4 reasons I think the OnePlus Pad 3 is worth the u...

When OnePlus announced its plan to unveil the OnePlus Pad 3 in June, I found it hard to conceal my excitement. In 2024, I had the opportunity to test and review the OnePlus Pad 2, which stood out to me as one of the best Android tablets in the US last year, featuring an impressive 12-inch display and a powerful Qualcomm chipset.

With that in mind, my expectations for the OnePlus Pad 3 were high, and I’m pleased to report that with the Pad 3, OnePlus has taken everything great about the Pad 2 and made it even better, particularly in terms of its design, performance, and its display.

However, the main sticking point that many people will immediately point out about OnePlus’ new premium tablet this year is the price, and rightfully so. The OnePlus Pad 3 retails for a whopping $700 this year, which is a significant increase from the $550 price tag of the OnePlus Pad 2.

For the past week, I’ve been testing the OnePlus Pad 3 ahead of its official launch. Although its $150 price hike is admittedly challenging to come to terms with, compared to other tablets in a similar price range, such as the $800 13-inch M3 iPad Air, the OnePlus Pad 3 more than proves its worth.

1

Top of the line performance

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC reigns supreme

One of the most significant upgrades this year with the OnePlus Pad 3 is its performance. The new tablet is equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, making it the first tablet in the US to feature Qualcomm’s latest high-end mobile chipset. In contrast, the OnePlus Pad 2 was equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which was formidable last year, but the 8 Elite takes it to a whole new level. Immediately upon booting up the Pad 3 for the first time, I could feel how much snappier it felt compared to the Pad 2.

According to OnePlus, the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC in the Pad 3 is 45 percent faster than its predecessor, with a 300 percent improvement in NPU (neural processing unit) speed. When I conducted my own tests, this largely held true. Running a Geekbench 6 CPU test on both the Pad 2 and Pad 3 side by side (both running the latest version of OxygenOS), the Pad 3 ran laps around the Pad 2.

For reference, the Pad 2 achieved a single-core CPU score of 955 and a multi-core score of 4,687 in Geekbench 5. In comparison, the Pad 3 recorded a single-core score of 3,084 and a multi-core score of 9,017. In mobile games like Fortnite and PUBG, this performance boost was evident, and both games ran exceptionally well. For multitasking and productivity tasks, the Pad 3 has your back, and its Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC stands as worthy competition to the 13-inch M3 iPad Air, at a lower price.

2

Larger and more vibrant display

The OnePlus Pad 3 has a 13.2-inch display

Last year, when I tested the OnePlus Pad 2, my only major complaint about the tablet was that there wasn’t a smaller display option. However, after using the Pad 2 for almost a year now, my annoyance with its display size has subsided, and I have really come to enjoy using its 12-inch screen, especially for watching YouTube videos and movies in bed.

Similar to the OnePlus Pad 2, the OnePlus Pad 3 is available in just one display size, and this year, it’s even larger than before. The OnePlus Pad 3 features a 13.2-inch display with a 3.4K resolution (3392 x 2400 pixels), a 144Hz adaptive refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 900 nits. In comparison, the OnePlus Pad 2 has a 12.1-inch display with a 3.2K resolution (3000 x 2120 pixels), matching the refresh rate and brightness of the Pad 3.

If you’re a fan of larger displays, the Pad 3 definitely delivers, and it competes well with the 13-inch iPad Air. However, it lacks an OLED panel, like the $1,000 M4 iPad Pro has. All things considered, for a $700 tablet, the OnePlus Pad 3 offers a large and vibrant display, making gaming and watching shows a pleasure. Would I love to see a smaller version one day, still? Absolutely, but what we have this year is quite an upgrade in terms of size and resolution, and there’s no denying this display isn’t stunning.

3

Long-lasting battery life

The 12,140mAh battery has up to 70 days of standby time

When it comes to battery life, the OnePlus Pad 3 isn’t messing around. During my week-long experience testing the tablet, I only had to charge it twice, despite moderate use, thanks to its massive 12,140mAh battery. OnePlus claims it can survive up to 15 hours of video playback on a single charge, which I believe is accurate if you adjust the brightness accordingly.

My favorite part about unboxing this tablet was that OnePlus actually included the charging brick in the box, unlike the Pad 2. This means you can charge the OnePlus Pad 3 from zero to 100 percent in just 92 minutes, thanks to its support for 80W Supervooc charging and the charging brick that comes with the tablet itself. This is far superior to the OnePlus Pad 2, which has a 9,510mAh battery and only supports 67W Supervooc charging (and didn’t include the charging brick).

The OnePlus Pad 3 also boasts 70 days of standby time. If you don’t use your tablet every day, the Pad 3 can theoretically last over two months without needing a charge. I typically use my tablet only a few times a week, usually depending on my schedule, so this is perfect for people like me who don’t use their tablets as often.

4

A vastly improved design

The Pad 3 has flat edges, is slimmer, and has a new camera

Finally, the last major thing that stood out to me about the OnePlus Pad 3 is its new design. OnePlus clearly took inspiration from the iPad Air, which is fine by me because this tablet looks and feels great to hold. The Pad 3 features an all-metal aluminum alloy unibody design, weighing just 675g (1.48 lbs) and measuring 5.97mm thick. To put its thickness in perspective, it’s nearly as thin as the recently released Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which is 5.8mm.

The Pad 3 also bids farewell to the Pad 2’s rounded edges, opting for a flat-edged design that I prefer, as it looks more modern and feels better in the hand. One last change OnePlus made to the design is the placement of the camera. I was always perplexed by the Pad 2’s awkwardly placed circular camera, located in the center of the tablet, and I considered it one of its biggest drawbacks. With the Pad 3, OnePlus has finally recognized the need for change, scrapping the circular camera in favor of a dual-lens vertical arrangement similar to that of the iPhone 16, which is placed on the back left-hand corner of the tablet (when held vertically).

Overall, OnePlus truly knocked it out of the park with this tablet by taking everything people loved about the Pad 2 and making it even better. It’s a winning formula that could pay off — if people can accept its higher price of $700 as a result.

The OnePlus Pad 3 is coming July 8

The OnePlus Pad 3 is now available for pre-order for $700 and is set to launch on July 8. OnePlus is promising three Android OS updates and six years of security updates for the tablet. It comes with Android 15 pre-installed out of the box, which means it will support up to Android 18, which is still a few years away.

If you pre-order the OnePlus Pad 3 before July 7, you can select two free gifts to receive with the tablet, including the OnePlus Pad 3 Smart Keyboard, OnePlus Pad 3 Folio Case, or the OnePlus Stylo 2.

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