The OnePlus Pad 3 tablet is still perfect for play and still awkward for work

When OnePlus first introduced its tablet to the world, it impressed with high-end specs at an affordable price. Now, with the OnePlus Pad 3, the company is refining that formula. This latest model brings modest hardware upgrades — including a larger, sharper display, a bigger battery, and an updated smart keyboard — along with meaningful software improvements that help it inch closer to rivals like Samsung and Apple.

Yet the verdict remains largely the same: it’s an excellent Android tablet for entertainment, and just okay for light productivity. But at $699.99, $150 more than the original, it raises the question: does it still offer the same value?

A year ago, my answer might’ve been no. But in today’s climate of tariffs and rising costs across the board, the Pad 3 still holds its own — especially against similarly specced competitors like the $749.99 Galaxy Tab S10 FE. Whether it’s the right buy for you ultimately depends on what you want out of your tablet.

The OnePlus Pad 3 features a larger 13.2-inch LCD display with a slightly sharper 3392 x 2400 resolution, making movies and shows look more vibrant. It’s housed in a slimmer, flatter aluminum frame that’s easier to carry, though at 675g, it’s heavier than the 13-inch iPad Pro and too cumbersome to hold comfortably for long reading or viewing sessions. The new eight-speaker system — featuring four woofers and four tweeters positioned around the device — is even louder, delivering a more immersive audio experience for YouTube, games, and streaming.

OnePlus has also improved battery life with a slightly larger 12,140mAh cell. The battery dropped just 15 percent after a couple of hours with two apps and a couple of tabs open, suggesting it can easily last more than a day. OnePlus says it can charge from 0 to 100 percent in 92 minutes, with a 10-minute top-up delivering 18 percent. In my testing, it charged from 20 percent to 80 percent in 76 minutes, going up by 20 percent within 20 minutes — nearly as fast as promised, and still impressive.

Most users likely won’t notice a huge leap from the Pad 2. The experience is more iterative than game-changing — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The 7:5 aspect ratio was still ideal for reading Adam Grant’s Think Again, while the 144Hz refresh rate ensured smooth visuals while I caught up on the last season of You and played games like Asphalt Legends and Block Blast! ​​The screen still tops out at 900 nits, making it usable outdoors. Under the hood, the Pad 3 retains the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, with options for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage or 16GB RAM and 512GB. Performance is snappy and more than sufficient for most users.

The OnePlus Pad 3 ships with OxygenOS 15, the company’s operating system based on Android 15, and it’s here where the most interesting improvements lie. OnePlus’ software has trailed behind rivals like Samsung, Google, and Apple, but OxygenOS 15 represents a significant step forward, particularly for light productivity.

One of the most notable upgrades is how well the Pad 3 now plays with Apple devices — a rarity in the Android world. It supports screen mirroring and easy sharing of files and live photos with Macs or iPhones, making it especially appealing for mixed Apple-Android households. As an Apple user, I found the Mac Remote Control feature surprisingly useful (when it actually worked, which I’ll dive into shortly), as it lets you view and control your laptop or desktop in real time, transfer files between devices, and access PC files remotely from the tablet.

Setup is straightforward: download the O+ app for Mac or Windows, sign into your OnePlus account, and ensure all devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Once configured, the connection is quick, though not always consistent. At the time of writing, I’ve struggled to reconnect my MacBook Air. Input lag and a slightly blurry mirrored display make this feature less ideal for media or video calls (especially since the Pad 3’s 8MP front camera underwhelms), but it remains useful for turning the tablet into a secondary display or quickly accessing files without relying on cloud storage or messaging apps. It also made it easier for me to use the Pad 3 over my laptop for more tasks, reminding me of Samsung’s DeX — though OnePlus’ version requires an internet connection, unlike DeX, which works offline with just a cable.

OxygenOS 15 also supports Google’s AI tools. Circle to Search is finally onboard, letting you instantly look up anything on screen with a gesture. Google’s Gemini Assistant is easily accessible via the power key or a dedicated Smart Keyboard shortcut. Other features feel basic but genuinely helpful, from writing tools that polish your text to a voice note cleanup feature that strips filler words from transcripts while preserving your original audio. OnePlus also added basic photo editing tools like AI Detail Boost and reversible edits, making photo retouching easier.

The Pad 3 still falls short for serious productivity. While the larger screen and Open Canvas multitasking system — which debuted on the Pad 2 — let you run up to three apps side by side or stack and float them (something I found especially helpful when reading and taking notes), the overall experience remains limited by Android software constraints. A lot of Android apps — Slack and Airtable, for example — still aren’t optimized for large displays.

Beyond new features, OnePlus’ software stands out thanks to a much-improved update policy — making the Pad 3’s price hike a bit easier to swallow. It now comes with three Android version updates (starting with Android 15) and six years of security patches, two more years than the Pad 2 offered. That makes it a safer long-term investment. Still, Samsung promises seven years of OS and security updates for the Tab S10 FE Plus, so for a tablet at this price, it’d be nice to see OnePlus go even further.

Finally, like its predecessor, the Pad 3 can be purchased with a set of accessories. The unchanged Stylo 2 stylus works just as well as before, but to accommodate the tablet’s larger size, you’ll need the $199 Pad 3 Smart Keyboard or the $49.99 Pad 3 Folio Case. The latter feels very similar to the previous version, but the Smart Keyboard sees more noticeable changes. It now features larger keys that make for a more enjoyable typing experience, along with useful extras like a built-in NFC receiver for quick file sharing and a dedicated key to launch Google’s Gemini AI assistant.

While the keyboard was great for typing emails, it’s not ideal for heavy work. My main issue was the trackpad — though roomy, it often disrupted productivity by making text selection difficult and frequently triggered unintended shortcuts, like accidental screenshots. The keyboard’s stability also needs improvement; it still connects via pogo pins, which work well on a desk but feel unstable on your lap. Thankfully, Bluetooth support lets you detach and use it wirelessly.

The OnePlus Pad 3 is even better suited for binge-watching, reading, streaming music, and light multitasking than before. The improved software update policy also makes it more future-proof. Software limitations prevent it from being a true laptop replacement or productivity powerhouse, but then again, few tablets are.

Photography by Sheena Vasani / The Verge