The OnePlus Pad: a new slate for work and play with a large-scale Android operating system, as shown by OxygenOS

I bought the Nexus 7, one of Google’s first tablets (made by Asus), back in 2013, and I used it to death. It was compact and easy to use, and I never felt a similar level of attachment with another Android tablet since—until now, with the new OnePlus Pad. OnePlus’ first tablet is a slick machine with powerful hardware and the right software that encourages you to use it for more than just entertainment. With this slate, it’s starting to feel like a viable alternative to the iPad and computer you can depend on for work and play.

The OxygenOS software is built onto the top of a mobile operating system. It’s a lightly customized take on Android that mostly relies on Google’s implementation of things like multitasking. The company is giving three years of OS updates and four years of security patches on the Pad, a year less than what it gives for its phones.

Slide View on the iPad can also be floated on apps. There’s a small tray of apps on the right side of the screen. Tap on one, and the app will open as a floating window you can partially resize. When I’m in split screen mode, I open up Slack or Gmail and useFloating view to quickly check notifications without having to leave the apps I’m working in. This is important because it feels fluid on the machine. It was a pain in the back working for long stretches on an tablets. I don’t mind spending a workday on the phone.

The Pad’s 8-megapixel front camera is located in the Correct Spot: in the bezel on the long edge of the tablet. That means when you’re on a video call and holding the Pad in landscape orientation, you’re not awkwardly off to the side like on the iPad Pro. In video calling applications, the auto- follow feature from OnePlus can be used to make sure you are in the center of the frame.

That doesn’t mean that the Pad is flawless. Though it has the standard keyboard and stylus accessories expected for a tablet in 2023, they aren’t as good as Apple or Samsung’s options. It also doesn’t have nearly the level of software features, accessories, or integrations as a Samsung tablet or iPad. It wasn’t my choice for a tablet with a focus on productivity.

The Pad has a bigger screen than the 11-inch iPad Pro and the smaller 12.9-inch model. Thanks to its trimmer bezels, however, the Pad fits that larger screen in a footprint similar to the 11-inch Pro. The Pad looks great next to an iPad but it presents a problem if you use it on the side where the screen register touches. This was most problematic when using the Pad in portrait orientation to read a book or website.

The display itself is very nicely put together. The 2000 x 2000 screen is capable of hitting a brightness of 500 nits. It’s as easy to navigate as the Tab S8 and the iPad Pro, both of which have 120Hz screens. The screen is bright and has deep blacks that are close in color to the ones you would get from anOLEDO screen. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the Pad is for viewing movies, and the display is really nice.

Accompanying the excellent display is a quad-speaker system with support for Dolby Atmos, similar to what’s on the iPad Pro and the Tab S8. The speakers give a good audio experience. You won’t be able to have more private audio if you don’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The One Plus Pad Tablet and its Storage Capacity: A Technicolor Look at OnePlus’s XenaPad (Xenon)

The Pad is quite comfortable to hold. The rounded side of the Pad makes it easy to wrap my hand around, and the metal finish is very soft. It’s thin, but not too thin, and though, at 558g (1.23 pounds), it weighs about 80 grams (about 2.8 ounces) more than an 11-inch iPad Pro, its weight is well-balanced and not fatiguing.

The Pad doesn’t have a camera in the corner like other tablets, it’s center-aligned at the top, so when held in landscape orientation. It has a 13-million-dot camera, and it works perfectly if you want to take a picture with a piece of furniture or a document. Also, the Pad comes in dark green and only dark green, which is an interesting, if ultimately inconsequential, choice by OnePlus. I suppose it stands out a bit from the sea of silver and gray iPads.

The Pad’s internal storage capacity is 128gigabytes of memory and 8gigabytes of RAM. There is no microSD card slot and no options for more storage at purchase, at least in the US. 128GB of storage isn’t terrible, at least for this price (Apple’s iPad Air is $120 more and comes with just 64GB), but I’d have liked for the option to get at least 256GB for more room for offline movies and games.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/23701161/oneplus-pad-android-tablet-review

On the OnePlus Pad, Battery Life and Keyboard Navigation in Android Apps: One Plus Pad-Android-Tablet-Review

The iPad Pro and Tab S8 have the power that the Pad does not, but this is where I am not very interested in gaming. In Genshin Impact, the Pad could manage medium graphics settings at 30 frames per second, far less than the screen’s capable of, and nowhere near what the latest iPads can play the game at. The Pad had a better time with Asphalt 9, an admittedly graphically less demanding game.

Battery life was never a concern in the multiple weeks I tested the OnePlus Pad. I was able to use it for a full day, and even after leaving for a few days at a time, the Standby Drain was very low. Few tablets have real issues with battery life at this point, but it’s nice to see that it’s not a problem for OnePlus, either. In the box is a 67W wall charger that takes about 80 minutes to fully charge the Pad.

Making matters even worse is the downright abysmal support of keyboard shortcuts across the Android app world. There are no keyboard shortcut in Gmail to help me manage my inbox. There are a number of systemwide keyboard alternatives that can be used, but they do not make up for the fact thatAndroid apps do not consider keyboard navigation to be a priority.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/23701161/oneplus-pad-android-tablet-review

A Comparative Study of the OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard and Stylo for the iPad Pro and Tab Line: A First-Principles Review

The iPad Pro and Tab line allow for accessories that extend the usefulness of the device. There is a $49 case, a $150 keyboard case, and a 99 stylus that can attach to the Pad for storage and charging, similar to the Apple Pencil and the iPad. I had the opportunity to test both the OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard and the OnePlus Stylo.

The Pad has a keyboard that connects through pogo pins and you don’t need to worry about charging or using the keyboard. Unfortunately, it only has one viewing angle, which is too steep for my lap and only really works when it’s set up on a table, and the keyboard lacks a backlight. For the price, the keyboard is an adequate one to use for sending emails or typing on the Pad.

Writing with the Stylo on the Pad’s screen is responsive with no perceptive lag or wiggle. But full support for its features, such as quick tool switching and lower latency, is currently limited to OnePlus’ bundled Notes app, a bare-bones affair that doesn’t sync with any cloud services. The company says that it has developed a Stylo SDK that third-party apps can use to get better support, but there are no third-party applications that do. Most people are able to skip the Pad.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/23701161/oneplus-pad-android-tablet-review

Understanding the Agreements between the OnePlus Pad and Its User, System Stability, and Service Terms of Use and Their Camera Statement of Use

Every smart device now requires a series of terms and conditions in order to use it. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

To use the OnePlus Pad, you must agree to our User Agreement, our Privacy Security and Protection Agreement, and our Terms of Service. Additionally, you have the choice to opt in to OnePlus’ User Experience Program, System Stability Improvement Program, Google’s location services, and Google’s device maintenance features. To use the Pad’s camera, you must agree to the Camera Statement of Use.