OnePlus Pad 3 Review: Killer Tablet, High Price

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Mind you, I still would never be able to completely replace my laptop or desktop PC with a tablet, OnePlus Pad 3 or not. There are just some things that don’t work so well in specific apps, or just take a little longer in the tablet interface. (Our content management system, Airtable, has a notoriously bad tablet experience.) But for short stints at the airport or coffee shop, it’s a nice alternative to lugging around a heavier machine.

The keyboard is a must-have if you’re spending this much on a tablet. There’s decent key travel, and I enjoyed typing on it, and the trackpad is a nice size. The best feature is that you can use it attached to the OnePlus Pad 3 via the pogo pins, or it will auto-connect to the tablet via Bluetooth, so you can use it detached. That’s helpful because, while you can use the OnePlus Pad 3 and the keyboard in your lap, it’s not the most stable experience, so it’s nice having the ability to detach and place the screen somewhere else (and prop it up with the case’s kickstand). The keyboard doesn’t have a USB-C port, so you can only charge it by connecting it back to the tablet. It does have NFC, so you can tap your OnePlus phone to send files, and there’s a dedicated key to trigger Google’s Gemini AI assistant.

Speaking of accessories, there’s the OnePlus Stylo 2, which hasn’t seen any changes since it debuted with the OnePlus Pad 2. It’s a reliable stylus and magnetically connects to the top edge of the slate, where it auto-connects and recharges. I’m not much of a stylus person, so I haven’t used it much. It’s worth keeping in mind that while these accessories are separate purchases, OnePlus routinely has bundles that let you snag the stylus or the keyboard case for free. There’s a promo through July 7 that lets you get both for free with a purchase of the Pad 3.

The battery hasn’t given me any qualms. The 12,140-mAh capacity is the largest OnePlus has ever shipped, and after several hours of using three apps simultaneously in Open Canvas mode, the battery only dipped 20 percent. That’ll obviously spike if you’re, say, binge watching a show for several hours, but I feel comfortable saying that this battery will satisfy most. It also barely loses juice in standby mode. OnePlus throws in its fast charger in the box, so you can get a full charge from zero to 100 in 92 minutes.

Upscale Tablet, Upscale Price

This is all driven by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the flagship Android processor of 2025. OnePlus will happily tell you this is the first tablet to debut with the chip in the US, and it certainly delivers fantastic performance all around. OnePlus is trying to offer a “premium” tablet experience here in North America, where it says there are limited options. It’s not wrong: You have historically only had Samsung and Apple to choose from if you want a top-of-the-line tablet.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu