OnePlus Pad 3 overview: excellent for play, not for work

When OnePlus first launched its pill to the world, it impressed with high-end specs at an reasonably priced value. Now, with the OnePlus Pad 3, the corporate is refining that system. This newest mannequin brings modest {hardware} upgrades — together with a bigger, sharper show, an even bigger battery, and an up to date sensible keyboard — together with significant software program enhancements that assist it inch nearer to rivals like Samsung and Apple.

But the decision stays largely the identical: it’s a superb Android pill for leisure, and simply okay for gentle productiveness. However at $699.99, $150 greater than the unique, it raises the query: does it nonetheless provide the identical worth?

A yr in the past, my reply may’ve been no. However in at the moment’s local weather of tariffs and rising prices throughout the board, the Pad 3 nonetheless holds its personal — particularly in opposition to equally specced opponents just like the $749.99 Galaxy Tab S10 FE. Whether or not it’s the proper purchase for you in the end is dependent upon what you need out of your pill.

The OnePlus Pad 3 incorporates a bigger 13.2-inch LCD show with a barely sharper 3392 x 2400 decision, making films and reveals look extra vibrant. It’s housed in a slimmer, flatter aluminum body that’s simpler to hold, although at 675g, it’s heavier than the 13-inch iPad Professional and too cumbersome to carry comfortably for lengthy studying or viewing periods. The brand new eight-speaker system — that includes 4 woofers and 4 tweeters positioned across the gadget — is even louder, delivering a extra immersive audio expertise for YouTube, video games, and streaming.

OnePlus has additionally improved battery life with a barely bigger 12,140mAh cell. The battery dropped simply 15 p.c after a few hours with two apps and a few tabs open, suggesting it may possibly simply final greater than a day. OnePlus says it may possibly cost from 0 to one hundred pc in 92 minutes, with a 10-minute top-up delivering 18 p.c. In my testing, it charged from 20 p.c to 80 p.c in 76 minutes, going up by 20 p.c inside 20 minutes — practically as quick as promised, and nonetheless spectacular.

Most customers seemingly received’t discover an enormous leap from the Pad 2. The expertise is extra iterative than game-changing — however that’s not essentially a nasty factor.

The 7:5 facet ratio was nonetheless superb for studying Adam Grant’s Assume Once more, whereas the 144Hz refresh charge ensured clean visuals whereas I caught up on the final season of You and performed video games like Asphalt Legends and Block Blast! ​​The display screen nonetheless tops out at 900 nits, making it usable outside. Below the hood, the Pad 3 retains the identical Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, with choices for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage or 16GB RAM and 512GB. Efficiency is snappy and greater than adequate for many customers.

The OnePlus Pad 3 ships with OxygenOS 15, the corporate’s working system based mostly on Android 15, and it’s right here the place probably the most fascinating enhancements lie. OnePlus’ software program has trailed behind rivals like Samsung, Google, and Apple, however OxygenOS 15 represents a big step ahead, notably for gentle productiveness.

Some of the notable upgrades is how properly the Pad 3 now performs with Apple units — a rarity within the Android world. It helps display screen mirroring and straightforward sharing of recordsdata and stay images with Macs or iPhones, making it particularly interesting for combined Apple-Android households. As an Apple person, I discovered the Mac Distant Management characteristic surprisingly helpful (when it truly labored, which I’ll dive into shortly), because it enables you to view and management your laptop computer or desktop in actual time, switch recordsdata between units, and entry PC recordsdata remotely from the pill.

Setup is easy: obtain the O+ app for Mac or Home windows, signal into your OnePlus account, and guarantee all units are on the identical Wi-Fi community. As soon as configured, the connection is fast, although not at all times constant. On the time of writing, I’ve struggled to reconnect my MacBook Air. Enter lag and a barely blurry mirrored show make this characteristic much less superb for media or video calls (particularly for the reason that Pad 3’s 8MP entrance digital camera underwhelms), but it surely stays helpful for turning the pill right into a secondary show or shortly accessing recordsdata with out counting on cloud storage or messaging apps. It additionally made it simpler for me to make use of the Pad 3 over my laptop computer for extra duties, reminding me of Samsung’s DeX — although OnePlus’ model requires an web connection, not like DeX, which works offline with only a cable.

OxygenOS 15 additionally helps Google’s AI instruments. Circle to Search is lastly onboard, letting you immediately lookup something on display screen with a gesture. Google’s Gemini Assistant is definitely accessible by way of the facility key or a devoted Sensible Keyboard shortcut. Different options really feel fundamental however genuinely useful, from writing instruments that polish your textual content to a voice be aware cleanup characteristic that strips filler phrases from transcripts whereas preserving your unique audio. OnePlus additionally added fundamental picture modifying instruments like AI Element Enhance and reversible edits, making picture retouching simpler.

The Pad 3 nonetheless falls brief for severe productiveness. Whereas the bigger display screen and Open Canvas multitasking system — which debuted on the Pad 2 — allow you to run as much as three apps facet by facet or stack and float them (one thing I discovered particularly useful when studying and taking notes), the general expertise stays restricted by Android software program constraints. A whole lot of Android apps — Slack and Airtable, for instance — nonetheless aren’t optimized for giant shows.

Past new options, OnePlus’ software program stands out because of a much-improved replace coverage — making the Pad 3’s value hike a bit simpler to swallow. It now comes with three Android model updates (beginning with Android 15) and 6 years of safety patches, two extra years than the Pad 2 supplied. That makes it a safer long-term funding. Nonetheless, Samsung guarantees seven years of OS and safety updates for the Tab S10 FE Plus, so for a pill at this value, it’d be good to see OnePlus go even additional.

Lastly, like its predecessor, the Pad 3 will be bought with a set of equipment. The unchanged Stylo 2 stylus works simply in addition to earlier than, however to accommodate the pill’s bigger measurement, you’ll want the $199 Pad 3 Sensible Keyboard or the $49.99 Pad 3 Folio Case. The latter feels similar to the earlier model, however the Sensible Keyboard sees extra noticeable modifications. It now options bigger keys that make for a extra pleasing typing expertise, together with helpful extras like a built-in NFC receiver for fast file sharing and a devoted key to launch Google’s Gemini AI assistant.

Whereas the keyboard was nice for typing emails, it’s not superb for heavy work. My important situation was the trackpad — although roomy, it typically disrupted productiveness by making textual content choice troublesome and often triggered unintended shortcuts, like unintended screenshots. The keyboard’s stability additionally wants enchancment; it nonetheless connects by way of pogo pins, which work properly on a desk however really feel unstable in your lap. Fortunately, Bluetooth help enables you to detach and use it wirelessly.

The OnePlus Pad 3 is even higher suited to binge-watching, studying, streaming music, and light-weight multitasking than earlier than. The improved software program replace coverage additionally makes it extra future-proof. Software program limitations forestall it from being a real laptop computer substitute or productiveness powerhouse, however then once more, few tablets are.

Pictures by Sheena Vasani / The Verge