Earlier this year, OnePlus pulled the wraps off its first-ever tablet, theOnePlus Pad. On the spec sheet, the Pad ticks all the right boxes to earn it a spot on our list of thebest Android tablets, but that won’t be much use if the tablet isn’t built to last. Thankfully, Zack Nelson of the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel has a way of speed-running an average gadget’s lifetime in just a few minutes. The OnePlus Pad and its accompanying Stylo were recently put to the test, and the results are nothing short of surprising.
Usually OnePlus phonesaren’t known to be the toughestof the lot, with things onlychanging recently with the OnePlus 11. When the brand launched its first tablet seemingly drawing cues from the Apple iPad, it fully prepared us to see it built as delicately as the average iPad. And things started off that way, with the screen scratching at a level six on the Mohs hardness scale, then showing deeper grooves at a level seven, just like the iPad.
In the burn test, the 11.6-inch 144Hz display survived exposure to a naked flame for around 10 seconds before the pixels turned off. The damage wasn’t permanent, however, and the pixels revived themselves after some time, which is typical behavior of an IPS LCD. Most of the frame is pretty rugged as well, finished in metal all around, up to and including the metal volume buttons. There is a small plastic section to allow wireless charging for the Stylo, but its placement isn’t detrimental to the structural integrity.
The frame design is so robust that during a bend test, the OnePlus Pad only deformed slightly. Yes, the frame was permanently bent when force was applied from the back, but the display stayed fully functional and didn’t pop out. Even when bent from the side, the display popped out only slightly, while retaining full functionality. Many iPad models had failed this same test in the past, giving OnePlus a clear win over its rival.
We were disappointed the stylus snapped clean in half, revealing an 82mAh battery inside, instead of capacitors like the Samsung S Pen. In the lower half, we see a neat arrangement of copper pads for pressure sensing, as well as the wireless charging coils and magnetic material so the stylus snaps to the tablet’s body. It’s revealed that the tips of the Stylo can be replaced by twisting and then pulling.
Evidently, designers seem to have been learning from the iPad while working on the OnePlus Pad. We wish we could say the same about the stylus, but at least the tablet is robustly built, and should endure a few years of use with little hassle.
OnePlus Pad
You may be skeptical of the OnePlus Pad because it is the company’s first tablet. However, the product is well-built and comes with familiar software and adequate accessories to double up as the perfect travel companion or media consumption screen when you’re out and about.
