OnePlus Pad Go review

The OnePlus Pad Go comes in a single colour, which OnePlus calls Twin Mint, and it is slightly lighter and warmer than the green on the OnePlus Pad. The new tablet has a glossy strip that includes the camera lens. The device is clearly meant for entertainment and content consumption with all sides rounded and without any contacts or magnetic mounting pins for attaching the keyboard or stylus. OnePlus offers a separate folio case to prop up the tablet while watching videos. There are two speakers on either side and the unmissable Dolby Atmos logo at the base near the USB-C port. The display offers the same 7:5 aspect ratio as before, leaving wide-screen films with dark bands on top and bottom. This aspect ratio works for business and content-creation devices, but without provisions for a keyboard and stylus, the Pad Go doesn’t qualify as one.

OnePlus uses an 11.35-inch, 2408 x 1720 display on the Pad Go. A touch sampling rate of 180 Hz makes it responsive to input, yet scrolling through content on the screen isn’t buttery smooth anymore with the refresh rate capped at 90 Hz, and it certainly keeps it out of contention as a gaming device. 1400:1 contrast ratio and 400 nits of brightness offer enough dynamic range for OTT content, though it suffers in bright outdoor light. Colour reproduction and sharpness appeared top-notch. The screen is a smudge and dust magnet, which worsens visibility, especially in bright light while travelling. 

The quad speakers offer loud audio with some spread, but not as detailed as we would like. Dolby Atmos scenario profiles offer some customisation with environmental profiles unlocked with headphones connected. However, the effect felt too subtle to make a real difference even with the equaliser.

MediaTek Helio G99 is a mid-level processor built on 6nm process, and it makes the tablet feel underpowered while handling fast high-graphics games. The device is offered with 8GB RAM and storage options of 128GB and 256GB, which is expandable by 1TB with a memory card. You also get a choice of WiFi or LTE. However, the LTE support is limited to 4G bands. OxygenOS 13.2 makes multitasking and multi-device collaboration possible, especially if you are in the OnePlus ecosystem. There are plenty of gestures to make life easy along with a customisable Task bar and a Smart sidebar for easy app access.

Both the main and front cameras are 8MP modules and these are centred at the top when the tablet is held in landscape orientation, making it optimal for video conferencing. Apart from this, we don’t see much use for cameras in tablets, and hence no reason to quibble over the image quality.

An 8000mAh battery keeps the OnePlus Pad Go marching on for more than a day with moderate use. The supplied adapter is not the fastest to charge at 33W of power output but tops up the battery in about an hour.

The OnePlus Pad Go is a capable mid-range entertainment tablet. But after the feature-rich OnePlus Pad, the Pad Go feels like an afterthought from the OnePlus stables, a half-breed that could be easily picked from Realme and dressed up in OnePlus saddles. While OnePlus fans will be happy with the decent performance at half the price of the flagship, the more adventurous customers may find it wiser to throw in a few extra thousands for a premium device from the likes of Xiaomi Pad 6 or even the older Pad 5 for that matter. The least OnePlus could have done is to include the folio case with the Pad Go without forcing the customer to spend another ₹1,399.