Hands on with the OnePlus Pad 3: Here's why it should be on your radar

Oneplus Pad 3 Mult Tasking Hero Adjusted

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2025 continues to be the year OnePlus refreshes their hardware lineup with devices so darn good that they can't be ignored if you're due for an upgrade.

First it was with their smartphones when they introduced the OnePlus 13 and 13R in early 2025. This time around it's a complete glow-up with their new tablet, the OnePlus Pad 3.

I've been using this tablet daily for about a week, and aside from some very minor criticisms that are shared with most other tablets of this tier, I gotta say that now that I'm out of "reviewer" mode, this tablet is now going to find its way into my everyday carry.

OnePlus Pad 3: One Paragraph Review

If you want a very large screen tablet that's still very comfortable to use that features all the bells and whistles, then OnePlus has delivered a great option for you with their Pad 3. The display is absolutely beautiful. The screen real estate is larger enough that multitasking with two apps on the screen is functional and enjoyable. Plus the stylus for this tablet feels so great, you'll actually want to use it all the time. While it's on the higher end of tablet pricing, I think this delivers excellent value when compared to other premium tablets.

Pros

Incredibly thin
Excellent battery life
Beautiful display

Cons

Stylus easily detches in work bag
Thick bezels
Less known brand

Oneplus Pad 3 Thin Shot Alt Angle — The Pad 3 is less than 6mm thick.

OnePlus tablets 101

When you think about high-end tablets, a couple of big names probably come to mind, but not OnePlus. And that's okay.

The brand is still gaining ground in Canada as people are discovering the cost-to-feature benefits when they're gadget shopping against more familiar names like Samsung.

Oneplus Pad 3 Hero With 13r — The OnePlus 3 is the first truly premium tablet in the OnePlus ecosystem.

The previous tablet, the OnePlus Pad 2, was in a slightly different category than the new Pad 3. It was less of a powerhorse, and more of a mid-range device.

Personally, I don't think many people actually need tablets with premium processors and loads of memory. However; many of those features that also come alongside pro tablets, like excellent screen resolution and refresh rates, premium audio quality, etc. are features that make tablets so much more enjoyable for everyday tasks like streaming, surfing, and gaming.

OnePlus is positioning this as the best Android tablet or 2025, and after my testing so far, it's quite possible they are right.

Oneplus Pad 3 Floating Side Panel — This tablet runs on Android but features OnePlus-specific software features that are, for the most part, helpful.

Thinner, Lighter, and More Refined

The first thing you'll notice about the OnePlus Pad 3 is its design. It's clear they put a lot of consideration into the look and feel.

Build: It has an all-metal unibody made from a special type of aluminum not usually found in tablets, which keeps the weight down while making it super strong.
Dimensions: It's the thinnest OnePlus tablet ever at less than six millimeters thick. The exact thickness is 5.97 mm. So this is in S25 Edge territory (Samsung's super thin smartphone).
Feel: The camera has been redesigned and moved to the corner, making it more comfortable to hold.
Colour: For us here in North America, it comes in a sleek "Storm Blue". There is also a "Frosted Silver" model, but that one is exclusive to India.

Oneplus Pad 3 Camera — Camera position has shifted to the side in the latest generation tablet.

Screen Size Matters

A tablet lives or dies by its screen, and OnePlus has packed in its best one yet. Personally, I am bezel oblivious. It takes a lot for me to notice something has thick bezels. While I absolutely love this display, it's possible this tablet's bezels could be considered thick for some people.

Oneplus Pad 3 Gaming Hero Red Controller

Size & Shape: It features a huge 13.2-inch LCD screen. It has a unique 7:5 aspect ratio, which is great for fitting more of a document or webpage on the screen at once.
Clarity & Colour: The display has a 3.4K resolution (3392x2400), a pixel density of 315 PPI, and supports 12-bit colour. It's also received TÜV Rheinland Eye Care 4.0 certification, so it's easier on your eyes.
Brightness: It has a typical brightness of 600 nits, but can boost up to 900 nits in High Brightness Mode, making it easier to see outdoors.

While I've used many tablets that have multitasking features where you can use split screen modes, I've never used one I've enjoyed more than the Pad 3. On OnePlus devices this feature is called Open Canvas. And with the size and aspect ratio of this tablet, you truly feel like you can get stuff done and be productive when jumping between windows. Particularly when paired with the new keyboard case, this tablet is excellent for productivity.

Oneplus Pad 3 Church Image Edit — The Stylo 2 is the stylus that was released alongside the OnePlus Pad 2 and is compatible with the newest tablet.

Speakers worth speaking about

Great speakers aren't something I think many people prioritize on a tablet, or at least don't think about until after the fact. No one's purchasing a tablet to be their main, headphone-free, music listening device.

Oneplus Pad 3 Speakers Close Up — There are eight speakers within the Pad 3.

However, when you're watching movies or playing games on a tablet with good speakers, it's something you entice and appreciate it.

In the case of OnePlus, the Pad 3 has very high-quality audio. Eight speakers (four woofers and four tweeters) that are strategically and symmetrically placed to give you a truly immersive audio experience. They'll even adapt the sound depending on how you're holding the tablet.

Inner Structure Speaker Rgb 0328 Large — The inner structure of the tablet shows the speaker placement.

This Thing is a performance beast

Under the hood, the OnePlus Pad 3 is the first tablet to feature the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from Qualcomm.

Unless you have a very specific app, with very specific specs, I don't think most people will tap into the full power of this processor. But if you're thinking about buying the tablet anyway, here's a little more info about how tasks like cloud gaming, movie marathoning, and graphic animations will be powered on your device.

Inner Strucutre Chipset Rgb Large — The OnePlus is powered with Elite Snapdragon processors.

Performance Boosts: This new chip provides a 45% boost in CPU performance and a 40% boost in GPU performance all while reducing power consumption. Again, most people don't need this kind of power. But it will make everything you do on your device that much snappier.
Memory: Here in North America, it will come with 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. A higher-tier 16GB/512GB model also exists for other regions.
Gaming: The massive battery can handle up to 6 hours of playing super high-end AAA games. Gaming on this tablet is an area that I think is super interesting and when you pair this devices performance, battery life, and display together, you get a compelling reason to consider this for a gaming tablet.
Cooling: To keep things from overheating, the Pad 3 uses vapor chambers made of a graphene composite material. In lab tests, this kept the tablet three full degrees cooler than a competitor after an hour of intense gaming.

Inner Structure Cooling Rgb 0328 Large — The internal layered cooling structure keeps your tablet temperature low, even during intensive work.

A massive battery (and included charger!)

In much the way the Costco cafeteria refuses to gouge consumers by offering a cheap hotdog and drink combo, OnePlus is one one of the last standing tech makers who are still giving consumers what they want - a charger in the box!

OnePlus put a whopping 12,140mAh battery in this tablet. It's the largest they've ever shipped. This beast of a battery can play long videos for over 17 hours and will stay on standby for an incredible 70 days. Hopefully this won't become a tablet you forget about in a drawer, but if you do, the battery should still be keeping your device alive.

Best of all, for customers in North America, the Pad 3 includes an 80W SUPERVOOC Power Adapter in the box. That's right, no need to buy one separately!

This charger can take the battery from 1-100% in 92 minutes, and a quick 10-minute charge will get you up to 18%.

Smarter Software and a Growing Ecosystem

The Pad 3 runs OxygenOS 15 out of the box. This latest version has been tweaked for the big screen with some very clever features.

The multitasking feature, Open Canvas, is truly excellent, and one of the reasons I am enjoying using this tablet for work so much. It has an improved drag-and-drop system, and it will now proactively suggest you use a split screen when it sees you flicking between two apps, like a map and a group chat.

Oneplus Vertical Multitasking Hero — Multitasking on the Pad 3 is fantastic thanks to the large display.

It also comes loaded with OnePlus AI features, including the AI Toolbox for writing and summarizing, and Circle to Search. There's even a dedicated AI button on the new keyboard to bring up Google Gemini. Having said that, the AI isn't super intrusive, so you could easily go about using the tablet the old-fashioned way (does non-AI use make a tablet "old fashioned,") and never notice. AI is there, but not an essential, baked in part of the user experience.

Oneplus Pad 3 File Dock Hero — The File Dock allows you to quickly access files and can float on top of open apps.

Finally, for those of us who use multiple devices, OnePlus has introduced new apps to better connect with Apple devices, allowing you to remote control your Mac and easily share files. I had been using O+ Connect on my OnePlus 13 to transfer devices to my iPhone and it works well, but is a little cumbersome. So I was shocked when I discovered how seamless this tablet can be used with other Apple devices.

O Connect On Macbook Pro — The system for accessing and transfering files between the Pad 3 and Macbooks is excellent.

I have my Pad 3 paired to my MacBook Pro and am easily moving files across with no friction. It's not as good/magical as the Apple to Apple device integrations, but for Android to Apple, I've never experienced anything better.

OnePlus Pad 3 Best Accessories

The accessories for the Pad 3 are of a premium design, in line with what you'd expect for a premium tablet. The biggest change comes to the keyboard, but the folio-style case is also great. Plus if you're reading this review during the pre-order period (between June 5th and July 7th) you might be able to score some of these for free (more on that shortly).

Source: geekingout.ca

The OnePlus Pad 3 launches alongside a few new accessories including this keyboard.

Keyboard: The new keyboard has larger, spaced-out keycaps for a more PC-like feel. It's adjustable between 110 and 165-degree angles, supports NFC file transfers, and is even a little lighter than the last one. It retails for $249.99 CAD.
Stylus: The OnePlus Stylo 2 can sense 16,000 different levels of pressure. It has a comfortable leather-like texture and some new software tricks. You can swipe from the corner to annotate the screen or just tap the pen on the screen when it's off to instantly open a notes page. This costs $149 CAD.
Case: The new folio case has a clever tri-folding design. You can fold it into different shapes (a traditional triangle or a Y-shape) to get multiple stable viewing angles, including 20, 44, 60, and 72 degrees. It also has a new magnetic buckle to keep your Stylo 2 safe and secure. It retails for $64.99 CAD.

Oneplus Pad 3 Keyboard Case Rear View — Rear view of the new OnePlus 13 keyboard.

OnePlus Pad 3: Price and Availability

The OnePlus Pad 3 comes out July 8th in Canada with a price tag of $999 Canadian.

This is more expensive than the OnePlus Pad 2, but that wasn't a premium tablet. So if you're comparing this to something, the tablets that are in this same category are the 13-inch iPad Pro ($1799 CAD) or the Tab S10 Ultra ($1599). These wouldn't be 1-1-1 comparisons (there's nuances between Apple and Samsung's premium tablets that make them tough to compare).

But overall, the price point for the Pad 3, I think, is quite competitive for what you're getting out of this tablet, particularly if you can score some of the pre-order bonuses (note - OnePlus does have a finite amount of these and with past devices, they've "run out" of certain pre-order gifts between the announce and on sale dates.

Is the OnePlus Pad 3 worth it?

After using this tablet for the past week as my everyday device I absolutely love it.

Source: geekingout.ca

Even though it's large, the device is very easy to hold and use.

Everyone's different, but generally I use my laptop for "work" and my tablet for "fun." That's mostly because a lot of aspects of tablets make them just a little more difficult to get things done on; therefore, I relegate them to fun gadgets.

In the case of OnePlus, I found the Pad 3 amazing for work and fun. I mentioned multi-tasking between apps earlier on in this article, but it truly is an excellent experience having this massive screen, in such a unique aspect ratio. You get to see the perfect amount of each app or window that you're working in to be truly productive when comparing info between the two.

OnePlus Pad 3

With a fabulous looking screen, incredible power and battery life, plus plenty of accessories to customize this tablet for your daily needs, this is an excellent device for anyone due for an upgrade. While you may not need to tap into full potential of the elite processor or need all that memory, all users will apprecaite the slim form, excellent audio quality, and slick experience using the OnePlus Pad 3.

See at OnePlus

I think I also need to write a separate article about the stylus because it's awesome. It's the same one that came out with the OnePlus Pad 2. The Stylo 2 feels so great to use. It is similar to the one I have for the reMarkable e-ink tablet which has a "real" pen tip (so you will have to replace it as it gets worn down over time), but this makes it feel so tactile when you're drawing or writing. And specifically, using the digital pencil tip (vs. marker or ballpoint pen or whatever drawing tool you call up) results in haptic feedback so there is a resistance similar to using a traditional pencil on paper.

Oneplus Pad 3 Stylus And Writing Tools — The Stylo 2 is an excellent accessory to consider for the Pad 3.

Having said how much I like the Stylo 2, it does get dislodged from its magnetic charging spot (on the upper landscape side of the tablet) relatively easily. This is a problem with basically all the tablets, and while the folio cover for the OnePlus does mostly cover up the stylus, it still will frequently become dislodged and lost in a backpack. And at $150 for the accessory, it's not one you want to lose.

Oneplus Pad 3 Casepad Back Large — The Folio case conifugres for a variety of placements and props.

If you're thinking about accesssories, definitely consider the Folio-style case. I use mine all the time. If you're thinking the laptop-style keyboard may help you with productivity, it will - as long as you're sitting at a table. The keyboard case is simlar to a Microsoft Surface in that it requires a kickstand from the back of the case to prop up the display. So having this on your lap, is doable, but the typing experience on this accessory is not the same as having a laptop keyboard because of the case design.

If you're due for a tablet upgrade, the OnePlus Pad 3 brings a lot to the table for $1,000. That's obviously not cheap, but I think this device brings good value for what you're paying for. The light weight and thin design make this very comfortable to hold for long sessions in front of the screen. The display is gorgeous and vast. And you have a battery that just won't quit.

Stylus On Oneplus Pad — The stylus attaches magnetically to the tablet.

My complaints about the device are minor/common to nearly every tablet (the bezels are a little thick around the screen, the stylus doesn't stay securely attached) but overall, the pain points are so few I really had to think hard about what I don't like about this tablet because there's so much I DO like. You can order your tablet directly from OnePlus by clicking the link here.

Hopefully this review was helpful. I love to talk about tech so if you have any specific questions that I didn't answer, feel free to add me on Instagram and send me a DM.

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