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[This review was updated: Jump to the latest update]
What is it with OnePlus and making amazing first devices? Its first phone shook the tech world and its foldable was one of the best phones of 2023. Well, okay, there was the OnePlus Watch… But anyway, the company’s first tablet, the OnePlus Pad, was one of my favorite tablets, and I was surprised at how well of a job the company did. If I didn’t have to send my review unit, it’d be my daily tablet to this day. But, time goes on; I was given the opportunity to review the OnePlus Pad 2.
With how the tablet market has been dropping quarter over quarter, I was surprised that OnePlus wanted to roll the dice on making a tablet. It had stiff competition with the Google Pixel Tablet, which had its own set of benefits and a comparable price. Also, you can’t forget about the mainstays in the tablet market, Samsung and Apple. With all of that competition, OnePlus was able to deliver a tablet that stood out against the competition. We have its close partnership with Oppo to thank for that.
Now, it’s a new year, and there’s new competition both here and down the horizon. Apple released its latest slew of iPads, and one of them is the M4-powered iPad Pro. It’s truly the tablet to beat. Also, Samsung is gearing up to launch its Galaxy Tab S10 series of phones within a few months as of the writing of this review. It doesn’t matter if OnePlus isn’t targeting the $1,000+ market of top-tier tablets. It’s going up against the massive fan bases that the big wigs enjoy companies enjoy.
So, does this new slab have what it takes to survive the onslaught of Samsung and Apple, or does it just fall flat? Let’s find out!
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Design
When it comes to the design, I feel like OnePlus’ design team was asleep for this one. Don’t get me wrong, there aren’t any glaring issues with the design. It’s a perfectly serviceable look. It’s just that I have trouble telling this tablet from most of the other tablets on the market. It’s a plain and simple metal slab with a unibody and a camera. That’s it. To be honest, this is not much different from other (and cheaper) tablets on the market.
I’d say that the flat top of the frame does add a little bit of character to the design. However, there’s nothing else that makes it stick out. I’m a bit disappointed because the first-generation tablet was unique in its eccentricity. We got a weird-looking beauty of a tablet that you couldn’t mistake for anything else. It’s an odd design that just grows on you.
This time around, it looks like the company walked back the overall appeal. I can’t really blame OnePlus, as it’s most likely Oppo pulling the strings with the design. That weird-looking beauty of a tablet I mentioned earlier was just a rebranded Oppo Pad 2. That’s pretty much how these companies’ tight relationship goes.
In any case, I’m not pointing fingers. I’m just saying that I think that the overall design is a step back. Something about the roundness of the device just makes it less refined than iPads and Galaxy Tabs. It’s just a little harder to take it seriously as a flagship device based on appearances alone.
That being said, I give the company props on the material and color. It has a nice matte metal unibody that looks nice in any lighting. The gray color gives it that understated and professional beauty that I like. It gives the tablet a sort of suit-and-tie aesthetic.
The circular camera has a brushed metal ring that adds a little bit of sheen to the device. It contrasts the matte texture of the body nicely. In the right lighting, this tablet can be a bit of a looker.
Moving onto the front, the OnePlus Pad 2 has pretty good-looking bezels. There’s some thickness to them, but it’s pretty par for the course with most tablets. They’re big enough for you to comfortably hold the tablet and not touch the screen.
Overall
I was honestly a bit let down by the design of this tablet. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that OnePlus/Oppo delivered a much more distinctive device last year. I’ve seen other devices with the OnePlus Pad’s design, and it’s a design that’s gotten old. I know that there’s a limit to what you can do with the design of a tablet, but OnePlus has created some extremely fun designs with its devices. This tablet is really middle-of-the-road.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Build Quality
As we all know, looks aren’t everything. I said that the OnePlus Pad 2 has the design I’ve seen on cheaper tablets. Well, nothing about the build quality is cheap. In fact, this is an amazing-feeling tablet. When I pick up this device, my hands are greeted with the cool feeling of metal, and high-grade metal at that.
I’m not one to gob over thinness in a device; I don’t mind a tablet with some reassuring thickness to it like the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+. However, the OnePlus Pad is notably thin, and I’m digging it. The reason I like it is because there’s still some significant heft to the device. The combination of thinness and weight gives the tablet a nice feeling of density. This makes it feel much more solid in the hand. Devices that are thicker and lighter just feel cheap and hollow. The OnePlus Pad 2 feels like it’s full to the brim of quality materials.
The weight, unfortunately, means that it starts to feel heavy after a while of holding it. I sat and watched some YouTube videos in couch mode, and I found myself switching hands after about 15 minutes. It’s a hefty guy, so you might want to look into getting a stand if you want to watch content for extended periods of time.
I did a light bend test and listened for any sort of creaks or groans. I’m happy to report that there were none. I continued the test to see how much the device flexes under pressure. I didn’t bend it with the intention of breaking it. It was just to see how much force it takes to see some flex. I had to apply a good amount of force to get it to flex. Since this is a larger device, you could most likely snap it if you REALLY wanted to, so I’d just be careful in general. However, I don’t get the impression that this device was cheaply built at all.
Also, looking over the device, I didn’t notice any issues or faults with the engineering. Everything was put together nicely.
I know that the design of the OnePlus Pad isn’t to my liking, but I give this device high marks for being such a well-built and sturdy device. Nothing about it feels cheaply made. I don’t think that OnePlus/Oppo cut any corners with this tablet at all.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Display
One of my favorite parts of the first-generation OnePlus Pad was the display. There were some pretty juicy colors on that panel. So much so that I thought I was looking at an OLED screen. It really added to the whole experience, and it was calibrated to display the interface beautifully.
This time around, I was expecting a similar experience if not better. Let’s see if it delivered.
Brightness
Nowadays, phone screens have gotten much brighter over the years. They’re bright enough to view comfortably in the sun. Tablets, on the other hand, haven’t jumped in brightness quite so much. Their screens have much more real estate than phone screens, so there’s just so much more to power. Also, there’s not much need to fit tablets with brighter displays because people tend to use them inside more often than not.
That’s a bit evident with the display on the OnePlus Pad 2. OnePlus used a very bright panel with this tablet, don’t get me wrong. When I crank the brightness up in the bright daylight, everything’s bright enough to see comfortably. Everything from text to apps to images is perfectly visible. If I were stuck outside with this tablet, I don’t think I’d have to struggle all that much to see it.
However, it’s just a few steps behind what I’d see in a smartphone. When I look at the screen in the light, I can see my reflection fairly clearly. It reaches up to 900 nits when it’s in High Brightness Mode. I say that 900 nits is about the threshold where screens start being bright enough to see in the day. You won’t have any trouble seeing the screen during the day. Just know that it’ll be just a tad dim compared to most phones.
Colors
I feel like the colors of the screen are pretty similar to last year’s. Like I said earlier, the colors were almost trading blows with an OLED panel. They make everything in the operating system look nice. App icons, wallpaper, videos, and apps all look nice.
However, I feel like the company walked the color saturation back a step. I remember seeing some parts of the UI, like red buttons, that would singe the eyes just a bit with the first OnePlus Pad. However, I don’t get that with this iteration. All of the colors seem to be more balanced. Nothing sticks out in the interface, and that’s good for people who like more natural colors.
The colors are still pretty saturated to a pleasant degree. There’s still enough color to make videos and games look nice. I’ve migrated to using this as my primary media device, especially if I’m cooking or cleaning. I think that if I were to compare this side-by-side with last year’s version, I’d see a difference in saturation.
I feel like the colors of the OnePlus Pad 2’s screen are more mature. The company found out how to make the colors pop without anything sticking out. I admire the screen for that.
If you’re into more natural and balanced colors with a nice pop, then you’ll see this as an upgrade.
Contrast
Since this is an LCD display, the contrast plays more of a role in the quality of the display. I’d say that the contrast is pretty good. It’s definitely some of the best contrast I’ve seen on an LCD display. No LCD display can achieve perfect contrast, but this does a great job.
Overall
Just like the first generation OnePlus Pad, I really enjoyed the screen with this generation. It’s easy to disregard LCD screens because OLEDs provide several benefits like more saturated colors and better contrast. However, the right company can calibrate an LCD to make it trade blows with an OLED display.
The colors are nice as well as the contrast. Also, it’s a nice and bright display that you can see pretty comfortably in the sun. OnePlus didn’t rock the boat with the display technology for this iteration.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Speakers
One of the few downsides of the first OnePlus Pad was the set of speakers. They weren’t particularly bad, but the company really hyped them up to be something special. That tablet had a set of powerful speakers, but that was the only thing that was special about them.
Overall, they just sounded flat. There was no character to them; there was no rich bass or crisp treble. There was really nothing about them. Tablets like the Honor Pad 8 became a replacement for my Bluetooth speakers at points, but the OnePlus Pad didn’t receive that sort of treatment.
Now, it’s a new year, a new tablet, and a new set of six speakers. That’s right, OnePlus really pulled out all of the stops with this tablet, but let’s see if it paid off.
Bass
Starting off with the low-end audio, this was one of the low points of last generation’s speakers. This time around, I think that the company improved in this category. However, it’s still a bit underwhelming compared to other options.
I can hear just a bit of depth and warmth to the speakers, especially when listening to more bassy music. However, it’s still pretty hard to really hear any details in the lower notes. A good example of a song with a lot of bass is “All I Ask” by Kenny Loggins. The bass was pretty weak in that song through these speakers. One thing that I noticed while listening to that song and others is the fact that the system seems to dampen the lower notes. It sounds like the system quiets down when some of the lower notes come in. I’m not sure why because it does take away from the depth of what I’m listening to.
Treble
Just like with the bass, the treble performance on this tablet is better than last year’s speakers. Higher tones have been improved to the point where they’re pretty pleasant to listen to.
The super-high tones aren’t very crisp, but I’d say that the upper-mids get a nice boost. With this, percussion sounds really nice. I do wish that there was a bit more definition in the higher tones. The treble has been improved from the last generation, but I still think that it could be just a bit better.
Voices
I think that one of the areas these speakers improve the most is in the vocal performance. I listened to songs from a bunch of different artists, and the voices cut through very nicely.
Sound stage
Just like with the voices, the sound stage was greatly improved since last year. It’s actually one of the best things about these speakers. The sound is so grand and open. The speakers almost sound like they have a surround-sound effect. I can get a good sense of the panning of all of the parts.
This is also true when it comes to watching movies. The sound is very wide, so watching movies is very immersive.
Overall
I don’t think that the speakers this time around are like night and day. They still fall short in a few areas; however, I can hear some notable improvements. One of the main things I disliked about last year’s speakers was the fact that nothing really stood out about them. They just sounded uninspired. The quality was good, but there wasn’t really anything to the sound.
In the case of the OnePlus Pad 2, there are some things that actually stand out. The bass is a bit better, the upper mids are nice, voices sound great, and the sound stage is amazing. I wouldn’t really have an issue using this as my main media consumption device.
The speakers aren’t the best on the market, and I know that they’ll easily be beaten by the likes of an iPad or Galaxy Tab, but I think that OnePlus is on the right track.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Performance
Shocker, I’m going to make a comparison to the first OnePlus Pad. The story with that tablet’s performance was a funny one, and it shined a pretty bad light on the chip powering it. The first OnePlus Pad used the MediaTek Dimensity 9000. That was a beast of a processor of the time.
I had high hopes for that chip, but the OnePlus Pad’s performance dampened them a bit (just a bit). I’m probably being pedantic here; the performance was very smooth. That tablet breezed through the interface and didn’t get caught up. It was an overall smooth device, buuuuuut… there were the occasional dropped frames. The Dimensity 9000 was touted as the chip to bring MediaTek onto par with Qualcomm. So, seeing a tablet running that chip start stuttering fresh out of the box was discouraging.
Granted, the stutters were few and far between. It wasn’t exactly lagging down the experience. It’s just that, every once in a while, it would hiccup when opening an app, going back to the home screen, summoning the app drawer, etc.
That didn’t look good for the Dimensity chip because MediaTek is still trying to shake off the misconception that it only makes low-quality chips. I don’t blame the performance on MediaTek entirely, however. I think that the software optimization also holds some of the blame because the Lenovo Tab Extreme used the same chip, and it ran flawlessly.
So, how does the OnePlus Pad 2 perform? Better! For starters, OnePlus moved away from MediaTek and went for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. OnePlus seems to optimize its software better for Qualcomm chips.
Those few-and-far-between stutters that I saw with the first tablet are gone with the OnePlus Pad 2. Everything just flows from opening apps to navigating the interface. I didn’t run into any instances where the tablet slowed down.
Sometimes, stutters can be disguised in between animations. For example, rather than slowing down during an app opening animation (which results in a dropped frame), a device can hesitate to start the animation for just a second. I don’t get that with the OnePlus Pad 2. Animations start the instant I tap on the button. The system doesn’t struggle with that 120Hz refresh rate.
Benchmarks
I know that benchmark scores aren’t indicative of real-world performance, but this tablet’s scores show something interesting. OnePlus’ devices don’t typically push the envelope when it comes to the numbers.
I ran the tablet through Geekbench 6, and the scores don’t look like any device running a flagship processor in 2024. The single-core score is 966. That would make you think that you’re looking at the score from a 2016 flagship phone. But, it’s true. In fact, that score was beaten out by the Galaxy S20 FE.
Moving onto the multi-core score, this tablet also falls short of the competition, but it’s not as drastic as the single-core score. It came in at 4580, which is a few steps behind the Galaxy S23.
I also ran this tablet through 3D Mark. I used the Wildlife Stress test. It got a Best Loop score of 4453 and a Lowest Loop score of 3646 with a stability rating of 81.9%. The frame rate capped out at 32FPS and bottomed out at 16FPS.
While the numbers are pretty low, the results I’ve been getting from the actual day-to-day performance show the opposite. The OnePlus Pad 2 wields the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 like a sword and just crushes it when it comes to the performance.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Gaming Performance
The gaming performance of the first OnePlus Pad was good in general. Out of the box, the gaming wasn’t the greatest. It ran lower-powered games flawlessly, but once I reached for games like Genshin Impact, I could see the tablet reach its limit. However, OnePlus is one of the many OEMs that use an enhanced mode for gaming. This will overclock the processor to boost the gaming performance. This helped to smooth out the performance, and it was like night and day.
This time around, I did pretty much the same thing with the OnePlus Pad 2. I ran some games that would give weaker hardware some trouble. I started off with Sky: Children of The Light, as that’s a very pretty game. I cranked the graphics to their highest setting and played it for a bit. The game ran perfectly smoothly, as I expected. This is a very pretty game, and it’s not shy about having your character in wide-open spaces. So, I’m not surprised that it can be a challenge.
Now, let’s go for the big fish. Hoyoverse brought some wildly good-looking games to the market like Honkai Star Rail, Genshin Impact, and the new Zenless Zone Zero. I tested the latter two on the OnePlus Pad 2. I think that Star Rail isn’t optimized as well as the other two games. There were times when I’d get pretty stuttery performance on pretty powerful phones when running Star Rail.
Starting off with Zenless Zone Zero, I ran the game with all of the graphic settings cranked to max. This didn’t surprise me, but the OnePlus Pad 2 ran it like a dream. I cranked it up to 60 frames per second, and it didn’t drop a single frame. This game gets pretty intense during the fight sequences. It ran perfectly smoothly.
Genshin wasn’t any different. We’re all aware of how beautiful this game looks. It’s not a game for your cheaper phone. However, the OnePlus Pad 2 ran this game like a champ. I didn’t have any issues with the performance whatsoever.
Even playing Genshin and Zenless for a while, I didn’t run into any throttling.
Overall
OnePlus is really good at optimizing its devices for Snapdragon chips. Last year’s tablet was a good gaming device, but it had its dropped frames. So, when I heard that the company was using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 this time around, I knew what to expect. The OnePlus Pad 2 can be your primary Android gaming device.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Keyboard/Stylus
OnePlus was kind enough to send me the OnePlus Pad 2 with an included stylus and keyboard case.
Keyboard
Starting off with the keyboard, OnePlus offered some neat improvements over last year’s keyboard.
The biggest addition to the keyboard is the trackpad. It’s a very large trackpad that works well. I just find it pretty easy to press it with my palm while I’m typing. It leads to the annoying issue of the mouse randomly clicking in places while I’m typing. However, if you don’t want that to happen, there’s a button that will disable it.
Speaking of that button, it sits on a new row of function keys at the top of the keyboard. This row has buttons to control the volume, control playback, adjust screen brightness, take a screenshot, summon the default assistant, and lock the device. The Del and ESC keys also sit on that row.
Moving back to the bottom of the keyboard, there’s a little NFC logo. You’re able to tap your OnePlus phone to quickly transfer files.
The keyboard is actually detachable from the rest of the case. The back of the case attaches to the back of the tablet magnetically. There’s a kickstand that swings out from the back of the tablet, and it’s adjustable. So, you’re able to choose the angle you want to view the tablet.
The keyboard case is so much better compared to last year and it makes me like this tablet even more. My only gripe is that it’s lacking some refinement. There’s a little plastic bar holding the magnetic contacts that attach to the tablet. That bar is attached to the keyboard by a thin sheet of leather.
Well, that sheet feels flimsy. When I pick up the tablet with the case, I feel the keyboard slide downward. This makes it feel like a cheap keyboard case you’d find on Wish or Temu. Also, that sheet is quite long. This makes the keyboard pretty far forward when you have the tablet in laptop mode.
Stylus
The new OnePlus Stylo 2 is a great addition to the keyboard. It comes with the features that you’d expect from a premium stylus. It’s pressure-sensitive, it has tactile feedback, and it’s made from quality materials. I’m not a fan of the textured plastic that the case is made of, but it feels solid.
This time around, OnePlus brought some new features to the stylus experience. My favorite is the presentation mode. This feature turns your stylus into a faux-laser pointer. You’ll point your stylus at the tablet screen from a distance, and you’ll see a cursor on the screen. It will follow the stylus as you move it.
The only complaint I have is that there’s no quick way to enable it. You have to dig into the settings to activate it. I’d like it if there was a Quick Setting Tile to enable it.
Another feature I like is the ability to swipe inward from the top right corner of the screen to quickly start a new note. This even works when the screen is off. When using OnePlus’ native Notes app, you’ll feel a very subtle tactile feedback that makes it feel like you’re writing on actual paper. It’s a neat effect, but I don’t think that it’s executed as well as the company would hope.
Overall
This tablet with the included case and stylus is a next-level device. The company added so much value to the accessories, and that just boosts the experience so much compared to last year.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Battery
The OnePlus Pad 2 comes with a sizable battery this time around. It has a 9510mAh battery. What does that mean? It means more than a day of casual usage. I used this tablet until it died; my usage consisted of casual video-watching, some work, and gaming. The battery life is great on this tablet. It’s definitely better than last year. You won’t have any issues using this tablet when you’re out of the house.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Latest Software Update
Software name: OxygenOS 14.1
Build number: OPD2403_14.1.0.402(EX01)
Update date: September 8th, 2024
Security patch level: September 2024
This was a pretty hefty update at over 400GB. Along with the typical security patch and vulnerability fixes, the OnePlus Pad 2 got some useful stability fixes. The update fixed issues with the transition animations for the Quick Settings. Also, there was an issue that caused the screen to appear reddish or blurry.
Next, the update solved the bug that may have locked you out of your locked apps. There was another security bug that didn’t allow you to use face unlock if your device was locked for more than 24 hours. That bug was squashed. Other changes include fixing an issue with swiping between images and adding more audio effects.
The biggest addition to the software is a new app. It’s called AI Studio, and it’s your run-of-the-mill AI portrait maker. Just like other similar tools, you’ll be able to upload a portrait of yourself or a group of people. Then, you’ll be able to choose from a large variety of effects that you want to apply to your picture. The tool will spit out four variations.
There are a few things you’ll need to know about this tool. Firstly, it takes a currency called Stars. Each generation and regeneration costs 10 Stars. You’ll earn Stars by checking into the app every day. When you first start, you’ll get 5,000 Stars to play around with, and you’ll be able to earn more as you use the app.
At this point, there doesn’t seem to be an option to directly pay for Stars. So, you’ll just need to use the app. Lastly, you’ll need a OnePlus account to use AI Studio.
OnePlus Pad 2 Review: Final Verdict
The OnePlus Pad 2 represents the best kind of year-over-year iteration. OnePlus didn’t just toss in a new processor or add a few more features. The company improved the core experience. It improved the experience to the point where using the OnePlus Pad 2 feels much different from the first tablet.
I loved using the first OnePlus Pad, but there were a few things that I wished it did better. Along with improving the experience, OnePlus addressed those gripes that I had with the first generation. All in all, I enjoyed using this iteration more than the last, and that’s the sort of effect that we want.
The OnePlus Pad 2 costs more than the first generation, but I think that it’s justified. OnePlus added more value to the OnePlus Pad experience, and for that, I recommend getting this device.