The OnePlus Pad 2 is here to give Samsung’s Galaxy Tab a run for its money

Summary

• OnePlus Pad 2 boasts a larger 12.1-inch display with a peak brightness of 900 nits and supports Dolby Vision for a better viewing experience.
• The tablet features a six-speaker system for spatial audio, a slim body with a hefty 9510mAh battery, and fast charging support up to 67W.
• Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the OnePlus Pad 2 offers powerful performance, a variety of AI features, and a unique multitasking experience with Open Canvas.

OnePlus forayed into the tablet space with the OnePlus Pad in April 2023. Despite all its drawbacks, the tablet was a commendable first effort from the company in a space dominated by iPad and Samsung’s high-end Galaxy tablets. A year later, the company is back with the OnePlus Pad 2, building on its predecessor and packing some key improvements to deliver a better experience.

The OnePlus Pad 2 retains the same 7:5 aspect ratio of the Pad, but its display size has grown from 11.6 inches to 12.1 inches. The 3K panel can hit a peak brightness of 900 nits and supports Dolby Vision. It can also dynamically adjust its refresh rate between 30, 48, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 144Hz based on the content you are viewing for a smoother experience.

While the original OnePlus Pad packed a quad-speaker setup, the Pad 2 ups the game with its six-speaker setup, which supports spatial audio. Despite a 6.49mm slim body, the tablet packs a beefy 9510mAh battery inside its metal body with 67W fast charging support. OnePlus claims a 23% top-up takes only 10 minutes, while you can fill the battery to 64% in 30 minutes.

The rear camera remains in the same place as its predecessor, housing a 13MP shooter. An 8MP camera does selfie duty at the front.

Ticking inside the OnePlus Pad 2 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, making it the first high-end Android tablet to launch internationally with this chip. The same SoC powers the best Android phones, delivering unrivaled performance and efficiency. The OnePlus Pad 2 should be no different in this area.

On the software front, the OnePlus Pad 2 gets Open Canvas from the OnePlus Open, letting you run three split-screen apps simultaneously. Open Canvas is one of our favorite OnePlus Open features, and it should be a delight to use on the tablet’s bigger screen. There are some AI features onboard, too, like AI Eraser 2.0, which is OnePlus’ take on Google’s Magic Eraser; Smart Cutout 2.0 for isolating subjects in a picture to create memes, stickers, and more.

Other features include deep integration with your OnePlus phone for instant hotspot, Notification Sync, Clipboard Sync, Remote File Access, the ability to take phone calls directly on the tablet, and more.

OnePlus also unveiled two accessories for the OnePlus Pad 2: the OnePlus Stylo 2 and the OnePlus Smart Keyboard. The stylus delivers a claimed 16,000 levels of pressure sensitivity and 0ms delay tracking.

As for the smart keyboard accessory, it houses a trackpad that’s more than double the size of the first model. It holds the tablet in place through magnets and supports adjusting the viewing angle between 110 and 165 degrees.

The OnePlus Pad 2 costs $550 in the US and launches on July 30 through the OnePlus website, with preorders beginning today. The Stylo 2 accessory will retail for $100, while the Smart Keyboard will cost $150. All devices will be available for purchase on Amazon starting in August.

You can get a bundle with all the accessories and the OnePlus Pad 2 during the preorder period at a heavily discounted price.

OnePlus Watch 2R also goes official

In addition to its new flagship tablet, OnePlus announced the OnePlus Watch 2R running Wear OS 4. It retains the best bits of the OnePlus Watch 2 in a lighter aluminum body and a lower price tag.

Despite being 25% lighter, the OnePlus Watch 2R claims to offer the same 100 hours of battery life as its more expensive sibling. Other specs remain the same, including dual chipsets, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, and NFC support.

The OnePlus Watch 2R goes on sale starting July 16 in Forest Green and Gunmetal Gray for $230, $70 cheaper than the OnePlus Watch 2.

OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro are the company’s latest mid-range earbuds

If you want a pair of budget earbuds, the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 stand out for their value. However, for consumers who want a bit more from their earphones and are willing to spend more, OnePlus has unveiled the Nord Buds 3 Pro. The earbuds claim to provide up to 49dB noise cancelation, with Smart Noise Cancellation automatically switching to the appropriate noise reduction mode depending on the ambient noise.

With ANC disabled, the Nord Buds 3 Pro purportedly delivers up to 12 hours of music playback, with the charging case bumping the total runtime to 44 hours. With ANC on, the total playback time drops to 20 hours. Thanks to fast charging, you can get a claimed 11 hours of playback time in 10 minutes.

The 4.4g light earbuds feature IP55 certification, Fast Pair, and multi-point Bluetooth connectivity. They will be available starting July 16 for $80 in Starry Black and Soft Jade colors.