The Lite name may suggest the OnePlus Pad Lite is a bit basic, but in reality, the best tablets don’t always have to be big, serious powerhouses to be compelling.
When you then consider the cost of OnePlus’s latest slate, you probably won’t care much about the specs for long.
The OnePlus Pad Lite has only just landed on our desk, so here’s a quick look at what to expect if you get in early with your pre-order.
No lightweight
But it feels really solid
The OnePlus Pad Lite shares a similar design to the OnePlus Pad 2, with its camera module mounted at the top-center of the rear panel when it’s looked at in landscape. The back has a two-tone effect and comes in a single Aero Blue color.
The corners are all softly curved, and while the front glass is elevated above the 7.4mm thick chassis, you can’t feel the edges against your palm, which should lessen any chance of fatigue when holding it for long periods.
However, you are going to notice the weight. At 530 grams, it doesn’t sound very heavy, but there’s a solidity to the tablet that gives it some real heft.
It’s fairly well-balanced, but when you hold it from the bottom corners in landscape orientation, you’ll feel the top of the OnePlus Pad Lite pulling down.
You’ll get used to it, and at least the OnePlus Pad Lite is lighter than the 675-gram OnePlus Pad 3.
OnePlus chose an LCD screen for the Pad Lite, measuring 11 inches with a 1920 x 1200 resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and 500 nits peak brightness. It’s bright enough for use indoors, and the viewing angles are acceptable.
I’ve noticed the 90Hz refresh rate doesn’t kick in as often as I’d like at this stage, and the tablet’s construction means the screen appears to sit slightly “back” from the glass and bezel, which stops it looking as modern as some other tablets.
What about performance?
An audio treat
Surrounding the screen are four speakers, all Hi-Res certified, and the tablet also includes support for codecs including AptX, AptX HD, and LDAC.
Crank the volume up and the OnePlus Pad Lite’s speakers have real presence. There’s no distortion until you pass the 75% volume mark, but by that point, it’s already pretty loud, so there won’t be many reasons to do so.
Driving the tablet is a MediaTek Helio G100 processor and 6GB of RAM. The chip has been out for about a year now, and is mostly found in mid-to-low range smartphones, so don’t expect the OnePlus Pad Lite to be suitable for playing the very top games at their highest graphics settings.
It’s not really made for such activity, but in the short time I’ve tested the OnePlus Pad Lite, it has run Chrome and YouTube without any problem, but there may be a hint of heat buildup on the screen after a while.
It’s unlikely to be anything to worry about, but gamers may notice it at times.
Inside the tablet is a 9,340mAh battery with support for 33W SuperVOOC fast charging, and OnePlus says a single charge will power the tablet for 11 hours of continuous video streaming.
The Android 15 and OxygenOS 15 software brings over the excellent extended standby tweaks seen on the OnePlus Pad 3, where OnePlus claims the battery should last for 54 days without being switched off, so it’ll be ready to use when you are.
Seriously competitive price
If you can buy one
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, the OnePlus Pad Lite is not currently available in the U.S., but it’s up for pre-order now in the UK ready for release on August 14.
The OnePlus Pad Lite has a retail price of £200, which converts to $266, and is available for pre-order in the UK for £170, or about $226.
That’s strong value for a well-made tablet from a big-name manufacturer, especially when the OnePlus Pad 3 costs £600 or $700.
Considering tablets are often second or even third devices in a house, and can be used purely as media machines, this makes the OnePlus Pad Lite more tempting than tablets priced as laptop alternatives.
I really like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE, but even its £500/$500 price was needlessly high if you only want the basics.
Equally, if you’ve been looking at the Amazon Fire Max 11 but have been put off by the lack of Google Play, the OnePlus Pad is shaping up to be a strong alternative without that particular downside.
Ahead of our full review coming soon, the OnePlus Pad Lite looks to be the low-cost tablet we deserved to see after a spate of cool, but expensive and unnecessarily powerful tablets.
