Android smartphones have long competed with, and in some cases outperformed, the iPhone, but the same cannot be said of tablets. Android manufacturers have long wished to compete with the iPad in the market that Apple pioneered, dating back to the release of the original Galaxy Tab 15 years ago.
Nonetheless, the iPad is still the finest tablet for most people. The iPad Pro M4 introduced the tandem OLED era, with Apple stacking two OLED panels for a truly immersive experience. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra was the first to compete, and it provides the same fantastic experience as Galaxy phones, but with a few drawbacks.
One of these is the processor, the other is the size, and the overall battery life, at least in comparison to what one would expect given its size. The new OnePlus Pad 3 addresses these issues, and after using it for a few weeks, here’s why it’s one of the greatest Android tablets I’ve ever used.
A flagship without the flagship size or price
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is likely the best Android tablet you can purchase — at least before the OnePlus Pad 3 — but its main drawback is its size. While the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is an excellent option, the OnePlus Pad 3 is the superior tablet to buy, especially given its flagship status.
The OnePlus Pad 3 embodies the company’s early reputation as the flagship killer. For $699, you get actual flagship specs worthy of any of the top phones, as well as an improved version of Open Canvas for the best multitasking experience on any Android smartphone.
The 13.2-inch screen is a good size, and the design is similar to the iPad Pro M4. The display boasts a refresh rate of 144 Hz, Dolby Vision compatibility, and a maximum brightness of 900 nits. Aside from brightness, these are flagship-level specifications, even if the panel is LCD rather than OLED.
Incredible performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite
The processor is crucial to the OnePlus Pad 3’s feature set. It runs on the same Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship CPU as the finest phones, including the OnePlus 13, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Razr Ultra 2025.
It’s also the full 8-core version, not the 7-core version found in slim devices such as the Oppo Find N5. This comes with either 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, or 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. These are the specifications you’d expect from a gadget like the anticipated OnePlus 14, not a tablet that’s hundreds of dollars cheaper.
It is the first Android tablet to compete with the iPad Pro’s M4 processor in terms of raw performance, power, and AI capabilities. Despite its strength, the Snapdragon 8 Elite provides exceptional battery life.
A battery that lasts for days and charges in minutes
All OnePlus products share a common theme: rapid performance, outstanding battery life, and superfast charging. In the United States, the OnePlus Pad 3 checks all of these boxes and delivers an experience comparable to the greatest OnePlus phones.
The 12,140 mAh battery is one of the largest on a tablet, outperforming the iPad Pro and Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, despite the latter’s larger screen. I discovered that the battery lasts over nine hours on a single charge, which is fantastic but somewhat shorter than last year’s Pad 2. The added performance, however, makes it worthwhile.
My favorite feature of the OnePlus Pad 3 is its fast charging capability. In the United States, the 80W charger is included in the packaging and can charge the OnePlus Pad 3 to full capacity in 90 minutes. For instance, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra charges at 45W and takes more over two hours, and the iPad Pro M4 charges at 30W and takes about an hour and 45 minutes.
Outstanding multitasking that Apple could learn from
Android tablets have traditionally had one major edge over iPads: multitasking.
For over a decade, the best Android tablets have featured unique ways to multitask and run multiple windows simultaneously on the large display. Apple responded with a suite of features including SlideOver and a pop out view, but the iPad still lacks the advanced multitasking features found on Android tablets.
The OnePlus Pad 3 includes an updated version of Open Canvas, a multitasking feature that allows you to run multiple programs at the same time without being limited by physical hardware size. The feature was first introduced on the OnePlus Open, making it the best folding phone, and is now accessible on the OnePlus Pad 3, as well as other phones such as the OnePlus 13 and Oppo Find N5.
The OnePlus Pad 3 offers exceptional value for money
It’s difficult to find reasons to criticize the OnePlus Pad 3, at least ones that are under OnePlus’ control. The hardware is superb, with support for a stylus and a keyboard case that can be purchased, and it meets all of the requirements for a tablet. The only real difficulty is that some Android apps aren’t designed for huge screens, which also impacts folding phones.
All of this means that the OnePlus Pad 3 is an excellent value for money, beginning at $699. Adding the Pen ($100), folio case ($50), or keyboard case ($200) raises the price, but it’s still less than the competition, and pre-orders get two of the three for free. At this price, it’s hard to fault the OnePlus Pad 3.
