OnePlus Pad: latest rumors and everything we know so far
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After years of making impressive Android phones, OnePlus is poised to expand into tablets as there’s been evidence for some time that it’s working on a slate called the OnePlus Pad, and the company recently confirmed this.
So far we don’t know much about the OnePlus Pad for sure, but a few leaks have emerged that shed light on its possible specs, and OnePlus itself has teased the design – while revealing a 7 February launch date.
So you won’t have long to wait, but in the meantime you’ll find all the news, leaks and rumors about the OnePlus Pad below – along with a list of the things we want from it.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? OnePlus’ first tablet
- When is it out? February 7
- How much is it? No idea yet
OnePlus Pad release date and price
OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus Pad will be unveiled on February 7, along with the global launch of the OnePlus 11.
You may not be able to buy it on that date, but we expect orders to open shortly after and it won’t be long before the tablet ships.
It’s unclear which countries the tablet will be sold in, but OnePlus has trademarked the name in both Europe and India (opens in new tab). So based on that, it’s likely that the slate will launch in both regions, but whether it will also land in the US is unknown. A launch in Australia is unlikely as the company currently has no presence there.
There’s no news on the price, but based on what we know and suspect about the slate, we’re expecting an average price tag.
News and leaks
The biggest news about the OnePlus Pad comes from OnePlus itself, which has now revealed the first images of the tablet exclusively for TechRadar. You can see these above and they show it off in a ‘Halo Green’ shade.
As part of this teaser, the company revealed that the OnePlus Pad has an aluminum alloy body and a curved frame. You can also see there’s a single-lens camera on the back and another on the front, housed in a bezel above the screen.
We also have an unofficial photo from a reliable tipster that reveals a bit more of the tablet’s design – you can see it below.
In addition, a leak has revealed many of the possible specs. The OnePlus Pad is believed to have a Snapdragon 865 chipset, a 12.4-inch Full HD+ OLED screen and a 10,090mAh battery with 45W.
We’re taking this with a grain of salt, though, as there’s also talk of a dual-lens camera, while the official images above appear to show just one lens.
What we want to see
Even saying what we want from the OnePlus Pad is tricky when it’s the brand’s first slate and when we don’t know if it’s cheap, mid-range or premium, but we’ve made a few suggestions below.
1. A competitive price
While we have no idea what market segment the OnePlus Pad will be targeting, we hope it’s priced lower than its main rivals. This is a realistic hope, given that OnePlus phones tend to be priced in line with or slightly lower than phones with similar specs from major brands.
Doing so would allow OnePlus to gain an immediate foothold in the tablet market and make the OnePlus Pad a true alternative to the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022), the Amazon Fire HD 10 (2021), or any other slate. where the specifications are most consistent.
2. A bundled stylus
To make the OnePlus Pad a more attractive purchase, we’d like it to support and come with a stylus. This would be ideal for anyone who wants to sketch or write by hand on the slate, among other things, and a large tablet screen goes well with such an accessory.
We’re not sure how likely this is, but Samsung and Apple both offer styli for their slates, and the former sometimes even bundles them together, as with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, so it’s definitely possible.
3. A keyboard accessory
In addition to a stylus, we would also like to see an official keyboard cover offered for the OnePlus Pad. This allows you to use it more like a laptop, which is great for productivity purposes.
We wouldn’t expect OnePlus to throw this at the tablet, but hopefully the price will at least be kept low – no Apple Magic Keyboard prices here please.
4. A great screen
A good screen is vital for a tablet, arguably even more so than for a phone, as you’re more likely to watch movies and edit photos on a slate. So that’s exactly what we want to see from the OnePlus Pad.
How good it could be realistically depends in part on how OnePlus plans to price and position this slate, but if it’s a top-end tablet then we’ll want a QHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and barely any bezel .
5. Powerful speakers
Good speakers are another important part of a tablet – and again, these are more important on a slate than a phone, as there will likely be more occasions when you don’t reach for headphones here.
The size of a slate also makes packing good speakers – and lots of speakers – more viable than packing a phone. So we want quality sound here, and if this is an expensive slate then we want at least four speakers included, for loud, clear audio without headphones.