OnePlus Pad 2 review: Almost perfect

Tablets are a great distraction for kids on long trips and a great source of entertainment for adults who want to spend some time surfing the web or watching videos. They are useful devices for play but always seem to fall short when it comes to work. As a professional, I’ve never been able to work smoothly from a tablet successfully for an extended period — until now.

The OnePlus Pad 2 has changed how I view working remotely from tablets, especially the best Android tablets. In an emergency, I could get by with an 11-inch iPad Pro (2020), but I have to tell you, the Pad 2 gave it a run for its money and proved that I could survive without wishing I had brought my laptop. Between the stunning 3K, 144hz screen with plenty of real estate for multitasking, the flagship processor to keep things running smoothly, the smart keyboard cover that’s fun to type on, and the stylus with a killer vibration feature, there isn’t much more I could ask for in an extremely portable way to work on the go.

Price, availability, and specs

Not cheap, but cheaper

I’ll admit that for this review, I was set up for success by OnePlus, who provided not only the OnePlus Pad 2 tablet, but also their OnePlus Pad Smart Keyboard and stylus, the OnePlus Stylo 2.

The tablet is $550 and comes in one color (Nimbus Gray). It has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The keyboard is $150, and the stylus is $100. You can find them on OnePlus’s website, but not on Amazon—only previous generations are there.

What’s good about the OnePlus Pad 2?

This thing is fast as heck

One of the smart things OnePlus did for this generation of tablets is to include a top-of-the-line chip inside — namely the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — because this thing flies. I rarely encountered a hiccup watching videos, listening to music, writing reviews, or drawing. It handled everything I threw at it. Plus, the battery life was stellar. I was getting more than a day’s use out of it and much more on standby. OnePlus didn’t provide me with a SuperVOOC charger, so I couldn’t test how fast it could really charge, but using various bricks around my house was never an issue.

As a standalone, it was everything I wanted out of a media device. Paired with the OnePlus Pad Smart Keyboard, and stylus, the OnePlus Stylo 2, though? It was a portable dream machine. The keyboard felt great when typing, with decent key travel, and the stylus had a trick up its sleeve — one that even surpasses the Apple Pencil.

In the OnePlus Notes app, the OnePlus Stylo 2 has haptics that rumble in a way that makes it feel like you’re writing on a textured surface, like paper. It’s awesome. Drawing was more accurate, and writing was fun. It’s the perfect example of how hardware and software should live together, unlike in other scenarios, such as the Moto G Stylus 5G .

That being said, adding both of those accessories will cost you more money, but OnePlus likes to discount items if you bundle them together, so keep an eye out for deals. I highly recommend getting them both, especially if you’re working on the OnePlus Pad 2 as I did. The keyboard is essential for accurate, on-the-go typing, and the stylus is perfect for sketching and storyboarding. Since I do such a wide range of work from writing to producing, I enjoyed working while traveling without worrying about the tablet’s capabilities.

The last thing I want to mention here is the screen itself. At 3K and 144hz, it’s a joy to use — but I do wish it was Micro LED or OLED. Those options would’ve made the cost balloon, however.

What’s bad OnePlus Pad 2?

It’s not perfect, but it’s hard to complain

There are very few bad things about the OnePlus Pad 2, so all of these complaints are minor — and most of them have to do with peripherals rather than the tablet itself.

The first minor issue I have with the tablet is there’s an option in the settings for a mobile network. The thing is, the OnePlus Pad 2 doesn’t have cellular connectivity, so the option is just there and grayed out for me. I know previous models had cellular data sharing, but I couldn’t find information on that here.

Second, the trackpad on the smart keyboard worked well, but the cursor on-screen would sometimes not click certain clickable elements, mostly while browsing in Chrome. Luckily, it’s a touch screen and this was easily solved with a tap.

Lastly, while the OnePlus Stylo 2 has those cool haptics, they were only available in the Notes app and not in apps like Sketchbook. More universal use would be great. Luckily, the Notes app is pretty robust for art and note-taking, but not as robust as art-focused apps like ibis Paint X.

And then, of course, there’s the camera. I’ve never seen a tablet’s camera perform better than passable and that’s what’s happening here with the main shooter. Everything outdoors was over-exposed, and it struggled with low light. If you’re looking for a great camera, you’re better off sticking with a OnePlus phone, like the OnePlus Open , instead.

Luckily, the selfie camera fared a little better — but that’s when I was using it for video calls. As a still shooter, I don’t think I’d be taking pictures with it at all. Like, ever.

Should you buy it?

If you actually need a tablet, this is a good buy.

Look, tablets still feel like luxury items to me. Was I able to work from the OnePlus Pad 2? Yes! Could I have done more with my dedicated laptop? Also, yes. Things like Lightroom and professional photo editing are always more easily done on a dedicated PC or Mac. Tablets are ultraportable yet less capable by default. I’m not sure anyone truly needs one unless they want most of the laptop experience while saving a bit of money.

If you have that money and can get the accessories, the OnePlus Pad 2 is the best Android tablet I’ve used in a long, long time. Competitor-wise, there are the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 and S9+ , or even the S9 FE series, which are closer in price. Or, much cheaper tablets that offer that pencil-on-paper feel, like the TCL TAB 10 NXTPAPER 5G that even has a cellular connection if you want it. Shop around, find somewhere to take them for a spin, then decide. I know some of the Samsung screens are AMOLED and incredible.

At the end of the day, however, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a tablet that truly outperforms or outshines the OnePlus Pad 2. Just, you know, splurge for the accessories to make the experience whole.