The OnePlus Pad is a polished tablet, with a few quirks to buff out

After spending a week with the new OnePlus Pad, I can tell you that it’s a good tablet, but not a great one. That said, its build quality is exceptional, it’s responsive, it multi-tasks like a champ, and it boasts a display that can go toe-to-toe with the best that Samsung has to offer.

The OnePlus Pad is a good tablet, but not a great one.

However well-built it might be, it smacks, hard, of being a first-generation device. During testing, I encountered a number of software bugs and was disappointed by its limited amount of storage space. The good definitely outweighs the bad here, and the OnePlus Pad is worth the consideration of anyone looking for a high-end Android tablet.

About the OnePlus Pad

• Dimensions: 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches
• Weight: 1.02 pounds
• OS: Android 13 (OxygenOS 13.1)
• Screen size: 11.6 inches
• Resolution: 2800 x 2000 pixels
• CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 128GB

What we like

It’s Fast

With a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor and 8GB of RAM under the hood, the OnePlus Pad was able to power through any task I threw at it. Diablo Immortal loaded almost instantly and proved a gory delight to play. I’m certain that the 144Hz refresh rate of the OnePlus Pad’s 2800 by 2000 (296PPI) resolution display helped keep any jankiness at bay.

Watching content downloaded from my Plex server on a five-hour flight proved to be a butter-smooth experience. The tablet’s Dolby Vision HDR display kept me engrossed in the series I was watching when I should have been trying to get some sleep on my red-eye flight. While running resource-heavy apps like Adobe Lightroom, I noticed no lag.

OnePlus claims the tablet’s processor can handle up to 18 apps in the background, as you work or play. I just happened to install 18 apps! Sure enough, the sample tablet that OnePlus sent me failed to melt into a slag pile of aluminum and silicon while running them all. On the metrics side of things, the OnePlus Pad scored 1117 (single core) and 3244 (multi-core) on Geekbench’s CPU Benchmark Test and, a Compute Benchmark score of 5971. When put to 3DMark’s cross-platform Wild Life test, the results were just as impressive, with an overall score of 7495—a higher score than 90% of all the mobile devices out there.

With this kind of horsepower, you can rest assured that your tablet will feel zippy to use, for years to come.

The Pad comes with four speakers baked into it and supports Dolby Atmos. When listening to tracks from Apple Music or watching a movie, I found the speakers to be adequate, albeit a little bright, with too much high-end and not enough bass. As for connectivity, the Pad boasts Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3.

Outstanding Build Quality

With its 10.15 by 7.45 by 0.25-inch dimensions and weighing in just shy of 20 ounces, I found the OnePlus Pad comfortable to hold during long couch surfing sessions. Its aluminum unibody and display glass feel almost seamless and with an 88% screen-to-body ratio, it’s possible to almost forget that the bezels are there. I detected no jiggle in its power or volume buttons and just enough jiggle in its USB-C port to keep it from easily being severed from the rest of the tablet’s internals during repeated charging sessions.

Currently, The Pad is only available in one color—what OnePlus calls ‘Halo Green’. I suspect that if the tablet sells well, other colors may be rolled out in the coming months.

Perfect Camera Placement

Say goodbye to Skyping with a tablet like you’re using a Pixel Phone. With everything else this tablet has going on, one of the things that excites me most about the Pad is the placement of its 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It can be found in the middle of one of the long edges of the device, so video chatting with the tablet in a landscape orientation feels great. This is a feature that the 10th-generation iPad has going for it as well. Hopefully, the camera placement revolution will spill over to more devices in the future.

Speaking of front-facing cameras, the Pad allows for Face Unlock. Those who insist on a fingerprint sensor to secure their digital lives need not apply.

Huge, Fast Charging Battery

This tablet comes packing a hefty 9,510mAh battery, which OnePlus says should allow for 12.4 hours of video playback or a month’s worth of standby time. While I’m unable to hold on to the OnePlus Pad for a month to test its standby time, I can tell you that, with the tablet’s 500-nit display cranked up to maximum brightness and its volume set to 50%, I was able to get just over 10 hours of high definition streaming video playback out of it before I needed to plug it in.

When the time comes to charge this tablet, you won’t find yourself tethered to a power outlet for very long. The OnePlus Pad supports 67-Watt SuperVOOC charging, provided you’re using the charger it ships with.

What we don’t like

Limited Storage

I was disappointed to discover that the OnePlus Pad only comes with 128GB of onboard storage and no Micro SD card slot. Given the growing size of Android apps, photos, and video files, things will get pretty cramped, pretty fast—especially for users who don’t trust their data to the cloud (like me). You could attach a USB-C thumb drive to the tablet to help handle your content overflow. But this is far from an ideal solution.

Given how capable this tablet is, it’s a shame to see it held back by such limited storage space.

It’s a little Glitchy

During testing, I encountered a number of software glitches. During setup, for example, the tablet got stuck in a cycle of asking if I wanted to transfer my data from another device. No matter how many times I attempted to skip this step, the prompt circled around to say ‘howdy’ again. After a number of restarts, the problem disappeared. After pairing the OnePlus Pad’s stylus, random information on the battery level periodically appeared at the top of the tablet’s display, no matter that I was neither using nor charging the accessory. I was frustrated by the fact that the Pad’s on-screen keyboard failed to dock at the bottom of the screen so I could type on it. A smartphone-sized keyboard, too far from the corner of the display was all OnePlus gave me to play with, until I turned the tablet upside down, on its side, and back again.

It’s important to remember, however, that this is a first-generation device and that all of these glitches will most likely be cleared up via software updates.

Add-Ons Add To The Cost

On its own, the OnePlus Pad sells for $479. However, as with tablets from OnePlus’ main competitors—Apple and Samsung—to get the most out of it, you’ll need to invest in a few accessories, which adds to the total cost of owning the device.

To protect your tablet, it’s likely worth investing in a $39 folio case, directly available from OnePlus. If you plan on taking handwritten notes or using the tablet with your favorite digital art program, you’ll want the OnePlus Plus Pad’s Stylus. It costs $99. For productivity tasks, a physical keyboard to pair with the tablet is a must. OnePlus sells a $149 magnetic keyboard case for the Pad that draws power from the tablet’s battery. All in on these accessories and you’re looking at $287. That brings the price of ownership up to $766.

While many folks will use the Pad with no accessories at all, those who wish to take full advantage of this tablet’s blistering-fast internals and gorgeous display will likely want to invest in some or all of these add-ons. If you’re the type to go all in when you buy a new tablet, take a few moments before pulling the trigger. There are less expensive—and arguably equally capable—options out there.

A 10th-generation iPad, for example, with a spacious 256GB of storage, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard Folio costs $698. Similarly, the 11-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is equipped with 8GB of Ram and 128GB of storage. However, it comes with an S-Pen stylus and, unlike the OnePlus Pad, the S8 can handle up to 1TB of additional Micro SD storage. It cost $454.99, at the time that this review was written.

Should you buy the OnePlus Pad?

Yes, if you value performance over storage

While the OnePlus Pad was a little glitchy during testing, it won’t take OnePlus long to work out this tablet’s software kinks. In light of its fast, powerful performance, it’s easy to overlook the woes caused by minor software issues. For those interested in a powerful Android tablet that will remain speedy through multiple versions of its operating system, the OnePlus Pad is worth considering.

It’s well-made, lightweight, comes with scads of battery power, and charges quickly. With its camera placed centrally and aligned for use when the tablet is being held in a landscape orientation, it’s great for video calls. You’ll love the rich colors of its display, which is bright enough to view, in most conditions.

However, with only 128GB of storage, with some of that eaten up by the tablet’s OS and Google apps, all but the most casual of users—or those who rely heavily on cloud storage—may find they run out of room for their files and apps, fast.

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Meet the tester

Séamus Bellamy

Senior Editor

@SeamusBellamy

Séamus Bellamy is a senior editor on Reviewed’s Electronics Team. When he’s not busy ensuring his team’s The Best Right Now roundups are up-to-date, he spends his time reviewing, smartwatches, tablets, fringe tech, and writing how-to guides.

See all of Séamus Bellamy’s reviews