OnePlus Pad 3 review: A sneak peek at the launching-soon premium Android tablet

A premium Android tablet

While the Pad 3 hasn’t been officially unveiled in India yet (though we know it's coming) pricing and availability in Europe and North America have been announced. The Pad 3 comes in two colours—Storm Blue and Frosted Silver—and is priced at USD 699.99 for the 12GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant. The 16GB RAM & 512GB storage model will cost an extra hundred dollars. Additionally, the brand-new Pad 3 keyboard will set you back another USD 199.99. There’s no new stylus, but the Stylo 2 from before is still available for USD 99.99. The Folio Case will add another USD 49.99.

This price increase means that the Pad 3 is now competing directly with the iPad Pro and the Galaxy Tab S10 series. While the Pad 3 is more of an iterative update rather than something revolutionary, that begs the question. Was the price bump necessary? One hopes that in India, it is more aggressively priced, lest it lose out to the iPad Pro (the king of tablets) and the Xiaomi Pad 7 (a much cheaper Android alternative with a game-changing nano-texture display).

An unorthodox approach

 

The Pad 3 takes it up a notch with the latest in hardware. It’s got a larger 13.2-inch LCD display (with a 3.4K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate), Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, massive 12,140 mAh battery, 80W SuperVooc charging support and more.

It’s becoming a common sight to see a display with a 16:10 aspect ratio on a clamshell laptop. On tablets, the 4:3 aspect ratio is the most common, as it is the standard aspect ratio featured by the iPad. OnePlus wanted to abandon that approach. Instead, OnePlus went with a 13.2-inch display with an unusual 7:5 aspect ratio for the Pad 3.

 For the most part, tablets aren’t used as handhelds. Nonetheless, the Pad 3 is much more usable when held in hand. Even when you attach the keyboard accessory, the vertical real estate is enhanced. Dare I say it, but 7:5 aspect ratio is the best for side-by-side multitasking.

What the Pad 3 isn’t is heavy and thick. Yes, the whole package may feel hefty, but it really isn’t. The Pad 3 measures 5.97mm in thickness and boasts a really good in-hand feel. I’ve added the Folio Case, which does increase the thickness by a few millimetres, as does the keyboard accessory.

The detachable keyboard

 

There’s a new keyboard case to pair alongside the Pad 3. While there isn’t a third-party accessory ecosystem for Android tablets, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and others are doing their best to provide solutions. The keyboard cover for the Pad 3 is absolutely fantastic, though it has a finicky touchpad, and one wishes the keys were backlit.

The keyboard cover is absolutely fantastic for typing. My speed hasn’t dropped at all, and the key travel is good. The keys are well spaced out. There are two things I’ve appreciated about the new keyboard case. First, the shortcut keys have their own row, positioned right above the number keys. Second, and this is pivotal, you can now use the keyboard, even when it’s detached from the tablet. This is thanks to the keyboard case having a built-in battery and Bluetooth support. So, you can prop up the tablet on a table and use the keyboard on your lap.

But not all is perfect with the keyboard cover. While the touchpad may be larger, it is very finicky. Several times, I’ve noticed it clicking on things even when I didn’t want it to. The cursor isn’t the smoothest or most accurate either.

Split screen functionality

 

The Pad 3 is a multitasker's dream. With a 13.2-inch display, you’d surely be wondering how to maximise that real estate. The answer to that is Open Canvas. I’ve used it on the OnePlus Open, and it’s even better on the Pad 3. It’s much easier to drag and drop apps into an arrangement that suits your workflow. For me, it’s just three or maximum four clicks, and I have the browser and doc apps side-by-side, and I’m typing away with ferocity. Split-screen works better than on most tabs I’ve used recently. You can also have a floating third app (and a fourth), or even three main windows open simultaneously.

There’s also a desktop mode, when the Pad 3 is plugged into an external display (one which is USB-C compatible). It works well, but it isn’t quite Samsung DeX-level ready yet.

Then there’s the O+ Connect app. You can transfer files between your phone and tablet seamlessly. It’s designed to be an AirDrop-like experience between OnePlus/Oppo smartphones, tablets and laptops. The only problem is that it works far better with Apple devices than Windows laptops.

OnePlus promises 3 years of OS upgrades alongside 6 years of security patches.

Other stuff I noticed:

 

Fantastic battery life: Thanks to the massive 12,140 mAh battery (and 80W fast charging), battery anxiety is totally a thing of the past. I primarily used my tablet for researching, writing, watching YouTube videos, and streaming sporting events, and I didn’t need to charge it for days. Of course, if you’re gaming heavily or watching for extended periods, you’ll need to top off the battery much sooner than I did. However, I could still take this on a three-day trip, get work done, and return with some energy left in the tank, for what it's worth, OnePlus does say that the tablet can last for up to 70 days of standby time.

Great speakers: The Pad 3 has an eight-speaker—four-woofers and four-tweeters—configuration. It’s great for video conferencing and sufficient for casual movie/YouTube watching. It can get very loud, and thankfully, without any distortion. Just don’t expect great instrument separation.

Weighty: At 675g, the Pad 3 is too heavy to be usable while held in the hand. For quick tasks, yes, it isn’t bad, but any extended period of holding and you’ll get tired fast.

No OLED display: With an increased price, I would have loved for OnePlus to have included an OLED display (with those deeper blacks). That would have been quite something, even if it's not an OLED display, perhaps a nano-texture display, like the one on the Xiaomi Pad 7 (another tablet I absolutely loved for consuming content on).

Verdict

 

The Pad 3 is quickly becoming my favourite Android tablet. It’s a multitasker's dream (Open Canvas for the win), got best-in-class performance, a gigantic 13.2-inch display (with a 3.4K resolution), a premium design, and much more.

Ultimately, the Pad 3 will not replace your laptop. Yes, it’s a fantastic entertainment tablet, and if you aren’t a coder or someone with a heavy workflow, then you can get all your work done on this tablet while on the go. It’s a viable secondary option. It can easily replace your laptop for short travel stints.

The only problem I see is that OnePlus has bumped up the price. Do we need a premium Android tablet that is veering into the Apple iPad Pro’s territory? That’s the question to be asked. But I’m someone who loves competition. The nano-texture display on the Xiaomi Pad 7 was game-changing and came in an overall inexpensive package. Let’s just hope OnePlus gets the pricing right in India, because the Pad 3 is becoming an easier recommendation the more I use it. With the next iteration, I’d love for OnePlus to offer two different screen sizes.

If you are to buy the Pad 3, then do yourself a favour and at least buy the keyboard cover and Folio Case. Perhaps OnePlus will offer a bundle, just as they did the last time around, making it an easy sell.