By buld_online 
OnePlus Pad 2 was a widely successful product, as well as a personal favourite of mine. I used that tablet religiously as a content consumption machine at home, on flights and practically anywhere else that I could. So, when the OnePlus Pad 3 was announced yesterday for India, I was excited but also a little confused. What could OnePlus improve in an almost perfect device? That’s my mission in the coming weeks as I test out the OnePlus Pad 3, but here are my initial impressions of the new tablet.
OnePlus Pad 3 Design
I really liked the green of the Pad 2, but I am an even bigger fan of the blue this year, which is officially known as Storm Blue. The OnePlus Pad 3 also comes in a Frosted Silver shade, which is an India exclusive. I got the blue one for testing. It’s a sleek machine, measuring just under 6mm, and it weighs 675g. OnePlus has tweaked the design a bit, the rear camera is no longer in the middle, but sits in the top left corner, and looks similar to the camera array of the OnePlus 13s, which I have also been reviewing.
OnePlus Pad 3 Display
OnePlus Pad 3’s display is a 13.2-inch LCD with a 3.4K resolution. It has up to 144Hz refresh rate and a max brightness of 900 nits, making it a good option even for outdoor viewing. I’m not too sure about taking it outdoors during the middle of the day though. I guess I will find out in some time how it handles Delhi’s June sun.
OnePlus Pad 3 Performance
OnePlus hasn’t yet revealed India pricing for the Pad 3. However, judging by historical trends, the Pad 3 could become the most affordable device with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. It is the first tablet to even have Qualcomm’s flagship chipset, and the claim is 45% boost in CPU and 40% GPU performance boost, all the while keeping power requirements down and improving efficiency. Judging from what I’ve seen on smartphones running this chip, that shouldn’t be a far cry from reality.
Complementing those numbers is two variants: 12+256GB or a whopping 16+512GB model, which means there’s plenty of power and storage for even the most power-hungry users out there.
OnePlus Pad 3 Battery
Tablets need big (read: huge) batteries not just because they’re powering bigger displays, but also because they’re one of the major sources of content consumption and entertainment. I myself have used my OnePlus Pad 2 for gaming and watching my favourite shows and YouTube videos all day. That one already had a good 9510mAh battery, but the Pad 3 takes it a step further, with a massive 12,140mAh cell inside. OnePlus says it can remain on standby power for 70 days, which is a tall claim. There’s also 80W fast charging support, another upgrade from the Pad 2 which had 67W charging support.
OnePlus Pad 3 Accessory Support
It continues to work with last year’s Stylo 2, and there is a new keyboard that attaches magnetically to the back of the tablet. The keyboard is larger, lighter, and the keys are more spaced out than last year’s version. There’s also a dedicated AI button.
There’s also a folio case with a new tri-folding mechanism that improves overall stability at various angles.
OnePlus Pad 3 Price and Availability
OnePlus hasn’t revealed India pricing details yet for the Pad 3. Globally, it starts at $699.99 (~₹60,000), however, I don’t think it will be this expensive when it eventually comes to India. There’s also no word on availability yet for the Pad 3, which is strange considering India’s importance for OnePlus. Stay tuned for more details on the pricing and offers for OnePlus Pad 3.