3 days ago
OnePlus Pad 3 Shoves a Massive Battery Into Its Super-Skinny Tablet Frame
OnePlus is not playing around this year. Just like its well-received OnePlus 13 flagship Android phone released earlier this year, the main selling point for the new OnePlus Pad 3 tablet is its huge battery. The 5.97mm-thick OnePlus Pad 3 has a 12,140mAh battery—up from 9,510mAh in the previous OnePlus Pad 2. I don't know about you, but I like that OnePlus is packing in larger batteries while slimming down its devices, not the other way around. Oh, and an 80W fast-charging brick is included in the box, which is just a cherry on top.
Feature-wise, the OnePlus Pad 3 sounds solid on paper. The screen is a larger 13.2-inch screen with a 3.4K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate versus the 12.1-inch display on the OnePlus Pad 2. Under the hood, the tablet is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. OnePlus also increased the six speakers on the OnePlus Pad 2 to eight on the OnePlus Pad 3; a new 'Holo Audio' feature lets you fiddle with spatial audio for various apps like alarms.
As with all of OnePlus's devices, the tablet runs a customized version of Android 15 called Oxygen OS 15. It's a fairly clean version of Android—though the similarities to iOS are more obvious than ever—and, naturally, it's pushing a boatload of AI features. These include the usual generative AI features other tech companies have already introduced in their own devices, such as AI Summarize (text message and notification summaries), AI Writer (helps write text based on a prompt), AI Translations, and AI Speak (AI reads articles out loud). There's also built-in Google Gemini support; the Smart Keyboard (sold separately) even has a Gemini key for quick access to the chatbot.
Beyond AI, Oxygen OS has a few productivity-focused features, including better multitasking that takes advantage of the larger screen, 'O+ Connect,' which lets you share files between the tablet and PCs, and a 'remote control' feature that lets you control your Mac through the OnePlus Pad 3. All of these should help make the OnePlus Pad 3 (with Smart Keyboard) more laptop-like.
If you're looking for a tablet that's not called an iPad or Galaxy, the OnePlus Pad 3 could be a good alternative. Pre-orders begin today, June 5, on OnePlus's website with a release date on July 8 at Amazon, and Best Buy. The tablet costs $699.99 and the Smart Keyboard is $199.99. A Folio Case is $49.99. While there's no new stylus, the previous $99.99 Stylo 2 pen does work with the OnePlus Pad 3 if you're the notetaking or doodling kind.
