When Apple introduced the iPad, they weren’t entirely sure how people would use it. And to this day, tablets are a strange category. The top-of-the-line “Pro” tablets like the iPad Pro and Lenovo Tab Extreme are extremely cool, but despite being the same price, they’re not as practical as laptops. On the other hand, most cheaper tablets end up being used as YouTube screens for those too young to own their own laptop. If that’s all they’re used for, why buy a new one?
So the most interesting tablet category is the slightly more premium category of smaller tablets, led by the iPad Air. The premise of this category is simple: something larger than your phone to read articles or watch videos on, preferably while sitting on the couch, but without the complexity of a laptop. These tablets don’t try to do everything; they’re just meant to be enjoyable to use. Although Apple is the frontrunner in this category, OnePlus has its own option with the Android-powered Pad Go. While it has its issues, it’s a compelling product.
For those who don’t know, OnePlus has made a name for itself by offering the best flagship products at a far more affordable price, and the Pad Go continues that philosophy with the iPad Air. While the Air comes in four colors and four storage sizes, OnePlus cuts costs by paring it down to a model in a signature “Twin Mint” green with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Plus, there’s SIM support, which is a $150 upgrade on the iPad.
OnePlus also skimps on the chip. Apple equips the Air with its speedy M2 chip, available in the last-gen MacBook Pros. OnePlus relies on the fairly modest MediaTek Helio G99. That means you can’t run the iPad Air’s highly complex applications, but nobody uses an iPad Air for that anyway. Combined with an 8000mAh battery and OnePlus’ excellent Android skin, the Pad Go never feels slow and lasts forever on one battery. OnePlus also skimps on the subpar rear camera, but taking photos in public with a tablet should be a capital crime, so it doesn’t bother me. Frankly, I would have been happy if OnePlus had left out the rear camera altogether to make the device even cheaper, especially since the selfie camera is just as good as you need it to be for video calls.
All of this adds up to a pretty amazing price saving. The 11-inch 128GB iPad Air costs $599, and if you upgrade it with a SIM card it’ll cost $749. Although US pricing for the Pad Go hasn’t been announced, it’s currently priced at less than $350 in the UK. For a fast, durable tablet with pretty good speakers and good software, that’s incredible. However, the premium experience is sorely marred by the screen.
While everything else about the tablet is great, if not good, the screen is just… okay. It’s fast enough at 90Hz, and its 2408 x 1720 resolution and 260 PPI is nothing to complain about, but it’s just way too dull. It maxes out at 400 nits, which is fine for reading an article where full brightness isn’t necessary, but is noticeably dim for watching videos and – despite being called the Go – is unusable outdoors. You don’t have to compare it to the iPad’s incredible screen to see that it’s not up to par.
OnePlus has a lot going for it here, though, and for the right person, this is the best tablet you can buy in this category—especially for the price. If you’re just looking for something to read articles and emails on the couch and maybe listen to music on the speakers, it’s clearly a buy over the iPad. But the screen brightness would bother me every time I use it, and I hope they improve the quality for a second generation, even if that increases the price. If they want to attract more customers, they should also offer it in more colors than green.
