This is the fastest tablet OnePlus has ever made and shipped for consumers to buy. Undoubtedly a fantastic foundation to build with. I’ve often noted the trajectory of usefulness that Android tablets have been on for the past couple of years, and while Google has done its bit to improve Android for this form factor of devices, it is the tablet makers such as OnePlus who are putting in the hard yards to make the software productivity focused. The OnePlus Pad 4, retaining the large display real estate of its predecessor, adds more in terms of what the company brackets as “PC level productivity”.
The OnePlus Pad 4 is priced ₹54,999 for the 8GB memory and 256GB storage spec, while 12GB+512GB variant (I’d recommend this) is priced at ₹59,999. Chances are you may also be considering the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 ( ₹1,13,900 onwards), the Xiaomi Pad 8 ( ₹33,999 onwards; but a smaller screen comparatively but with nano-texture matte option), and the Oppo Pad 5 (that’s ₹27,999 onwards; also a smaller screen) for your next tablet purchase. One that come in the same ballpark as the OnePlus Pad 4 in terms of the large 13.2-inch screen real estate, is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, and that’s significantly more expensive at ₹1,22,999 onwards. Suddenly, the OnePlus Pad 4 already seems good value.
I’ll first broach an important reason why you’d be considering a OnePlus Pad 4, and that’s productivity—as a laptop replacement, a second machine for travel and so on. Flexibility and subjectivity is endless. The good news is, the work OnePlus has done with trying to make a tablet feel as close to a laptop as far as productivity possibilities goes, is par excellence. That familiarity, I insist is a prerequisite to get any sort of work done, and that isn’t always possible on a consumption first interface. The multi-tasking improvements extend the number of windows you can have open at the same time, some in the background—it’s five now. And with the keyboard accessory that also has a very useful trackpad (I would strongly recommend these, if this is your laptop replacement), switching between them is simple.
Two key updates within OxygenOS to make file management simpler. First, is the multi-column view within the Files app, which gives you a fair preview of any file (an understandable glimpse of the contents, file size, date saved and so on) without having to open every file one by one. This is very similar to how Finder can be configured in macOS or how the Files app on an iPad can be set—good to see OnePlus bringing the experience closer to this convenience. Secondly, there is support for external drives connected via USB-C, which you can now drag-and-drop between the tablet and that external storage.
The troika of productivity brilliance is rounded off with the O+ Connect app proving key to use a Windows or Mac or an iPad as a second screen—with mouse and keyboard seamlessly working across the two devices. File transfers, particularly the heavier ones, become simpler, cross-device. If your tablet or the PC also gets the bulk of messaging or email notifications, replicating that on a screen you may be actively using more at a particular time, means you’ll not miss out on those either. OnePlus has always done well to build that ecosystem play, at least among its phones and tablets, and this extension to welcome computing devices into the fold, is a very welcome move.
This observation sits at the intersection of productivity and subjectiveness, but I’m very happy to note that OnePlus has redone the keyboard accessory. It’s better now. From that fairly unusable two part design, to a more reassuring (and premium looking) design that uses the magnet system to dock the OnePlus Pad 4 with it floating some way above the top of the keyboard. It looks nice, feels nice, and can be used in the lap while you may be travelling—something a two part design didn’t at all allow. That said, I have no assessment of the keyboard quality, key responsiveness or the trackpad experience to illustrate, since OnePlus is yet to ship this review accessory.
There is a certain continuity to the design of the OnePlus Pad 4, when looked at sequentially with the OnePlus Pad 3. That’s most certainly a positive, because this clean and well thought through design language worked last year, and works now as well. The metal chassis, the 5.94mm slim design and with the weight well in check, this simply works. You’ve two colour choices, the Dune Glow with a bronze-esque hue and a green-er Sage Mist with a frosted look, both providing nice contrasts to pick from.
Generationally, a big step forward as far as specs and therefore the underlying future proofing potential. OnePlus gave last year’s Pad 3 the flagship chip of that time, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. The OnePlus Pad 4 stays the course with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, arguably the best silicon OnePlus could have used this time around. This alongside a larger battery too (13380mAh with 80-watt fast charging versus 12140mAh with 80-watt fast charging) are just the right upgrades where they were needed.
I’d give a lot of weightage to the Cryo-velocity Cooling technology which is essentially a combination of graphite composite and a large vapour chamber that’s claimed to be 45260mm square in volume, to keep the thermals in check. You may not realise heating on the back panel often on a tablet, but the key is, this does help keep performance consistent without heating induced performance slowdown introducing a scenario of sluggish app response or app switching. As an every day work machine or a second computing device, not noticing any changes, is a good thing.
Specs across the board seem to be on point with the OnePlus Pad 4. The 13.2-inch display size isn’t something many Android tablet makers offer, particularly at these price points (the 14.6-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra costs significantly higher, at ₹122999 onwards). The Xiaomi Pad 8 with the 11.2-inch display still doesn’t have a larger screen sized sibling, in this category. Attention to the finer details such as an antenna design that’s been redone (OnePlus claims AI is at play here too, I’ll let them have this claim) for better device-to-device connectivity, tells you that the OnePlus Pad 4 has been cradler after considerable thought and with unwavering attention.
But then OnePlus goes ahead and launches the Pad 4 in Wi-Fi-only spec, which is a big miss for the audience this tablet is trying to appeal to—the convenience of 5G via a physical SIM or an eSIM remains unmatched when you quickly want to get work done, without encumbrance. It is understandable they are pushing the ecosystem play here, for their smartphones too, but not everyone will play ball—the tablet has to also appeal equally to a wider audience. This seems to be generational inertia, one that we can collectively hope will change soon enough. Even more so, because the OnePlus Pad 4 leaves remarkably little room for critique.
