The first-ever OnePlus tablet has been a long time in the making, and following an official but incomplete announcement more than two and a half months ago and a decidedly unconventional pre-order start earlier this month, the Android-based iPad Air alternative is at last (almost) ready for its proper commercial debut.
Although you can’t purchase (or even pre-order) the 11.6-inch OnePlus Pad at the time of this writing, we finally know how much you’re going to pay for it when it begins shipping in early May. Let’s hear those drum rolls aaaaaand see you prepare to cough up $479 for a single 128GB storage variant in a single “Halo Green” hue.
That’s… not too bad but not too great either for a MediaTek Dimensity 9000-powered device that’s clearly unlikely to rival Apple’s latest ultra-high-end iPad Pros in terms of overall performance. Instead, the oversized OnePlus Pad is destined to more directly compete against the smaller but also extremely powerful iPad Air (2022), which normally starts at a $600 price that’s frequently marked down to as little as $500 these days.
In the Android tablet space, this bad boy will have to fend off the likes of Samsung’s 11-inch Galaxy Tab S8, which typically costs $699 and up with a handy S Pen included at no extra charge.
To sweeten the deal for early adopters of its first in-house tablet, OnePlus will apparently throw in your choice of a magnetic keyboard or stylus at no additional cost when pre-orders return this Friday, April 28. The aptly named OnePlus Stylo will be separately available for $99, mind you, while the productivity-enhancing keyboard accessory is technically worth $149 on its own, so if you want to opt for the more valuable gift, that’s definitely the latter.
As for the OnePlus Pad, its main selling point and distinguishing feature from all of the best tablets available today seems to be a “perfect” (allegedly) display with a one-of-a-kind 7:5 aspect ratio, cutting-edge 144Hz refresh rate technology, and respectable 2800 x 2000 pixel resolution.
The 67W charging support is probably a close second in terms of unique or hard-to-rival selling points, while the 8GB RAM count, 9,510mAh battery capacity, 13MP rear-facing shooter, 8MP selfie camera, and quad speaker system are… not bad for the tablet’s sub-$500 price point. Of course, it remains to be seen if a rookie can achieve mainstream success in an incredibly crowded and competitive global market with a “not bad” value proposition.
