OnePlus Pad 3 review: Gorgeous display, long battery life, and a lower price than the iPad

Many people use tablets almost every day. Sometimes it's just to watch movies online or check email, sometimes it's for writing, drawing, and planning. So when people are looking for a tablet, they want something that's easy to use, powerful enough to keep up with the programs they're using, and something that's comfortable to use in any way they want. Can the OnePlus Pad 3 beat the iPad Pro? Find out in this article!

Specifications

Outstanding features

Honestly, many people are loyal Apple fans. Many other tablets in the past (including Microsoft Surface Pro, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and other Android tablets) and none of them can really compare to the iPad. They were extremely surprised when they took the OnePlus Pad 3 out of the box. Even before turning it on, it had real potential. After starting to use it, here are the outstanding features of this product:

1. Setup . Setup is pretty much what you'd expect from an Android tablet setup. Answer a few questions, let everything sync, and you're good to go. Take a moment to customize the foreground widgets, background, etc., and never run into any of the features or how they work. That said, it's what you'd expect when setting up a new tablet. One particularly useful thing is the ability to connect to your OnePlus 13 Pro via QR code . It makes it as easy as setting up an iPad if you already have an iPhone.
2. Design . The OnePlus Pad is a 13-inch tablet that's just 5.9mm thick. That makes it roughly the same size as the iPad Pro and almost as heavy. One physical design advantage of the OnePlus Pad 3 is that it has an all-metal body with slightly more rounded edges than the iPad Pro. It feels a little more comfortable in the hand. The 13.2-inch 3.4K LCD display (compared to the iPad Pro's 2K Ultra Retina XDR display) has a 144Hz refresh rate, 315 PPI, and 12-bit color depth, along with an 8-speaker spatial audio system. For most people's needs, this setup will work well for whatever they do.
3. Functionality . Functionality-wise, you can do pretty much anything you'd do with this tablet that you could with a Chromebook. It's powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and runs OxygenOS 15 on top of Android 15, which allows for all the features and customizations you'd expect (widgets, themes, etc.). It comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and you can connect it to a computer (Mac or Windows) or phone using Multi-Screen. The battery is also an impressive 12,140mAh. OnePlus claims you can keep the tablet on standby for up to 70 days, or stream up to 17 hours of video on it. In our experience, the power is pretty good. I charged it once and used it for several hours a day for several days — streaming, writing, drawing, etc. — and still had more than 50% battery left. That's a feat the iPad Pro certainly can't match. When you need power, it takes 92 minutes to charge from 1-100%.
4. Apps . Since the OnePlus Pad runs on Android, you have access to the Google Play Store, which means you can download apps to suit your needs. The tablet comes with the full suite of Google apps, as well as a complementary Notes app that works with the stylus, and the OnePlus Store and Community app, where you can find more apps or connect with other OnePlus users. But the real magic of the tablet is its connectivity to Google Gemini . With Google Gemini, you get a bunch of ecosystem features, including the ability to share files between your phone and tablet, as well as seamless integration between apps from one device to the other. The Pad 3 also has Open Canvas, which lets you split an app screen and can even suggest when split-screening might be useful.
5. Extras : Stylus, Folio, Keyboard Case – check out the price and what's included. If you're a stylus person, you'll love that you can get the OnePlus Stylo 2 with 16,000 levels of pressure. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with the OnePlus 13 Pro. There's also a keyboard and Folio case option. The Smart Keyboard Case is the only accessory that's really disappointing. While it works well, the two-piece design of the case isn't really useful. The upside is that it allows the keyboard to be easily detached while keeping the back of the tablet intact. The downside is that, due to the design, it's easy to detach the keyboard from the tablet when you just want to remove the case and get to work.

If you're an Apple user, you probably aren't looking for an Android tablet , but if you are, consider the OnePlus Pad 3. It's the closest thing you'll get to an iPad at $700, which is definitely a bit cheaper than the iPad Pro with many of the same features.

For everyone else, this is the Android tablet to own. Its combination of high-quality design, affordability, and functionality makes the OnePlus Pad 3 the tablet of the year. Add the $100 OnePlus Stylo 2 and you have a system that can easily replace most Chromebooks , with a lot more versatility. Cases are also affordable. Expect to pay $50 for the origami-style Folio case or $200 for the Smart Keyboard case.

There are also plenty of deals during the pre-order period (June 5 to July 31), including percentage discounts, free gifts with purchase, and more. Whether you're looking for a new tablet for yourself or a gift for your kids for the upcoming school year, the OnePlus Pad 3 is definitely at the top of your list of Android tablets.

Advantage

1. Beautiful screen
2. Long battery life
3. Optional stylus and keyboard case
4. Go to Google Play Store
5. Customization capabilities
6. Share easily with O+ Connect

Disadvantages

1. The two-part keyboard case is quite awkward to use
2. Google Play Store doesn't have access to some Apple apps

Lesley Montoya

Update 12 June 2025