OnePlus Pad 3 review: A mid-range Android tablet, done right

In 2025, there’s extra competitors amongst tablets than ever earlier than. Even should you’re set on an iPad, there are a number of totally different fashions to select from. 

On the Android facet, issues get much more difficult. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab vary may be the market chief, however it tends to deal with high-end and finances slates. What if you’d like one thing in between? 

Enter the OnePlus Pad 3. The Chinese language firm’s third pill is undoubtedly its finest but, combining a premium {hardware} and software program expertise with an impressively reasonably priced beginning worth, not less than within the UK. 

Is it too good to be true, or is that this the mid-range Android pill you’ve been ready for? I spent over every week utilizing it, together with as my primary work machine for a full day, to seek out out. 

Design & Construct

• Premium metallic and glass design 
• No IP score 
• Hit-and-miss keyboard cowl 

The OnePlus Pad 3’s design is without doubt one of the finest issues about it. A mix of aluminium and glass screams premium, and I actually couldn’t inform it aside from a flagship pill. 

Choosing metallic quite than glass on the again additionally boosts sturdiness – the Pad 3 feels sturdy and strong, even with out a case or cowl utilized. I’d haven’t any issues about throwing this right into a bag for travelling. 

At 675g, it’s mild sufficient to come back nearly anyplace with you, although it’s heavier than each the 13-inch iPad Professional and Galaxy Tab S10+. At 5.97mm, it’s additionally thicker than each these units, regardless of being considerably slimmer than the 6.5mm Pad 2. 

Nevertheless, you’ll must watch out when utilizing it round water and dirt, as there’s no official IP score. I’d nonetheless count on it to outlive a lightweight rain bathe or a day on the seashore, however neither is assured, so take care. 

I’m additionally just a little underwhelmed by the color choices, or ought to I say, choice. In most international locations, together with the UK and the US, the OnePlus Pad is barely accessible within the ‘Storm Blue’ end you see right here. Make no mistake, it seems very nice, however it’s additionally just a little boring. 

OnePlus doesn’t embody any equipment within the field, although my assessment pattern got here with the £169/$199.99 keyboard cowl. Is it value shopping for? 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

The brief reply is sure, however just for occasional use. In case you’re away out of your desk, the additional performance of a bodily keyboard may be very helpful. 

The Pad 3’s model seamlessly connects to the pill by way of the built-in pogo pins – no Bluetooth required. And the accompanying stand may be adjusted to a variety of various angles, serving to it to resemble an actual laptop computer. 

Every key provides a very good quantity of journey and is satisfyingly clicky, making for a powerful typing expertise. Inside a few hours, I used to be again typing at my normal pace, although the marginally uncommon placement of the Enter key precipitated a number of points. 

Nevertheless, the dearth of backlighting means the Pad 3’s keyboard is unsuitable to be used at nighttime. And the devoted AI button merely launches Google Gemini, making it really feel like a waste of area. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Then there’s the trackpad, which proved extra irritating than practical. I like how massive it’s, however navigating across the working system may be very fiddly, with deciding on particular textual content proving notably difficult. In case you’re critical about this setup, I’d extremely suggest connecting a wi-fi mouse too. 

General, the keyboard cowl provides helpful additional performance to the OnePlus Pad 3 that can assist enhance your productiveness. However it definitely received’t be changing most individuals’s laptops anytime quickly. 

The Pad 3 can be appropriate with OnePlus’ Stylo 2 pen (£99/$99.99), which can be offered individually. I didn’t get an opportunity to do this, however it’s the identical model that launched alongside the Pad 2. 

Display screen & Audio system

• 13.2-inch LCD show 
• 144Hz refresh charge 
• Eight audio system 

I completely love the OnePlus Pad 3’s show. The expansive 13.2-inch panel rivals many laptops when it comes to measurement, whereas the crystal-clear 3392 x 2400 decision beats most of them in relation to element. 

You additionally get the good thing about a 144Hz refresh charge, leading to fluid transitions and ultra-smooth visuals. Nevertheless, to showcase its full potential, you’ll have to manually choose 144Hz and allow the related apps in Settings. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Most individuals will likely be proud of the default ‘Auto-select’ mode, which balances refresh charge with battery life. With no LTPO tech, the bottom it’ll go is 60Hz. 

It speaks volumes that I haven’t talked about that it’s an LCD display but. Earlier than testing, I used to be disillusioned by the dearth of OLED, however you continue to get the colourful colors and deep blacks you’d normally affiliate with it. 

OnePlus indicated that choosing LCD has ensured it may embody a excessive decision and refresh charge with out growing the associated fee an excessive amount of. After testing the Pad 3, that looks like a fantastic determination.

Maybe the one draw back is visibility. I recorded an honest most brightness of 517 nits, however given how reflective the show is, you could battle to set it in direct daylight. 

Nevertheless, one other space the place the Pad 3 excels is audio. It options a minimum of eight audio system (4 woofers, 4 tweeters), which mix to ship impressively punchy sound throughout all of the content material I attempted. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Whereas not fairly room-filling, there’s a depth to the sound that you just simply don’t get with most tablets, and it will get impressively loud with out audible distortion. 

Alongside that glorious show, I’d be very snug utilizing the Pad 3 to look at motion pictures and TV exhibits with out connecting to headphones or audio system. 

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset 
• 12/16GB RAM 
• 256/512GB non-expandable storage 

The Pad 3 may be a mid-range pill, however OnePlus is making no compromises in relation to efficiency. 

It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Qualcomm’s newest (on the time of writing) flagship chipset. You’ll discover it in most of the perfect Android telephones and tablets available on the market, so to see it on such an reasonably priced pill is an actual bonus. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Even with 12GB of RAM on the most affordable mannequin I examined (16GB can be accessible), the efficiency is unimaginable. The Pad 3 is totally speedy, permitting me to make use of a number of apps and multitasking options with out breaking a sweat. 

When utilizing it as an alternative of my laptop computer for a full working day, I primarily cycled between Chrome (with a great deal of open tabs), Microsoft Phrase and Slack.  

This included making full use of OnePlus multitasking options (Open Canvas, Cut up-screen, Floating home windows), all of which require a number of apps to run concurrently. At no level did the machine even get heat, not to mention present any indicators of slowing down. 

The robust efficiency extends to gaming. All through periods with Name of Responsibility: Cell, PUBG Cell and Actual Racing 3, gameplay remained {smooth} and lag-free at 120fps. The spectacular cooling system additionally averted the machine turning into something greater than barely heat to the contact. 

With regards to efficiency, there’s little question that the OnePlus Pad 3 is up there with the easiest tablets you should buy. 

When it comes to storage, OnePlus provides a alternative between 256- and 512GB. With information typically saved on the cloud nowadays, the previous must be sufficient for most individuals. Nevertheless, you’ll have to be certain, as there’s no Micro-SD slot for expandable storage. 

OnePlus Pad 3 benchmarks

Cameras

• 13Mp rear digital camera 
• 8Mp front-facing digital camera 
• Video as much as 1080p at 30fps 

Let’s face it, you’re not shopping for an Android pill for its images efficiency. However what you would possibly care about is video calls, for which the 8Mp front-facing digital camera is essential. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

The Pad 3 can seize footage at as much as 1080p at 30fps, and the outcomes are…high-quality. Focus and publicity are typically correct, and it did a very good job with my pores and skin tone, however colors look uninteresting and washed out. It’s higher than many laptop computer webcams, however it falls in need of the expertise you’ll get on most smartphones. 

Curiously, that lens does a significantly better job in relation to stills, delivering crisp, detailed selfies. It even provides a delicate portrait-style background blur that appears convincing. 

For the needs of testing, I additionally tried out the 13Mp rear digital camera at my native park, embarrassing myself within the course of. I wouldn’t suggest you do that, however it’s attainable to get respectable photographs if you really want to. Simply be careful for publicity, which might fluctuate considerably, because the slideshow under exhibits.

Video from this lens tops out at 4K at 30fps, however the outcomes are much like the entrance digital camera: pretty detailed however with muted colors. The dearth of OIS (optical picture stabilisation) additionally means footage may be very wobbly with any main motion. 

Battery Life & Charging

• Giant 12,140mAh battery 
• 80W wired charging 
• No charger within the field 

The OnePlus Pad 3 boasts an enormous 12,140mAh battery. It’s an enormous improve in comparison with the Pad 2’s 9510mAh cell, and one of many greatest we’ve ever seen on a pill. So, I used to be anticipating battery life to be good, however not this good. 

A well-liked benchmark for pill and laptop computer battery life is lasting a full working day on a single cost. However after a full seven hours of use as my primary machine for work, it’d solely dropped to 53%, that means you could possibly go two days earlier than needing to succeed in for the charger. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

With mild utilization, akin to internet looking and watching movies for a few hours every evening, I believe you could possibly stretch to a full week of battery life, which is unimaginable. 

After all, it received’t fairly final that lengthy should you plan on gaming or utilizing different demanding apps. However in contrast to on some tablets, you need to use the Pad 3 for lengthy periods and neglect concerning the charger.

The results of 13 hours and 21 minutes in our common PCMark battery take a look at (which simulates real-world duties at 200 nits of brightness) doesn’t totally mirror that, however it’s nicely above common. 

What’s extra, even should you use your pill very sometimes, OnePlus’ declare of as much as 60 days of standby time means it ought to nonetheless have battery while you want it. 

With mild utilization…I believe you could possibly stretch to a full week of battery life, which is unimaginable

On paper, charging is sort of as spectacular, with assist for quick 80W ‘Supervooc’ charging that OnePlus says can go from 0-100% in simply 92 minutes. 

Nevertheless, there’s no charger within the field. Utilizing the 65W one I had at residence was a lot slower, reaching simply 15% after half-hour plugged in. A full cost took nicely over three hours. 

Additionally, like just about all tablets, there’s no wi-fi charging. 

Software program & Options

• OxygenOS 15 over Android 15 
• Plenty of multitasking options 
• Three years of OS, six years of safety updates 

Out of the field, the Pad 3 runs OnePlus’s OxygenOS 15 software program. It’s primarily based on Android 15, however introduces a number of new options, together with these particularly designed for the bigger show. 

Open Canvas is undoubtedly the spotlight, permitting you to run as much as three apps side-by-side and simply swipe between them, even when one is off the sting of the display. This now consists of system-wide drag and drop performance, so that you don’t must endure with the fiddly strategy of copy and paste (as I discovered later than hoped). 

In case you’re recurrently switching between three apps, I can see how helpful Open Canvas may be. However with no choice to resize particular person home windows, I choose the common split-screen mode. It’s simple to arrange (manually or by way of helpful pop-up strategies), whereas the association runs individually to the principle app itself. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Alongside the choice for a floating window, you’ll be able to run as much as 4 apps on the identical time. However until you join to a different show, I believe that’s overkill. 

As you would possibly count on, you’ll be able to mirror the content material out of your OnePlus cellphone on the Pad 3 and share information by way of NFC. A partnership with Apple additionally permits full distant management and file sharing with the Mac, although I haven’t been capable of strive both of those. 

OxygenOS is clear, simple to navigate and extremely customisable

Elsewhere, the software program expertise is what we’ve come to count on from OnePlus. OxygenOS is clear, simple to navigate and extremely customisable, with many inventory apps which have been particularly designed for the bigger show. 

The collection of optimised third-party apps is much more restricted, with Fb Messenger refusing to even show in panorama mode. However that’s an issue that impacts all Android tablets, not simply OnePlus. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

I’d choose it if the corporate didn’t pre-install so many additional apps, together with its personal variations of many Google ones. Nevertheless, most of those may be simply uninstalled or ignored, and OnePlus doesn’t continuously bug you to make use of them. 

Software program assist is respectable, with six full years of safety patches, that means the Pad 3 will likely be secure to make use of till 2031. However OS updates are restricted to 3 years, so Android 19 will likely be its final main model. For context, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10+ offers a class-leading seven years of both.