be used more often in landscape orientation. Aside from the constant fear of smudging the 13MP camera when I was carrying it around, the relatively square iPad-like 7:5 aspect ratio works strongly in its favour if you favour productivity applications and reading/browsing. The display itself is a good LCD panel, and while it isn’t an AMOLED type that one sees on the pricier Samsung tablets, it offers good colours and a fluid 144Hz refresh rate. While the aspect ratio isn’t ideal for streaming widescreen content, media consumption isn’t compromised courtesy Dolby Vision support and four well-tuned speakers that get rather loud without distorting. One misses a 3.5mm headphone jack and a fingerprint sensor, though.
Going with a flagship chipset, albeit one that’s a couple of years old, yields benefits beyond the obvious lack of stutter and lag in everyday use. Multitasking between work apps and Zoom calls, running a few Asphalt 9 races in between, all worked well and sure, the chip will not win benchmark discussions, but it will hold its own for everyday tablet duties for years to come. It lasts a good couple of days between each charge, but the 67W fast charging tops up the capacious battery in just under an hour and a half, so you’re barely ever tethered to a wall socket. A quick word on the accessories — the colour-matched green keyboard cover works well to protect the tablet while offering a somewhat cramped keyboard and trackpad, although I liked the key travel and the shortcut keys it provides. The pressure-sensitive stylus works well (courtesy its low latency) to scribble notes or doodle, or for firing up quick notes when the screen is off. Both cost a fair bit extra, though the keyboard earns the easier recommendation.
On the software side, you get Android 13 split-screen multitasking and floating windows, along with some ecosystem features with OnePlus devices. The latter — stuff like clipboard sharing, screen mirroring, and cellular data sharing — are expected via a software update in June. As Android tablets go, the OnePlus Pad nails the landing well, particularly if you’re already invested in the OnePlus ecosystem, but the pricing leaves it precariously close to the entry-level iPad 10th generation
INR 44,900
Rating: 8/10