OnePlus Pad review: Finally, a great Android tablet

Let’s be honest, Android tablets have been a failure for a long time. That’s why words Tablet and iPad they are almost synonymous these days. Every year, Apple made tweaks to its mobile operating system to optimize it for its tablets, eventually separating it as a standalone operating system. called iPadOS—whereas Google only periodically offered its attention to the Android tablet space.

Buy the nexus 7, one of the first Google tablets (made by Asus), back in 2013, and I used it ad nauseam. It was compact and easy to use, and I’ve never felt a similar level of attachment to another Android tablet since, until now, with the new OnePlus Pad. OnePlus’ first tablet is a sleek machine with powerful hardware and the right software that encourages you to use it for more than just entertainment. With this list, Android tablets are finally starting to feel like a viable alternative to the iPad and a computer you can reliably use for work and play.

clean slate

Part of the success of the OnePlus Pad has to do with the operating system itself. Runs android 13which, as Google promised last year, it has several tablet-friendly optimizations that make interaction and multitasking a bit easier with a larger screen. That includes more proprietary apps designed to make use of the larger screen.

That’s not to say OnePlus hasn’t added any of its own goodies. I’m writing this review, for example, on the Pad with split screen mode on. I have a Chrome tab on the left of the screen and one on the right with reference material. You can induce this split screen mode quite easily in any app with just a two-finger swipe down on the screen.

Apps can also float, just like the slideshow view on an iPad. There’s a small (customizable) app tray that you can pull out on the right side of the screen. Tap one and the app will open as a floating window that you can partially resize. When I’m in split-screen mode, I open Slack or Gmail in floating view as a third app to quickly review a notification without having to completely leave the apps I’m working on. Multitasking feels pretty fluid on this machine, and this is important. In the past, working for long periods on an Android tablet was a pain in the ass. Now, I don’t really mind spending a work day on the OnePlus Pad.

It helps that both cameras are also centrally placed. Neither the 8 MP selfie camera nor the 13 MP rear camera are anything to write home about (video quality is adequate), but the former is in a good spot for video meetings and the camera can follow your face if you you’re moving around in your seat, just like Center Stage on the iPad. This works in Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. I took a meeting on the Pad with Microsoft Teams and the camera stayed close to my face, and I used the floating window mode for Google Docs to take notes at the same time. It was effortless.