The OnePlus Pad 2 wants to be the iPad Air of Android

The original OnePlus Tablet was a perfectly decent Android tablet, but it wasn’t exceptional in any particular area. Now, OnePlus is back with a new tablet that offers more power, a better screen, more speakers, and a higher starting price. OnePlus is offering an Android tablet alternative that costs less than the latest iPad Airs, even if it looks size very close to the 2023 version.

The OnePlus Pad 2 is a one-size-fits-all 12.1-inch 3K tablet. At $550 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it costs $70 more than the first OnePlus Pad, though it starts with more memory and twice as much internal storage as the first version’s paltry 128GB. It’s larger than the 11.6-inch LCD screen on last year’s Pad, though it’s now boosted its resolution to 3K (3000 x 2120) with a typical brightness of 600 nits and a peak brightness of 900 nits. It has a variable refresh rate between 30 and 144Hz, though it’s still an LCD panel, the same as the OnePlus Pad 2023.

Just like last year’s version, the new Pad supports Dolby Atmos, but it has a six-stereo speaker setup on each side of the device. It’s perhaps not as specifically tuned for sound as the Lenovo Plus Tabletbut what is promised is a solid common ground.

Last year’s tablet used the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, which was sufficient for most applications, but not exactly the best in its class. The Pad 2 now features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile chip. Gizmodo has already experimented with some of the chip’s capabilities in Samsung’s latest foldable devicesand it’s already very promising. We haven’t had a chance to compare a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 tablet to Apple’s latest iPad Air with M2Although overall, the M2 generally performs better than Qualcomm’s mobile chips in simple benchmark tests. How much this matters depends on what programs you plan to use on your tablet.

Every device maker believes they need AI to compete, and OnePlus is no exception. “AI toolbox” features are promised, like text-to-speech and recording summaries. The AI ​​Eraser 2.0 will also work like Google’s Magic Eraser to remove unwanted elements from photos.

The new tablet is accompanied by a new $99 OnePlus Stylo 2 and a $150 Oneplus Smart Keyboard. Despite the size and price difference, there will be plenty of similarities between last year’s model and the 2024 model. The Pad 2 has the same 9,510mAh battery as last year’s, as well as 67W “SUPERVOOC” fast charging. It promises 43 days of standby time, though in our experience, the first Pad’s battery life and its promised “one month standby time” were much more modest in practice, lasting most of the day before needing a recharge.

With a larger screen, the upcoming Pad 2 is slightly heavier than last year’s model. It weighs about 1.3 pounds, which puts it right between the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Airs or slightly more than the base 11-inch Galaxy Tab S9 (and much less than the gigantic Tab S9 Ultra). It will be relatively thin at 6.49mm, but it doesn’t beat the iPad Air’s 6.1mm or the iPad Pro 13 inch Holy Grail 5.1mm.

The first OnePlus Pad didn’t really break new ground in any particular category, but it showed that Android tablets had legs. We’ve seen attempts from Google and its Pixel Tableteven though it wasn’t the pioneer of Android tablets either. A better chip and more speakers sound promising, although in its effort to be all things to all people, we’ll have to see if it manages to stand out in any area.

The OnePlus Pad 2 is now available for pre-order. It is expected to be available on the OnePlus website from July 30 and on Amazon from August.