OnePlus entered the tablet market last year with the Pad series as it looks to give the best impression of an Android tablet in the premium arena. The OnePlus Pad offered a lot of positives but held back by Android and now in 2024 you have the option of the OnePlus Pad 2 which is gunning for the flagship peers. The Pad 2 is the first tablet in the country that is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset which has been part of flagship phones this year.
However, the OnePlus Pad 2 is priced at Rs 39,999 which makes it an appealing option for people who want a large screen tablet that can handle a lot more than watching shows. But does the Pad 2 manage to make a case for a productivity device that can be a reliable alternative to a laptop. We used the Pad 2 for a few weeks to see its value and purpose.
The No-Compromise Design
OnePlus left no stone unturned Pad last year and the Pad 2 is an extension to this ideology. The full metal construction, even on the frame and finish is the ideal mix for a premium product and OnePlus has gone with the design without any cost cuts.
There is a solidity to the tablet which gives you the comfort and confidence to put it through the daily grind. The main change with the Pad 2 is the bigger screen which offers a different use case and functionality. The camera module is still circular and sits in the middle at the back. The tablet now weighs 584 grams which isn’t a big jump on the Pad.
Big Display, More Purpose
The Pad 2 features a 12.1-inch LCD display which is bigger than the 11.61-inch screen on the Pad. The screen resolution has been bumped up to match the dimensions and you get more or less the same display quality with the upgraded version.
The lack of an AMOLED panel means the blacks are not deep enough but for regular viewing, the colours are crisp and the content is easily readable, so there is not much to complain about. The bigger screen makes watching videos fun and you will get addicted to watching movies quite a bit. The screen size bump might not seem like a lot but when you place it next to the Pad and using the device, you see that the 12.1-inch form factor is just a shade better.
Performance Never Felt Wanting
OnePlus might have skipped the AMOLED panel on the Pad 2 but there is very little to argue with its choice of the hardware to power the tablet. The first-gen Pad got the Dimensity 9000 chipset, but now you have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset which is the best available option in the market till date.
You get it with 12GB RAM and 256GB/512GB storage options. The tablet doesn’t feel the strain of using Chrome with umpteen number of tabs, video playing in the background and the accessories paired with the device.
OS Works But Android Holds It Back
OnePlus continues with its focus on making OxygenOS a reliable tablet platform but the underlying Android OS is the limiting reason once again. The brand has shown that big screen Android devices can succeed if the software is tuned and customised to run on the form factor but you can’t help if the way Android interacts with the apps is not seamless which means there is a noticeable lag even if you have the most-powerful hardware packed inside.
Google has its own tablet and foldable in the market now, so maybe the brand will finally see the changes it needs to make so that Android can finally give the iPads a tough fight.
How The Pad 2 Package Performs
The Pad 2 also gets a new smart keyboard and the Stylo 2. The keys now offer better travel which allows you to type effectively with less false touches. In fact, this review has been a welcome move but its performance was a mixed bag on the third-party apps and Chrome needs better tuning with these accessories, which we also noticed using iPads with non-Apple keyboards.
This review was written on the keyboard accessory which wasn’t as smooth as typing on a keyboard but the improvement because of a bigger layout was evident this time.
The large trackpad is a welcome move but the clicks weren’t prominent enough which got us confused at times.
The Stylo 2 brings more finesse to your note-taking abilities and the experience is closer to your natural writing including the strokes. The smart pen also supports features like taking notes when the screen is locked, use it for making presentations and making scribbles.
Same Battery But Reliable Enough
The Pad 2 packs a 9510mAh battery which is the same unit that its predecessor had. You still get it with 67W wired charging speed with the adapter in the box. The battery life continues to be reliable and you can easily get 6-8 hours out of the device to enjoy movies, get some light work done and a little more.
The OnePlus Pad 2 builds into an all-round package that punches above its weight for the price but the lack of reliable software and support for a DeX-like platform makes it less convincing for productivity tasks. What we can tell is that the Pad 2 can get some work done but still not a replacement for a laptop.
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