Earlier this year, OnePlus had surprised a number of people by entering the tablet segment. The brand’s tablet debut, the OnePlus Pad, was a premium segment offering and received favourable reviews for its hardware and design. Looking to build on this good start, OnePlus recently took the wraps off its second tablet, the OnePlus Pad Go. Unlike its elder sibling, the Pad Go is a more mainstream offering and starts at a price of Rs 19,999.
In the best OnePlus tradition, the Pad Go offers a fair bit of tablet bang for the buck. The tablet has a sleek, two-tone design with a striking twin mint colour that will make it stand out. It is a mere 6.9mm thin, although a little heavy at 532 grams. It has a large 11.35-inch display with an impressively high 2.4K (2,408×1,720) resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. It comes with quad speakers and is powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 chip, an established mid-segment performer capable of handling routine tasks easily and even handling some high-end games, provided you tweak the settings a little.
There is an 8-megapixel snapper on the back (on the centre of the longer side as seen on the OnePlus Pad) and in front as well, and an 8,000mAh battery with a 33W charger in the box. All this comes with OnePlus’ sleek and clean OxygenOS on top, with special tablet-friendly features on board, including working in sync with OnePlus phones. Add LTE connectivity to the mix and the OnePlus Pad Go seems to be a great option for those wanting a tablet without doing too much damage to one’s bank account,
But promising though it is on paper, the OnePlus Pad does face some pretty stiff competition. Standing in its way are some golden oldies and some great budget players. So if you are considering the new OnePlus Pad Go as your chill pill tablet, we would advise you to do so only after taking a look at these worthies who could give it a good run for its money:
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022): Sheer S-Pen Magic
Price: Rs 19,999
The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite has been one of the highest-selling Android tablets in the Indian market over the past few years, so successful that a refreshed version of it was launched in 2022. Although its display boasts a decent 1,200×2,000 pixels resolution and offers a good viewing experience, some might find it too small at 10.4 inches and others might point to the ‘regular’ 60Hz refresh rate, as compared to the higher refresh rates in its segment.
Similarly, its Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chip is a decent performer and can handle mid-segment tasks and games, but is perceived as being a little old.
What keeps the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite very firmly in the tab game is the bundled S-Pen, which comes with a truckload of functionality and makes it the most productivity-friendly tab in its segment.
You also get two very handy 8-megapixel cameras on the back and front, decent speakers, a variant with mobile data connectivity and a battery that lasts 10-12 hours on a single charge, although you only get a 15W charger in the box.
Samsung’s OneUI ensures you get not just a good user experience but also plenty from the S-Pen. And it is that iconic stylus that makes the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite the biggest headache for the new OnePlus tablet.
Redmi Pad: Terrific Value For Money
Price: Rs 14,999
Easily the best value-for-money tablet in this line-up, the Redmi Pad is a classic Xiaomi product, offering a truckload of features at a surprisingly affordable price. Although starting at a sub-Rs 15,000 price, the Redmi Pad actually comes with the same chip as on the OnePlus Pad Go – the MediaTek Helio G99, albeit with no cellular connectivity (it comes with only Wi-Fi models).
The tab comes with a very good 10.61-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 1,200×2,000 resolution.
Its 8-megapixel selfie camera is surprisingly good for video calls and even adjusts itself according to your movement. The 8-megapixel snapper on the back is of very limited utility. That said you get a very good four-speaker setup, which makes this tablet a very good option for mid-level gaming and watching content.
Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 is one of the better tablet interfaces we have seen with plenty of features, and it all works very smoothly on the Redmi Pad. Battery life is a very good 14 hours, and although there is a 22.5W charger in the box, charging is capped at 18W.
All of this comes in a trim smart design, with a metal frame and back, weighing a mere 445 grams.
A terrific option for anyone looking for a good tablet on a tight budget, although we would recommend going for the 4GB or 6GB RAM variant (the 3GB base variant is best mainly for consuming content).
Realme Pad 2: Big Screen, Eye-Catching Design
Price: Rs 17,999
With its large 11.5-inch display, the Realme Pad 2 comes with the largest viewing area in this list. And it is a very impressive display too with a 2,000×1,200 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Combined with the quad speakers on board, the Realme Pad 2 delivers a very good multimedia performance.
It has the same MediaTek G99 chip that powers the OnePlus Pad Go, which makes it a very decent gaming performer.
The 8-megapixel camera on the back is passable, but the 8-megapixel one in front is good for video calls. The tablet comes with a two-tone design with a metal frame that will catch attention, especially in green, and is relatively lightweight 518 grams, considering the size of its display. It packs in battery life of over 15 hours and comes with a 33W charger in the box. Realme’s tablet interface is not quite as polished as Xiaomi’s or OnePlus’ but is feature-rich.
You also get mobile data connectivity and expandable memory. On paper, it has what it takes to unsettle the OnePlus Pad Go.
Xiaomi Pad 6: Much More Power For A Few More Bucks
Price: Rs 23,999
It comes with the highest price tag in this list, but the Xiaomi Pad 6 also brings a lot to the tab table for those extra bucks it charges. Its 11-inch display has a 2800 x 1880 resolution and 144 Hz refresh rate, and is easily the best in this company. You also get the most powerful processor — the Snapdragon 870 chip powering the Pad 6 is easily the most powerful you can get on a tablet below Rs 30,000. Combine that powerful chip and that display with a very good four-speaker setup and you have a tablet that is a multimedia monster and a gaming beast rolled into one.
The 13-megapixel camera on the rear can actually take some great snaps, and the 8-megapixel front-facing camera is super for video calls. Some might find the design a little on the plain side, but the materials used are premium, with both the frame and the back being aluminium, and the tablet itself is only 490 grams, making it easy to carry. Battery life is comfortably close to a dozen hours and the 33W charger bundled in the box recharges the tablet swiftly too.
Best of all, Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 runs beautifully on the tablet, letting you do a lot, and Xiaomi also has a very good (and not too expensive) stylus and keyboard cover to turn this into a makeshift notebook or sketchpad. It lacks mobile connectivity, and is Wi-Fi only, but is easily the best option for those willing to stretch their budgets a little.
Lenovo Tab P11: The Viewing Tab
Price: Rs 20,000
If you are looking at a tablet mainly for viewing content, then the Lenovo Tab P11 is a great option. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chip is the least powerful in this list, but the tablet makes up for it with an excellent 1,200×2,000 resolution display and a high-quality quad speaker arrangement that is superb for watching videos and even playing games, provided you do not go too high-end in the gaming department.
The 13-megapixel rear camera is not of much use but the 8-megapixel selfie camera is decent enough for video calls. Battery life is an impressive 12 hours and you get a 20W charger in the box that gets the tablet up and running reasonably quickly. You might not get the latest Android but the interface is clean and the build quality is rock solid.
This is a classic lean, mean viewing machine, with no aspirations to get into notebook mode.