OnePlus Pad 3 Review: The Android Tablet That Made Reviewers Ditch Their iPads

The OnePlus Pad 3 drew unusually strong reviews, including from reviewers who use iPads day to day. TechRadar headlined its review “it might be time to retire my iPad,” and Tom’s Guide’s headline reads “I’ve reviewed the OnePlus Pad 3 — and it’s made me ditch my iPad,” according to TechRadar and Tom’s Guide. The tablet arrived in June 2025 at a starting price of $699 in the US.

This review is based on OnePlus’s published specifications and on the published reviews from TechRadar, Tom’s Guide and GSMArena. It summarizes where those reviewers agree, where their measurements differ, and what they found lacking.

Design and Build Quality

The Pad 3 is 5.97mm thick and weighs 675g, with an aluminum body. Tom’s Guide notes that it is slimmer than the iPad Air and the Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus, though not quite as slim as the iPad Pro or the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus; TechRadar compares it with the 5.1mm iPad Pro 2024. It is also a large tablet: Tom’s Guide notes that the screen grew by more than an inch compared with the OnePlus Pad 2. (For the first-generation model, see our OnePlus Pad review.)

The most distinctive design choice is the 7:5 aspect ratio. Tom’s Guide describes the result as “a squarer, iPad-style tablet compared to the more rectangular Galaxy Tabs,” and TechRadar’s reviewer found that the extra height left room for several windows at once. The trade-off, as GSMArena points out, is longer black bars above and below widescreen video.

One omission comes up in more than one review: there is no fingerprint scanner. Tom’s Guide lists that as a con and calls OnePlus’s continued lack of biometric security baffling.

Display

According to GSMArena’s specifications, the Pad 3 uses a 13.2-inch LTPS LCD with a resolution of 2,400 x 3,392 pixels (usually described as 3.4K), a 144Hz maximum refresh rate and Dolby Vision support. OnePlus claims 900 nits of peak brightness. In GSMArena’s lab test the panel reached 842 nits in auto mode, which the site calls “among the highest scores we’ve seen from a non-OLED tablet,” with a contrast ratio of 1:1239.

Tom’s Guide points out that the 144Hz peak is slightly higher than the 120Hz of the iPad Pro and the Galaxy Tab S10 series, although the adaptive refresh system steps between a fixed set of rates rather than being fully variable. It is still an LCD, and Tom’s Guide is blunt about the ceiling: “Samsung’s OLED tablets and the Tandem OLED iPad Pro are still superior.” Buyers who prioritize deep blacks should look at OLED models such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra.

There is also an HDR caveat for streamers. GSMArena found that YouTube plays 4K HDR content on the Pad 3, but Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video did not recognize it as HDR-capable, limiting those apps to non-HDR playback at 1080p.

Performance

The Pad 3 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, and Tom’s Guide notes that OnePlus was the first manufacturer to put that chip, then found in 2025’s premium Android phones, into a tablet. OnePlus claims a 45% CPU and 40% GPU improvement over the Pad 2, according to TechRadar.

Memory and storage come in two configurations: 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage, or 16GB with 512GB, both using UFS 4.0 storage (GSMArena). Tom’s Guide adds that the 16GB model uses LPDDR5T memory, which it describes as faster and more power-efficient than the LPDDR5X in the 12GB model. Availability of each configuration varies by region.

In Tom’s Guide’s benchmark comparison, the Pad 3 led its competitors on graphics and stayed ahead of the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus on CPU performance, though Tom’s Guide still judged the M3-powered iPad Air the more powerful tablet, adding that it “costs quite a bit more.”

Battery and Charging

Battery life is the area where the published tests agree most strongly. The Pad 3 has a 12,140mAh battery, up from 9,510mAh in the Pad 2, and OnePlus claims six hours of triple-A gaming or more than 17 hours of video playback (TechRadar).

Independent results are strong, though they measure different things:

Tom’s Guide: 16 hours and 21 minutes in its custom battery test with adaptive refresh, ahead of the Pad 2 (14 hours 8 minutes), the Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus (15 hours 43 minutes), the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 (13 hours 13 minutes) and the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus (8 hours 22 minutes).
GSMArena: an Active Use Score of 10:49h, including 14:14h of video streaming, which GSMArena calls the highest figure it had recorded from a tablet, and 8:21h of gaming. The Pad 3 did less well in GSMArena’s Wi-Fi calling and web browsing tests.

Charging tops out at 80W SuperVOOC, up from 67W on the Pad 2. TechRadar reports that the 80W charger is included in the US box but not in the UK, where buyers get only a USB-C cable. With an 80W charger, GSMArena measured 22% after 15 minutes, 40% after 30 minutes and a full charge in 1 hour 29 minutes. Tom’s Guide recorded a slower 20% at 15 minutes and 34% at 30 minutes.

Audio

The Pad 3 has eight speakers, four woofers and four tweeters, per GSMArena, which rated the system “Very Good” in its loudness test and noted a wide soundstage, while adding that “mid-bass and highs left some to be desired.” Tom’s Guide credits the speakers with separating instruments and vocals more clearly than the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, but docked points because it found the Pad 3 to be “the least bassy tablet I’ve ever tested.”

The result is loud, spacious sound that suits watching sports or films without an external speaker. Listeners who want deep bass will get more from headphones.

Software

The Pad 3 shipped with OxygenOS 15, based on Android 15, including OnePlus AI features powered by Google Gemini and Circle to Search (GSMArena). OnePlus has since begun rolling out the Android 16-based OxygenOS 16 to the tablet, according to its OxygenOS 16 rollout thread for the Pad 3, so check Settings for the current version.

Multitasking is the software highlight. OnePlus’s Open Canvas interface lets you keep up to three apps open at once (TechRadar), and Tom’s Guide calls it the best multitasking experience on any tablet. Tom’s Guide also notes a taskbar with recent files and an app drawer built in. GSMArena highlights the option to remotely control Mac and Windows computers from the tablet.

Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX HD, which matters if you pair headphones or speakers. There is no GPS and no cellular option, so the Pad 3 depends on Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot away from home.

Who Should Buy It

At launch, the Pad 3’s $699 starting price undercut the 13-inch iPad Air M3 ($799), the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus ($999) and the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 ($1,299), according to Tom’s Guide. Prices and the competing models have changed since mid-2025, so compare current prices before buying.

It suits students who want a large study and note-taking device, people who multitask across several apps, and anyone who values battery life highly. Look elsewhere if you need an OLED screen, HDR playback in the major streaming apps, a fingerprint reader, cellular data or GPS, or if you rely on Apple features such as AirDrop, Handoff and Universal Control.

The Verdict

The OnePlus Pad 3 is the third generation of OnePlus’s flagship Pad line, and the published reviews treat it as the strongest yet. All three reviews praise its battery life and its large 7:5 display, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide single out the Open Canvas multitasking, and it launched at a lower price than comparable iPads and Galaxy Tabs. The compromises are real but specific: an LCD instead of OLED, limited HDR support in streaming apps, light bass and no fingerprint scanner. If none of those matter to you, the reviews make a strong case for it.

Sources

TechRadar — OnePlus Pad 3 review: it might be time to retire my iPad (Thomas Deehan, June 6, 2025) — accessed October 19, 2026
Tom’s Guide — I’ve reviewed the OnePlus Pad 3 — and it’s made me ditch my iPad (Richard Priday, June 5, 2025) — accessed October 19, 2026
GSMArena — OnePlus Pad 3 review: Introduction, specs, unboxing (August 2, 2025) — accessed October 19, 2026
GSMArena — OnePlus Pad 3 review: Lab tests – display, battery, charging, speakers — accessed October 19, 2026
OnePlus Community — OxygenOS 16 stable rollout for the OnePlus Pad 3 — accessed October 19, 2026