OnePlus Pad alternatives: Xiaomi Pad 5, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite and more

OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 11R were undeniably the highlights of the company’s Cloud 11. Still, the brand’s first offering in the Android tablet segment, the OnePlus Pad, stole the spotlight from OnePlus’ latest flagship line of phones. The tablet segment is witnessing steady growth, thanks to the pandemic in 2020, with many companies expanding their product portfolio by introducing a slate to take advantage of a resurgence in their demand. OnePlus has also thrown its hat in the ring by introducing the long-rumored tablet with impressive specifications and an interesting design. Its unique design makes the device distinct from the others so that you won’t mistake it for any other pad available in the market.

However, the company left us on cold feet with the release date and price details for the OnePlus. If you’re in the market to get yourself a new tablet, perhaps a gift for valentine’s day around the corner, and don’t want to wait, we have four OnePlus Pad alternatives worth checking out. Each device supports accessories like a keyboard and stylus.

The best OnePlus Pad alternatives

1. Xiaomi Pad 5

The Xiaomi Pad 5 is the first alternative on the list, and it happens to share a similar story to the OnePlus Pad. Like the OnePlus Pad, the Pad 5 also took some limelight from the launch event of the company’s ‘Showstopper’ flagship phone, the Xiaomi 12 Pro. With its impressive arsenal under the hood, the device received a big thumbs up in our review. Xiaomi Pad 5 specifications include a 10.9-inch LCD panel that supports a 2.5K (2560x1600p) resolution with support for 120Hz HRR, HDR 10, and Dolby Vision.

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 chip, the Pad 5 ships with an 8,720mAh battery with 33W charging support, offering more than enough grunt for anything you throw at it and up to 3 days of battery life. It packs 6GB RAM and 128GB/256GB internal storage. There is a 4K video capturing capable 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing shooter that does the job for video calls and selfies. The Xiaomi Pad 5 price in India starts at Rs 26,999.

2. Realme Pad X

The Realme Pad X (review) is a successor of the Chinese smartphone giant’s foundation in the tablet space, the wallet-friendly Realme Pad. This device is everything you would get with the other slates on the list, almost. The company ships the device with a 10.5-inch WUXGA+ panel that offers a 2000x1200p resolution and the standard 60Hz refresh rate. For those unaware, WUXGA+ stands for widescreen ultra-extended graphics array, a display type that supports a resolution between 1080p and 2K. Its screen delivers a 400nits peak brightness, fantastic for indoor use but not particularly ideal for outdoor usage.

Realme Pad X specifications include Qualcomm’s mid-tier Snapdragon 695 SoC and 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB of storage and wouldn’t break a sweat in daily use for a casual workload. With its 8,340mAh battery with 33W charging support, you can get up to 7 hours of screen-on time. Photography needs are taken care of by a 13MP rear shooter and an 8MP selfie snapper. Realme Pad X India price starts at Rs 18,999.

3. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022)

Samsung refreshed the original Galaxy Tab S6 Lite launched in 2020, powered by in-house Exynos 9611 with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G-powered 2022 model. The company also bumped up the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite price from Rs 27,999 to Rs 28,999. Besides the SoC at the helm, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite 2022 packs the same hardware configuration and design as the older 2020 model.

The device flaunts a 10.4-inch TFT LCD panel that supports 1200x2000p resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. It gets power from a 7,040mAh battery with 15W charging support, claimed to deliver up to 13 hours of video playback. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022) comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage, expandable via a microSD card slot. For photography, it has an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing sensor, both capable of taking 1080p video at 30fps.

4. iPad 10.2-inch (9th-generation)

If you want to get into or expand your collection of the Apple ecosystem without putting a hole in your pocket, the iPad 10.2-inch is your best bet. Although old, this most affordable iPad in Apple’s tablet lineup would still outperform most Android slates in the market available in the same price range, thanks to the reliable Apple A13 Bionic chip. It has a 10.2-inch Retina True Tone display and offers a pretty good viewing experience. The oversized bezels might look old school, but thanks to that, it houses the OG home button/Touch ID while offering a sizeable amount of space for better grip.

The device should easily last you for at least 10 hours, and you can quickly refuel it with its 20W power adapter. It packs 3GB RAM with 64GB/256GB storage options. The slate houses an 8MP wide camera at the back and a 12MP ultra-wide lens at the front. With a starting price of Rs 33,900, the iPad 10.2-inch (9th-generation) is a good investment.