The OnePlus Pad is a formidable pill for its worth | Digital Noch

OnePlus will get a whole lot of issues proper with its first pill, the OnePlus Pad. It’s received an incredible display, wonderful efficiency, modern design, and nice battery life. And maybe most significantly, its $479 worth undercuts each Apple and Samsung’s top-tier tablets.

If OnePlus as a model, this story probably sounds acquainted. The corporate got here on to the scene a couple of decade in the past with Android smartphones that had premium specs at cut-rate costs. For a very long time, a OnePlus telephone was the most effective fanatic smartphone deal you could possibly discover. However lately, OnePlus’ telephones have steadily gotten dearer and more durable to differentiate from their Samsung counterparts. The Pad, nonetheless, feels a bit like a return to the previous OnePlus.

That isn’t to say the Pad is ideal — removed from it. Although it has the usual keyboard and stylus equipment anticipated for a pill in 2023, they aren’t pretty much as good as Apple or Samsung’s choices. It additionally doesn’t have practically the extent of software program options, equipment, or integrations as a Samsung pill or iPad. It wouldn’t be my alternative for a productivity-focused pill.

However in the event you’re on the lookout for an Android pill for watching films, enjoying video games (both native or emulated), shopping the online, and studying, the OnePlus Pad does the job and does it properly.

From its dimension and worth, you’d assume the OnePlus Pad would compete with Apple’s $449 Tenth-gen iPad or $599 iPad Air or Samsung’s midrange tablets. However the Pad’s specs and the standard of its display actually make it extra of a competitor to Apple and Samsung’s high-end tablets, simply at a worth you’d pay for a lower-tier mannequin.

The Pad has an 11.6-inch display, placing it between the 11-inch iPad Professional and the 12.9-inch mannequin. Because of its trimmer bezels, nonetheless, the Pad suits that bigger display in a footprint just like the 11-inch Professional. These small bezels make the Pad look nice subsequent to an iPad, however they current an actual downside when utilizing the pill, because the display would regularly register touches on the facet the place I held it. This was most problematic when utilizing the Pad in portrait orientation to learn a e-book or web site.

That’s a disgrace as a result of the Pad’s distinctive 7:5 side ratio means it really works fairly properly in each panorama and portrait orientations. In contrast to Samsung’s Tab S8, which has a 16:10 side display that’s awkward to make use of in portrait orientation, the Pad is as comfy to make use of for studying as an iPad. Few Android pill makers appear to know how vital side ratio is to the pill expertise, so I’m glad to see that OnePlus clearly considered it right here.

The show itself can also be very, very good. A 2800 x 2000 pixel LCD, it refreshes at as much as 144Hz and may hit a brightness of 500 nits. That makes it as easy to scroll round and navigate because the iPad Professional and Tab S8, which have 120Hz screens. The display additionally has wonderful viewing angles and brilliant, punchy colours, with deep blacks which might be nearly pretty much as good as you get from OLED screens. I used to be legitimately shocked at how good the Pad is for watching films (okay, superb, it was Beavis and Butt-Head) — the show is that good. 

Accompanying the superb show is a quad-speaker system with assist for Dolby Atmos, just like what’s on the iPad Professional and the Tab S8. The audio system are loud and clear and supply a very good audio expertise. Sadly, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, so that you’ll be caught utilizing Bluetooth headphones or a USB-C adapter ($9.95, not included) for extra non-public audio.

The Pad can also be surprisingly comfy to carry for such a big system. As a substitute of following Apple and Samsung’s latest development of flat sides and sharp edges, OnePlus rounded the edges of the Pad and gave it a really soft-feeling metallic end that’s simpler to wrap my hand round. It’s skinny, however not too skinny, and although, at 558g (1.23 kilos), it weighs about 80 grams (about 2.8 ounces) greater than an 11-inch iPad Professional, its weight is well-balanced and never fatiguing.

In any other case, the Pad seems very similar to some other pill, although as a substitute of getting its rear digital camera within the nook, it’s center-aligned on the high (when held in panorama orientation). It’s a single-lens, 13-megapixel digital camera with an LED flash, and it really works superb for no matter you may really wish to take an image of with a pill (for me, that’s the occasional doc scan). Additionally, the Pad is available in darkish inexperienced and solely darkish inexperienced, which is an attention-grabbing, if finally inconsequential, alternative by OnePlus. I suppose it stands out a bit from the ocean of silver and grey iPads.

The Pad’s 8-megapixel entrance digital camera is positioned within the Appropriate Spot: within the bezel on the lengthy fringe of the pill. Which means if you’re on a video name and holding the Pad in panorama orientation, you’re not awkwardly off to the facet like on the iPad Professional. OnePlus additionally has an auto-follow function that can be utilized in common video calling apps (it labored with Google Meet, Microsoft Groups, and Zoom in my testing) to assist preserve you focused within the body.

Inside, the Pad comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There isn’t a microSD card slot and no choices for extra storage at buy, at the very least within the US. 128GB of storage isn’t horrible, at the very least for this worth (Apple’s iPad Air is $120 extra and comes with simply 64GB), however I’d have preferred for the choice to get at the very least 256GB for extra room for offline films and video games.

The Pad’s processor is MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000 as a substitute of the everyday Qualcomm Snapdragon we often see in Android units bought within the US. For many duties, this isn’t an issue — the Dimensity supplies snappy efficiency and good energy effectivity. Web sites load shortly, switching between apps is easy, and the UI is responsive. There are, although, some poorly optimized Android apps that are inclined to stutter when scrolling (YouTube is maybe the worst offender right here).

I’m not a lot of a gamer, however that is an space the place the Pad’s processing energy fell behind the iPad Professional and Samsung’s Tab S8, as properly. In Genshin Influence, the Pad may handle medium graphics settings at 30 frames per second — far lower than the 144Hz the display is able to and nowhere close to what the newest iPads can play the sport at. The Pad had a greater time with Asphalt 9, an admittedly graphically much less demanding sport.

Battery life was by no means a priority within the a number of weeks I examined the OnePlus Pad. I used to be in a position to simply get via a full day of use, and even after I left it unused for a few days at a time, standby drain was minimal. Few tablets have actual points with battery life at this level, but it surely’s good to see that it’s not an issue for OnePlus, both. Within the field is a 67W wall charger that takes about 80 minutes to completely cost the Pad.

The OnePlus Pad comes with OnePlus’ OxygenOS software program constructed on high of Android 13. It’s a frivolously personalized tackle Android that largely depends on Google’s implementation of issues like multitasking. The corporate is committing to 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of safety patches on the Pad, each a 12 months lower than what it supplies for its telephones.

On a telephone, a lighter software program contact is usually welcome, however within the case of the pill, it holds the Pad again from being as helpful as Samsung’s choices. Whereas the Samsung Galaxy Tab supplies a full-on desktop windowing atmosphere and will be plugged into an exterior show for extra actual property, the OnePlus Pad has a primary homescreen-plus-app-drawer structure. There are alternatives for gesture navigation to maneuver between apps, and you are able to do some primary split-screening. There’s additionally a floating window mode which you could invoke with a four-finger pinch on the display, however that doesn’t work throughout all apps and feels a bit hit and miss. (It’s helpful for utilities like a calculator, nonetheless.)

The perennial criticism with Android tablets is that there are so few apps that benefit from a pill’s bigger display, which makes them a tough promote in comparison with the iPad. That doesn’t change with the OnePlus Pad — Google’s apps like Chrome and Gmail and Microsoft’s Workplace apps work properly, however there are nonetheless far too many apps that simply behave like blown-up telephone apps on a big display. Common apps I exploit every single day, reminiscent of Slack and Pocket, look comical on the Pad’s practically 12-inch display and are a far cry from how they work on an iPad.

Making issues even worse is the downright abysmal assist of keyboard shortcuts throughout the Android app world. Even Google is dropping the ball right here: there are not any practical keyboard shortcuts in Gmail to assist handle my inbox. There are a handful of systemwide keyboard shortcuts for going again to the homescreen, taking screenshots, and different easy navigation, however they don’t make up for the truth that Android apps simply don’t contemplate keyboard navigation to be a precedence.

All of this combines to make the Pad really feel far more comfy getting used for content material consumption than any sort of productiveness or creation work. Positive, you’ll be able to knock out the occasional e-mail and make amends for Slack messages, however I’d have a whole lot of bother attempting to interchange a laptop computer with the Pad. You’ll have a significantly better time utilizing Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Paramount Plus, YouTube TV, or different streaming providers to look at films and TV reveals. (However not Apple TV Plus, sadly. I couldn’t even get it to work within the OnePlus Pad’s Chrome browser. No Ted Lasso right here.)

Each Samsung and Apple have developed options to make their tablets combine with different merchandise they make, and OnePlus is making an attempt to do one thing comparable. The corporate says the Pad will be capable of assist options like hotspot information sharing, clipboard sharing, and name, messaging, and notification sync with OnePlus telephones sooner or later. However that wasn’t accessible to check for this evaluate and can solely work you probably have a OnePlus telephone, so homeowners of different Android telephones received’t be capable of benefit from it.

Just like the iPad Professional and Samsung’s Tab line, you’ll be able to outfit the OnePlus Pad with equipment to increase its performance. There’s a $39 folio case, a $149 keyboard case, and a $99 stylus that may magnetically connect to the facet of the Pad for storage and charging, similar to the Apple Pencil and the iPad. I had the chance to check each the OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard and the OnePlus Stylo.

Beginning with the keyboard, there are each issues to love and issues to criticize. It comes with a snug structure and first rate sufficient key journey for correct typing. Its built-in trackpad is small however helps multifinger gestures and scrolling with none points. I additionally didn’t have any issues with palm rejection whereas typing. The important thing structure lacks a devoted perform row, however primary system controls like show brightness and quantity can be found as a perform layer on the quantity keys. It’s a step up in performance from Apple’s utterly function-keyless Magic Keyboard.

The keyboard attaches to the Pad magnetically and connects via pogo pins, so that you don’t have to fret about pairing or charging it. Sadly, it solely has one viewing angle, which is just too steep for my lap and solely actually works when it’s arrange on a desk, and the keyboard lacks a backlight. In any other case, for the value, the keyboard is completely acceptable and helpful for sending emails or typing paperwork on the Pad.

The Stylo is successfully the identical factor as Apple’s second-generation Pencil, full with assist for each tilt and stress sensitivity. It even helps switching between writing and erasing by double tapping on its facet, similar to Apple’s Pencil.

Writing with the Stylo on the Pad’s display is responsive with no perceptive lag or wiggle. However full assist for its options, reminiscent of fast device switching and decrease latency, is presently restricted to OnePlus’ bundled Notes app, a bare-bones affair that doesn’t sync with any cloud providers. The corporate says it has developed an SDK for the Stylo that different apps can combine for higher assist, however there presently aren’t any third-party apps that do. Most individuals can most likely skip the Stylo with the Pad. 

General, in the event you’re searching for a pill in 2023 and, for no matter motive, don’t need an iPad, you could possibly do far worse than the OnePlus Pad. Its show and audio system are pretty much as good as Apple and Samsung’s top-tier 11-inch tablets, and it’s a wonderful system for watching films or studying on. And you will get these premium-level pill options, like quad-speaker and fast-refresh show, for lots lower than the value of an iPad Professional or Tab S8.

After all, you probably have an iPhone or Galaxy telephone and desire a pill that integrates properly with it, the OnePlus Pad received’t minimize it. Neither is it actually a fantastic laptop computer substitute — it is a pill that’s greatest on the conventional pill issues, and that’s superb.

The Pad isn’t the one new pill within the Android area this 12 months, as Google’s long-awaited Pixel Pill is anticipated to reach imminently. Google is seemingly focusing on a bit completely different use case with it, although, and till we get our arms on it, it’s arduous to say how a lot overlap there shall be with the Pad and different tablets.

However as a pleasant pill that does pill issues properly for an affordable worth, it’s arduous to search out an excessive amount of fault with the OnePlus Pad. It’s good to see the previous OnePlus once more.

Images by Dan Seifert / The Verge