I ditched my iPad for the OnePlus Pad Go 2 for 2 weeks, and this is a great, affordable Android tablet replacement
I didn’t expect to love the OnePlus Pad Go 2 ($399) this much. Sure, I’m a fan of the company’s tablets, but none of the units I’ve tested or reviewed would make me consider them over one of the best iPads. And while Apple continues to have a stranglehold over the tablet industry, I wouldn’t mind using the OnePlus Pad Go 2 as my daily driver.
What’s so great about this mid-range slate? For starters, its vivid 12.1-inch display does a phenomenal job of delivering sharp and clear images when you’re browsing the web, playing games, or reading comics. Though an OLED option would have been nice, everything looks quite nice on this screen.
The snappy and user-friendly OxygenOS is arguably the Pad Go 2’s secret weapon, since it makes finding and launching apps so seamless. Open Canvas provides one of the best multi-tasking experiences for tablets, as it lets you have up to three apps in a flexible interface. The user experience here is virtually identical to the OnePlus Pad 3, only for $200 less.
While the OnePlus Pad Go 2 doesn’t have a distinctive design like its sibling slates and its fast-charging isn’t all that fast, its virtues more than make up for any shortcomings. If you’re looking for one of the best Android tablets, this is the one to get. Find out more in my full review.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? The OnePlus Pad 2 is a 12.1-inch mid-range tablet that runs on OxygenOS.
- Who is it for? This is a tablet for anyone who wants a reliable productivity and gaming machine at an affordable price.
- What does it cost? The OnePlus Pad 2 costs $399 on OnePlus’ website. Right now, you can select either the OnePlus Pad Go 2 Folio Case or Pad Go 2 Stylo as a free gift. Separately, the former costs $44 while the latter sells for $79. However, at time of writing, these add-ons cost $31and $59 (respectively).
- What do we like? We like the bright and colorful display, snappy, user-friendly operating system, and easy portability.
- What don’t we like? The somewhat boring design compared to other OnePlus Pads and slow charging.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 review: Specs
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
OnePlus Pad 2 Go |
|
Price |
$399 |
|
OS |
OxygenOS 16 |
|
Display |
12.1-inches (2800 x 1980) LCD, 7:5 aspect ratio | 120Hz adaptive refresh rate |
|
CPU |
MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Ultra |
|
RAM |
8GB |
|
Storage |
128GB |
|
Ports |
1x USB-C |
|
Camera |
8MP rear, 8MP back |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 6, 5G |
|
Battery life |
16 hours 39 minutes (tested) |
|
Dimensions |
10.47 x 7.59 x 0.27 inches |
|
Weight |
1.32 pounds |
OnePlus Pad Go 2 review: The ups
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is a fantastic mid-range Android tablet thanks to its bright and colorful display, fast performance, and fluid operating system. Its long battery life is another major bonus.
Vivid display
The 12.1-inch 2800 x 1980 LCD panel delivers a fine viewing and reading experience. The oversaturated colors help comics pop off the screen, while the sharp resolution makes it easier to read text.
Watching videos like the X-Men-focused Avengers: Doomsday trailer is just as enjoyable, as I’m able to see all the different shades of red in Cyclops’ optic blast. Everything runs buttery smooth thanks to the variable 120Hz refresh rate.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
OnePlus Pad Go 2 |
iPad 11 |
|
Nits (brightness) |
544 (SDR) | 554 (HDR) |
485 (SDR) | 476% |
|
sRGB |
159.6% |
117.6% |
|
DCI-P3 |
113.1% |
83.3% |
|
Delta-E |
0.29 |
0.22 |
Our lab tests confirm my anecdotal experience. As you can see in the table below, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 does indeed have oversaturated color representation (sRGB and DCI-P3), along with good color accuracy (Delta-E). While the brightness doesn’t exactly hit the advertised 900 nits in high brightness mode, the average 554 nits of HDR brightness is more than enough for outdoor watching.
How does the OnePlus Pad Go 2 compare to the iPad 11? The display on OnePlus’ slate can get brighter and has more vivid hues. While the numbers might favor the Pad Go 2, the iPad offers more naturalistic tones. Color accuracy is also just slightly better on the iPad.
Lightweight design
You’d be forgiven for mistaking the OnePlus Pad Go 2 for an iPad. The design isn’t identical, but it’s very close. Though some folks aren’t fond of the large rear cameras on OnePlus’ tablets, no one can deny they give the slates a distinctive look. Losing that aspect is a bit of a bummer.
Even if the Pad Go 2 has a fairly basic shape, it’s a design that makes it easy to use and carry around. At 10.47 x 7.59 x 0.27 inches and 1.32 pounds, you can comfortably hold this slate for extended periods. It’s also lightweight and thin enough to slip into your backpack and forget it’s there.
One unique aspect that the Pad Go 2 retains is the display’s 7:5 aspect ratio, which makes it taller and wider than many tablets. The display’s proportions are closer to a laptop’s. This aspect ratio is perfect for novels and comics, so I’m glad OnePlus didn’t change that.
Even if the OnePlus Pad Go 2’s design isn’t that distinct, it’s still functional, portable and comfortable to use — exactly what you want in a tablet.
Good performance
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Ultra processor and packs 8GB of RAM. While these aren’t high-end components, they provide this slate with enough power for smooth multitasking and running relatively demanding apps.
Playing a YouTube video while multitasking across various apps didn’t present a problem for the OnePlus Pad Go 2, as everything ran smoothly and without slowing down. I saw some stuttering and frame rate drops in Genshin Impact, but it wasn’t enough to kill the experience.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
OnePlus Pad Go 2 |
iPad 11 |
|
Chipset |
MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Ultra |
Apple A16 |
|
Geekbench 6 score (single-core / multi-core) |
1013 / 3081 |
3042 / 11804 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited (score/fps) |
863 / 5.17 |
5806 / 34.8 |
On the Geekbench 6 CPU test, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 performed decently, though it’s clearly outmatched by the iPad 11 with its more powerful A16 chip. Apple’s tablet also lapped the Pad Go 2 on the 3D Mark graphics test.
Though the iPad 11 outclasses the OnePlus Pad Go 2 in our performance tests, you’ll find it performs surprisingly well under real-world conditions. This is impressive for a mid-range Android tablet.
Epic battery life
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is one of the longest-lasting Android tablets we’ve tested. In our battery life test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 lasted for an epic 16 hours and 39 minutes. As you can see below, that’s basically seven hours longer than the iPad 11.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Time (hours:mins) |
|
OnePlus Pad Go 2 |
16:39 |
|
iPad 11 |
9:41 |
During my own testing, I watched YouTube videos, browsed the web, and played games for about two hours, and the battery dropped to 80%. If you forget the tablet’s charger at home, you won’t be worried at all.
Snappy Oxygen OS
OnePlus’ OxygenOS 16 is one of my favorite things about the Pad Go 2. There’s a taskbar with your most recently used files, a built-in app drawer that helps with navigation, and a two-pane view that also facilitates navigation. Features like this make using the tablet feel very intuitive.
Speaking of productivity, Open Canvas is a fantastic multitasking tool for those who want to use this tablet for work. You can have up to three apps in an interface that allows you to keep said apps at your preferred size. Like with Open Canvas on the OnePlus Pad 3, the Pad Go 2 makes suggested pairings if you frequently switch between apps. I find these suggestions pretty handy. Performing the gestures required for this sort of splitview is pretty seamless.
As expected from a modern computing device, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 has built-in AI features. This includes summaries, text generation, and translation — all of which you can access by swiping the side of the screen whenever you need these features. You’ll also find dedicated buttons for them in relevant apps. I didn’t find much use for these features, but they could be useful to you.
Though I still prefer iPadOS 26 over OxygenOS 16, the latter is an excellent skin for Android that functions wonderfully.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 review: The downs
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is an almost perfect Android tablet. Unfortunately, it has one flaw that can be frustrating if you’re in a hurry.
Slow charging
While the OnePlus Pad Go 2 offers incredible endurance, charging its 10050 mAh battery takes an inordinate amount of time. The tablet is supposed to have “fast” 33W charging, but in my experience, charging is anything but fast. It took me a little over two hours to fully charge the slate from zero percent battery, which can feel like an eternity.
I bring up slow charging because I know this could be a point of contention for some. While I wish charging didn’t take as long, the trade-off is that you get exceptional battery life. Because of that, you won’t always have to keep charging this tablet. It comes down to whether you want a long-lasting battery or fast charging.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 review: Verdict
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 proves that Android tablets can be just as enjoyable and functional to use as Apple’s iPads. Granted, those already deep in the Apple ecosystem likely won’t be swayed to buy this slate, but if you’re platform agnostic, OnePlus’ tablet is a fantastic alternative.
If you need a mid-range tablet that delivers better overall performance, offers greater app compatibility, and has an OS that will be supported for many years, then the iPad 11 is your best bet. However, if you’re into Android tablets or want a slate that plays nice with your OnePlus phone, you should give the OnePlus Pad Go 2 a shot. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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