A tablet with a limited target price: we almost automatically assume that performance has been cut back here and there. We find out where they are on the OnePlus Pad Go.
What do you still buy a tablet for in 2024? As an additional worker? As an extra screen in your home? Or just as an entertainment device for on the go? With that question in mind, we test the OnePlus Pad Go: a ‘budget’ tablet – 299 euros to be precise – and the smaller brother of the previously released OnePlus Pad. You paid 499 euros for the larger one at launch, but OnePlus now sells it for 429 euros.
But the Pad Go. The ‘Go’ addition suggests that OnePlus mainly sees it as an on-the-go device, and that seems to be the case with, for example, both a microSD slot – for an extra maximum terabyte of storage – and an LTE slot – for a 4G SIM card – it really seems to be that way. At 532 grams, the device is also lightweight and easy to hold. Although we regularly found ourselves accidentally covering the camera with our fingers: not a major disaster, but if you use the camera regularly you will also have to regularly wipe away the finger smudges.
Budget tablet
This is an 11.3″ budget tablet and so we should not have unrealistically high expectations in terms of specifications and performance. On the other hand, we do believe that a tablet in 2024 should offer a certain basic functionality. And you get that too. Some casual gaming? That goes smoothly: not once did we see any glitches in Brawl Stars, Hay Day, Candy Crush and more of that addictive stuff. We were still able to run games that require a bit more frame rate smoothly enough, but you don’t have to think about high-end games. You usually cannot even choose the highest possible settings.
Entertainment first
The OnePlus Pad Go also does not disappoint in everyday applications such as email, browsing, editing a Word or Excel document or listening to music. A little YouTube for the kids in the back of the car? Check. Want to binge a Netflix series before going to bed? Check. The tablet shows itself to be fast enough, without being lightning fast, but we don’t expect that in this price range.
But we still occasionally encounter the limits of the MediaTek Helio G99 processor. If you have multiple apps and/or games open at the same time, you will soon experience short stuttering or delays. Switching between those apps is also a bit too slow.
This means that we mainly see the OnePlus Pad Go as an additional entertainment device. One for the coffee table, music or YouTube on the go in the car or to binge a TV series. But as far as we are concerned, we can work less or not at all: the processor is just a little too small for that.
Good and less good specs
The screen is ‘only’ an 11.3″ LCD (LTPS) screen with a resolution of 2408 x 1720 and a refresh rate of 90 Hz and no fancy OLED at 120 Hz, but that does not interfere with the entertainment applications we use. already listed. In Netflix, for example, the black passages are really dark enough and not ‘smeared’ gray-green fragments. Outside on a sunny terrace is less obvious: the brightness of the screen is still insufficient.
The soundtrack in your series or film always comes through well: the four speakers with Dolby Atmos support go surprisingly loud and only start to noticeably distort the sound at the highest volumes. Here too, no top sound, but more than good enough for this budget. But of course you can also connect a Bluetooth set: your fellow train passengers will undoubtedly appreciate that.
The light sensor is less good. To such an extent that we sometimes wonder whether there is a working sensor in the test device. It happened far too often that we picked up the tablet, turned on the screen and immediately discovered that there was hardly any light shining through the screen. This can be solved relatively quickly by simply increasing the brightness in the settings, but after the umpteenth time you really get tired of that. That can really be improved, OnePlus!
Conversely, OnePlus deserves kudos for the 8,000 mAh battery. It works well and can last for several days. With intensive use we still achieved 2 or 3 days, and 4 or even 5 days with regular use is no exception. Add to that support for fast charging (33W SuperVOOC) and then you have few worries in this area. Or it may be that you do not yet have a USB-C charger that supports SuperVOOC, because it is not included: only the well-known red OnePlus cable can be found in the box.
Four years of updates
The tablet runs on Android 13 with 128GB of internal storage and native OxygenOS 13.2. A positive trend is that as a consumer you are increasingly ‘right’ to more software support, and OnePlus is following that trend with this tablet. You get three years of (major) Android updates and four years of security updates.
Camera: good for indoors
We can be brief about the camera: it is very basic with 8 megapixels – both front and back. It is sufficient for (occasional) video conferencing or a quick video chat. But in less light it quickly becomes very difficult to take decent photos with the rear camera. Although you can of course ask yourself whether you should use a tablet to take photos. Hashtag boomer is never far away.
Conclusion
No standard keyboard case, no stylus and not enough power for multitasking: no, this tablet is not aimed at productivity and office applications. We really see here a media consumption device in, an extra screen at home on which you can stream, video call and possibly operate some smart applications. If that’s really the usage scenario you have in mind, then you won’t be disappointed.
Target price: 299 euros (including VAT)
Tags: Review OnePlus Pad multitasker
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