I've Tested Dozens Of Tablets - This Is The First Android Model To Truly Replace My Ipad Pro

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The OnePlus Pad 3 starts astatine $699 for nan 12GB of RAM and 256GB of retention configuration.
• It's sewage a larger artillery and show this year, arsenic good arsenic an updated Qualcomm chipset.
• The tablet is an OLED panel, a fingerprint scanner, and a floating keyboard lawsuit distant from perfect.

Unless OnePlus reconsiders launching a foldable phone this year, nan caller Pad 3 whitethorn arguably beryllium nan company's astir eager merchandise successful 2025. It has a bigger screen, a bigger battery, and moreover a bigger speaker strategy this clip around. There's besides a bigger value tag, but $699 for nan Pad 3 has felt much reasonable arsenic each time of testing has gone by.

Also: The champion Android tablets you tin buy

I'm presently connected week 3 of utilizing nan Pad 3 arsenic a laptop replacement, and it's proven to maine that $699 whitethorn beryllium each you really request for a premium Android tablet experience.

Of course, you'll want to situation nan tablet pinch tin accessories, which OnePlus almost gets right. The Android package acquisition tin person its disconnected days, but nan wide acquisition has been conscionable arsenic good, if not better, than what I've gotten retired of Samsung and Apple tablets that costs hundreds of dollars more.

The infinitesimal I unboxed nan OnePlus Pad 3, I knew I wouldn't person a problem putting down my 13-inch MacBook Pro for it. The latest exemplary has a 13.2-inch show (up from past year's 12.1-inch), which makes a meaningful quality for readers eyeing a tablet for activity and play. Anything larger, for illustration nan Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra's 14.6-inch display, would beryllium overkill for a tablet.

Also: I yet recovered a brace of earbuds that drown retired my noisy commute (and they're $99)

Understandably, a 13-inch tablet is still overmuch bigger than astir options connected nan market, and folks who for illustration thing much portable and easy connected nan wrists whitethorn want to look elsewhere.

To easiness nan imaginable pain, OnePlus has slimmed down nan Pad 3 from its predecessor, going from 6.59mm of thickness to conscionable 5.97mm. It's nary M4 iPad Pro slim, but sleek capable to easy gaffe into a backpack sleeve aliases remainder cleanly connected a desk.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

The Pad 3 comes successful only 1 colour successful nan US: Storm Blue, which shimmers successful denim and navy hues and is coated pinch a satin decorativeness -- polished conscionable capable to forestall fingerprint grease from staying its welcome. I thin to favour metallic aliases golden colors for tablets, since they make them easier to discern erstwhile group aside, but nan prestigious and subdued decorativeness of nan Storm Blue has surely grown connected me.

I'm little enthusiastic astir nan IPS LCD connected nan Pad 3, which has a noticeable deficiency of opposition compared to tablets pinch OLED panels. The muted blacks connected nan tablet surface are particularly discernible erstwhile acheronian mode is turned connected and you're watching a video aliases movie. Admittedly, I look astatine dozens of surface types each week for work, truthful you whitethorn not announcement nan deficiency arsenic much.

Also: Why I for illustration this Lenovo tablet complete nan iPad for multimedia consumption

Opting for an IPS LCD alternatively of OLED whitethorn person besides been a cost-saving measurement for nan Pad 3. Considering it's still a decent sheet that refreshes astatine 144Hz, gets plentifulness agleam (and dim), and I didn't announcement overmuch tearing arsenic I navigated nan tablet, I'd opportunity it's a reasonable trade-off. The summation of 2 much speakers besides helps nan Pad 3 pinch wide measurement and bass, though side-firing sound systems connected tablets still time off a batch to beryllium desired successful position of clarity and immersion.

Simply put, owners of nan original OnePlus Pad and Pad 2 shouldn't expect a awesome upgrade successful ocular and audio fidelity erstwhile buying nan Pad 3. That's a compliment to nan erstwhile 2 models, and a statement for early iterations.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

OnePlus has equipped nan Pad 3 pinch nan aforesaid Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite spot that powers its flagship OnePlus 13 phone, and nan capacity has been reliably fast. Just this weekend, I ran variations of multi-app workflows, including Gemini, Google Maps, YouTube, Chrome, and a banking app to scheme my upcoming honeymoon.

Also: This $220 Android tablet feels conscionable for illustration my Surface Pro - and nan artillery is conscionable arsenic good

Besides a fewer software-level hiccups, for illustration nan YouTube video subordinate disappearing aft expanding it connected Open Canvas, nan Pad 3's multi-window feature, nan tablet ne'er showed frustrations pinch loading graphics, responding to inputs, and keeping services moving successful nan background. I gracefully danced betwixt on-screen gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and trackpad swipes, overmuch for illustration really I remembered doing pinch nan $1,099 iPad Pro past year.

Speaking of, nan Pad 3 comes fitted pinch 3 caller accessories, and present are my cardinal takeaways for each:

• Smart Keyboard: A kickstand-style keyboard lawsuit pinch freely keycaps and tactile feedback that reminds maine of high-end laptops. I recovered nan default trackpad velocity excessively delicate and accelerated for parsing done text-heavy workflows, but was capable to dial it down wrong nan settings. I still wish nan lawsuit had a floating design, overmuch for illustration Apple's Magic Keyboard cover, arsenic it's almost unusable connected a thigh aliases smaller table (think cafe tables).
• Folio Case: The slimmer and little bulky Folio Case was nan perfect accessory for casual browsing and viewing. Thanks to its origami-style backmost cover, it features respective orientations, each of which support nan Pad 3 good stabilized.
• Stylo 2: Now pinch 16,000 different levels of pressure, nan stylus is optimized for precision inputs and speedy note-taking. It magnetically attaches to nan apical broadside of nan tablet (when group horizontally) and has a textured grip that reminds maine of old-school number 2 pencils.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Rounding retired nan Pad 3 acquisition is nan exceptional artillery life, pinch a larger 12,140mAh capacity that managed to past 13 hours and 32 minutes successful my endurance test. That consisted of playing YouTube videos connected Wi-Fi pinch nan surface astatine afloat brightness, and thumps nan 13-inch iPad Pro (M4) pinch 8 hours and 22 minutes, and nan Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+, which is rated astatine 10 hours and 41 minutes. 

Also: I recovered an E Ink tablet worthy of replacing my Remarkable

The cherry connected apical is nan Pad 3's 80W wired charging (compared to competitors' 45W and 30W ratings), which refuels nan tablet from 0 to 100% successful astir 1 hr and 15 minutes.

ZDNET's buying proposal

While nan OnePlus Pad 3 undercuts its closest competitors pinch a $699 value tag, nan acquisition of utilizing it reminded maine of flagship tablets that costs overmuch more. From nan larger 13-inch show to nan reliable artillery life and charging, you really person to nitpick -- and judge that nan champion tablets are nan size of a book -- to find a logic to see different options connected nan market.

It helps that OnePlus is offering 2 of nan 3 caller accessories arsenic freebies erstwhile you acquisition nan Pad 3. If you're readying to usage nan tablet for productivity and entertainment, I'd powerfully see nan Smart Keyboard and Folio cases. If your usage cases see sketching and designing graphics, nan Stylo 2 is nan amended action complete either of nan different two.

For alternatives, I'd urge nan OnePlus Pad 2 to those who want a akin package acquisition but successful a smaller surface size. It retails for $549, $150 little than nan Pad 3. Another big-screen action would beryllium nan Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+, which comes pinch an S-Pen stylus and is presently disposable for astir $649.

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