OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Powerful Tablet With Big Ambitions

At a look

Professional’s Ranking

Execs

Nice efficiency for the priceComfortable, elegant designGood show and soundExcellent battery life

Cons

May very well be even fasterMediocre camerasPoor desktop mode

Our Verdict

Fashionable and comfy design, nice worth for cash, surprisingly good display screen and all-day battery. In some ways, the OnePlus Pad 2 impresses, even when it doesn’t stay as much as its lofty ambitions as a productiveness pill. Which will include software program updates sooner or later, although.

Value When Reviewed

$549.99

Greatest Costs At the moment: OnePlus Pad 2

$549.99

The OnePlus Pad 2 completes the producer’s vary of tablets, which now spans from the inexpensive OnePlus Pad Go, by way of the unique 11.6-inch OnePlus Pad to this 12-inch pill with prime efficiency.

It was solely in early 2023 that OnePlus made its debut as a pill producer. With a unusual design, give attention to consolation and its personal method to multitasking, the unique Pad made a compelling case as a mixed-use pill for the house. Nonetheless, it lacked the required software program to make it an excellent productiveness machine.

Have issues modified on this second-gen slate? Right here’s our full evaluation.

Design, Specs & Efficiency

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Robust efficiency

Some AI options

In comparison with the unique OnePlus Pad, the Pad 2 boosts each display screen dimension and efficiency, and introduces a bunch of latest options.

The design of the pill is recognisable from the unique OnePlus Pad, with rounded grip-friendly edges, a stable aluminium physique and spherical digital camera puck centrally positioned close to the lengthy aspect on the again. The location of the digital camera is a small element that I recognize concerning the design – it permits the pill to lie firmly on a desk, regardless of the digital camera physique protruding a number of millimetres.

Mattias Inghe

OnePlus doesn’t maintain again on the {hardware}, with the Pad 2 powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. That’s the identical flagship chipset which powers lots of the finest Android telephones you should buy – together with the OnePlus 12.

You additionally get 12GB of RAM and and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage on the one configuration accessible.

Nonetheless, in response to benchmarks, efficiency isn’t fairly nearly as good as the most effective telephones round. It’s held again, probably as a result of both restricted warmth dissipation or a deliberate downclocking. Efficiency is extra in step with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 than Gen 3, although after all that’s nonetheless very quick.

OnePlus Pad 2 benchmarks

And with Gen 3 you additionally get different advantages, similar to help for Wi-Fi 7 and a way more highly effective NPU (Neural Processing Unit).

The latter helps allow a bunch of AI options inside Oxygen OS, OnePlus’ pores and skin over Android 14, from clever deletion of objects in photographs and automated enhancement of facial readability, to transcribing and summarising recorded conferences.

Different AI options are anticipated in a future software program replace, together with some which can be already accessible on the OnePlus Nord 4.

The design of the pill is recognisable from the unique OnePlus Pad

It’s not fairly Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy-level breadth and high quality of options but, however OnePlus is heading in the right direction. And naturally, the Snapdragon’s NPU may be utilised by any third-party app that wishes it.

The graphics aren’t working at full velocity with the identical gaming efficiency as on telephones both, however that could be extra as a result of the truth that the display screen with its excessive decision is reluctant to push as much as excessive body charges in graphic-heavy video games.

Display screen & Audio system

12-inch, 2120 x 3000 show

144Hz refresh fee

Six audio system

In any other case, the show is properly suited to gaming, with as much as 144Hz body fee, massive color gamut, excessive brightness and help for each HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient. It’s not an OLED however an IPS panel, so that you received’t get that final distinction, however the deep blacks you often get with OLEDs are nonetheless obvious right here, and it handles totally different viewing angles with out situation.

You additionally get well-balanced auto brightness, that means visibility is sweet, even in daylight. There’s additionally an automated color tint, but it surely tends an excessive amount of in direction of heat tones, so the picture is nearly sepia-toned. I swap that off and set it manually as a substitute – it’s straightforward to regulate.

Mattias Inghe

The machine has a complete of six audio system, with two pairs on the brief sides and two built-in woofers. They mix to offer lush sound that is excellent in encompass mode, utilizing ‘OReality’, a sound enhancement expertise from OnePlus’ sister firm Oppo.

You will get cinema really feel, the proper steadiness and element for music, and additional element within the sound for whenever you’re enjoying video games.

The show is properly suited to gaming, with as much as 144Hz body fee, massive color gamut, excessive brightness and help for each HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient

What doesn’t impress, nevertheless, is the sound quantity. It might get very loud, however shortly turns into sharp and shrill, to the extent that it’s fairly disagreeable.

Battery Life & Charging

9510mAh battery

Spectacular battery life

65W charging, however no charger within the field

Battery life is likely one of the OnePlus Pad 2’s predominant strengths.

You may count on round 11-12 hours of lively app use on a single cost, or much more for video streaming, which is an actual optimistic. You received’t get that on an iPad or Galaxy Tab, particularly not for video, the place the Pad 2 appears to have each an environment friendly processor and environment friendly display screen.

Mattias Inghe

You may also cost the battery impressively quick – offered you have got a charger that helps OnePlus and Oppo’s 67W Supervooc quick charging. As is frequent these days, there’s no charger within the field.

For those who do have a suitable charger, you possibly can count on a full cost in lower than an hour. I don’t have entry to at least one in my take a look at pill, however a 65W GaN charger I had was nearly as quick.

Battery life is likely one of the OnePlus Pad 2’s predominant strengths

Equipment

OnePlus Stylo 2 pen

OnePlus Folio Case 2

Each bought individually

On the higher lengthy aspect, the sting is bevelled with the intention to place the Stylo 2 pen there for storage and induction charging. It really works properly, however received’t be a necessity for most individuals.

Nonetheless, if you wish to flip the Pad right into a productiveness laptop computer of kinds, the Sensible Keyboard is a superb. You get a built-in kickstand, comfy and well-built keyboard and a big, responsive mouse pad. It additionally has a built-in NFC reader, which may be useful.

Mattias Inghe

It’s related by way of Bluetooth, so may also be run whereas disconnected from the pill. It got here as a shock after I unplugged it and it continued to manage mouse and textual content enter.

Nonetheless, there’s no option to shortly swap it off. Shouldn’t there simply be a swap on the keyboard? It looks like a design mistake.

If you wish to flip the Pad right into a productiveness laptop computer of kinds, the Sensible Keyboard is a superb

Neither of the equipment are included within the worth, however they’re generally discounted when purchased in a bundle with the pill.

Software program & Updates

OxygenOS 14 over Android 14

Three years OS, 4 years safety updates

On the software program aspect, I nonetheless miss some issues from OnePlus to make the Pad 2 a greater productiveness pill for work.

A desktop mode that makes mouse and keyboard management extra central is the primary. Each Samsung and Lenovo now have actually good variations of this, and it makes it a lot simpler to do issues like work in writing and spreadsheet apps or multitask with a number of browser home windows.

On a display screen as massive and high-resolution as this one, it will have been a plus, particularly with the quick processor that may undoubtedly energy it. Proprietary multitasking interface Open Canvas feels higher on the smaller OnePlus tablets – it’s higher at making a small display screen really feel greater than utilising a bigger display screen.

Mattias Inghe

OnePlus can also be eager, like some other producer, to construct ecosystems, and pairing with a OnePlus telephone gives some benefits. You may shortly sync your telephone with the pill utilizing the NFC operate within the keyboard to share recordsdata or show the cell display screen as a window on the pill.

However that’s extra spectacular than needed. The cell phone is true there, and there are many different methods to simply sync recordsdata between units.

WPS Workplace is pre-installed, but it surely’s the one precise app that looks like an app for work right here. And it’s solely a primary model, with some options requiring an improve to the Professional subscription. I would as properly run Google Docs or Microsoft Phrase as a substitute.

I nonetheless miss some issues from OnePlus to make the Pad 2 a greater productiveness pill for work

When it comes to software program updates, OnePlus is providing three main OS updates and 4 years of safety patches for the Pad 2. That’s an honest dedication, and on the higher finish for an Android pill in 2024.

Value & Availability

The OnePlus Pad prices £499/$549.99. On the time of writing, it’s solely accessible direct from both OnePlus UK or OnePlus US.

That presently features a free Folio Case 2, however upgrading to the Sensible Keyboard will price you £149/$149.99. Including the Stylo 2 pen is an additional £99/$99.99.

It’s a extremely aggressive choice for the worth, however lots of the finest Android tablets supply a equally robust expertise. You’ll typically pay much more, although.

Must you purchase the OnePlus Pad 2?

There’s no denying that the OnePlus Pad 2 is nice worth for cash. It’s basically a scaled-up model of the unique by way of dimension, efficiency and high quality in lots of areas. The one actual exception could be the mediocre cameras.

It’s nonetheless as much as you to seek out methods to make use of the Pad 2 as a piece pill, although. There have been some makes an attempt to create a system for that, however OnePlus hasn’t gone far sufficient.

For looking, leisure and gaming, it’s unquestionably an excellent pill. But it surely’s definitely not the one one round this worth.