So, if you're in the market for a new tablet. Most people default to the iPad. It's a solid, safe bet. But if you're willing to sacrifice some of the Apple ecosystem features like airdrop, for example. You should definitely check this out. So watch this and let me know if you are the type of person who is happy with the trade-offs. 

This is the OnePlus Pad 2. Here are 10 reasons it might be a better tablet than the similarly priced iPad Air.

Value for Money

 So, at launch, the price point for the Oneplus Pad 2 in the UK is £449 for the 256GB with 12GB RAM. Now, this is already a win for the Oneplus alternative as the base model of the iPad Air costs £150 more, and you get half the storage at 128GB and a third less RAM with it having just 8GB.

Is that a deal breaker? Well, it does depend on whether you think you'll need the extra storage & whether you'll make use of the arguably better backgrounding and MultiTasking. 

Oneplus Canvas

This brings me nicely onto Oneplus's class-leading MultiTasking UI. They call this the Oneplus Open Canvas. Many people consider this the best implementation to date regarding split screening.

And I agree. It allows you to quickly split apps using gestures instead of looking at windows in place on the home screen.

You can navigate between them as if you had a large canvas. It's seamless, and it makes Apple's stage manager look bad.

The Display

While we are talking about looks. The most important aspect of a tablet is the display. The iPad is more expensive at £599 and has just an 11-inch display, so it is smaller by over an inch on the diagonal. Its refresh rate is a maximum of 60hz, which is ok for general browsing & productivity.  

On the other hand, for £100 less, you get a bigger 12.1-inch display that supports 144hz, making it twice as fast, and it can adjust between 144hz and 30. And it's brighter, too, by 100 nits. And it's more pixel-dense, with its 3K display having 303 ppi compared to the iPads 264 ppi.

Now, one thing to note here is that you can get higher refresh rates on iPad, but you'll have to look at the Pro models…and potentially Spend upwards of £1000.

The Audio

So this is an interesting one. It's the audio. The iPad appears to have speakers, but many people have noticed the sound only comes out of two.

So, get stereo Sound, and it does sound decent. They're good-quality speakers, As you would expect from Apple.

But for less money, you get more speakers on the Oneplus pad 2. Quite a lot more.

The Pad 2 had 6 speakers, which makes audio more immersive and makes it less likely to completely muffle the sound when gaming.

Speed and Power

So, Let's talk about speed and power. Apple devices are always formidable when it comes to silicon. They make their chips so they are tailored for the hardware. With that said, the current iPad Air is rocking the M2 chip, which is fantastic; I have no complaints. 

But, if you consider that, it's two generations behind their latest and greatest chip. Compare this to the Oneplus Pad 2, which has the most powerful and up-to-date Flagship chip from Qualcomm in 2024. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. 

You could make a good case for the Oneplus Pad 2 being as powerful or more powerful than the iPad Air.

It is hard to compare benchmarks, but one thing is for sure. They call the SD8gen 3 the Titan of AI for a reason

Titan of Ai

So, as you know, humans have entered the age of AI. And while we are still in control. It's something that can give you an advantage if you have it.

And you already know what I'm going to say. At this point in time, Ai is not native to iOS. It will be soon, though.

But at the time of this video. The Oneplus Pad 2 has the proper chipset to support it. There are various ways to use it, for example, to create wallpapers or help you compose a sick note for work, to name a few. So this feature that carries some weight

Size & Weight + Accessories

And on that topic. A tablet is something you'd like to carry around with you in a bag. And while the iPad Air isn't heavy, as the name suggests.

But it is heavier than the OnePlus Pad 2 by over 30 grams. It doesn't sound like much, but when you start throwing on cases and keyboards, The gap widens even more.

Now, I am a fan of Apple accessories that are really well-built and stylish. But as all things Apple are, they're pretty damn expensive too. The iPad Air Magic Keyboard, for example, is £300. That's a lot.

Now, the OnePlus Pad smart keyboard is half the price, and you may even get it thrown in for free if you're lucky. And it's actually a very nice keyboard case.

It's got the classic wide kickstand at the back that works even when on your lap. The key size and travel are much better than I expected. And even more significant is the size of the trackpad. Honestly, this is brilliant. It also has an NFC contact point for pairing devices to the tablet and sharing files. And if you have a OnePlus phone, you can quickly screen-mirror to the tablet.

There is an Apple Pencil alternative on the OnePlus. It's pretty decent. It may not be as advanced in features as the Pencil, but it's more than capable of writing and drawing.

Battery & Charging

Many variables can affect battery life. On paper, the OnePlus has a giant battery cell of over 1000mah, and something undeniable is that the charging speeds on the OnePlus Pad are significantly faster than those on the iPad.

It does support 67-watt charging speeds. This will save you time, and as you, nobody can give you your time back.

The Cameras

Now, the cameras. It's hard to say which is better in this area. So here are a few side-by-side pictures for you to decide. And for most people, the reality is that cameras are on tablets. They are more for conference calls as opposed to content creation and photography.

However, one little edge that is a win for the OnePlus Pad is the placement on the top landscape edge. This is far better than the iPad portrait-mounted camera for conference calls.

Oxygen OS Customisation

Now, this for me and a lot of people is a big win for the Oneplus Pad 2. It’s the customisation options.

You can customise the apps, the animations, and the overall theme on the Ui. And that’s really just skimming the surface of the options here.

But just having that freedom will likely surprise a lot of those who might decide to jump ship to Oneplus from iPad

So, with those 10 points considered, if you are an Apple person, would you be happy with these trade-offs? Or is there something that makes you want to stick with the iPad offering, other than the brand logo? If so, let me know. I'm genuinely interested.