If you’re in the market for a new Android tablet, you may have considered picking up the OnePlus Pad. Here’s how the tablet compares to the latest addition to Samsung’s S series, the Galaxy Tab S9.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab S9 alongside the Z Flip 5 and the Z Fold 5 at this summer’s Unpacked. That was just a number of months after OnePlus unveiled its own tablet for the world to see.
We’ve put together this guide to highlight the important differences between these two tablets.
The OnePlus Pad has a 144Hz display
Both the OnePlus Pad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 boast impressively smooth and vibrant displays. However, the OnePlus Pad comes out on top where the refresh rate is concerned with its speedy 144Hz screen.
That being said, the Galaxy Tab S9 isn’t slow by any means. The Tab S9 benefits from a 120Hz display and the screen is AMOLED instead of LCD, which is a display type with its own benefits when it comes to extending the tablet’s battery life.
The Galaxy Tab S9 has better software support
One of our biggest issues with the OnePlus Pad was Oxygen OS 13.1’s lack of meaningful support for tablets. We found that Oxygen OS didn’t include useful features that seemed obvious to include considering some of its accessories.
When it comes to the OnePlus Stylo, there’s no quick note function for jotting down notes quickly and no handwriting-to-text conversion either. There isn’t even a dedicated note-taking app readily available on the tablet.
Likewise, the onscreen keyboard doesn’t disappear when the keyboard case is connected, needlessly taking up a third of the screen as you type.
We haven’t spent enough time with the Galaxy Tab S9 to determine how seamlessly it works with apps and accessories, but One UI is a well-connected ecosystem, and we did spot a dedicated note-taking app on the tablet during our brief time with the device.
The OnePlus Pad is significantly cheaper
When it comes to price, the OnePlus Pad is definitely the most tempting of the two tablets at just £449 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.
The Galaxy Tab S9, meanwhile, starts at £799 for the same amount of RAM and storage. That’s a sizable £350 price difference.
The Galaxy Tab S9 benefits from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
Both the Galaxy Tab S9 and the OnePlus Pad are powered by flagship chipsets.
Samsung has opted for Qualcomm’s custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, while the OnePlus Pad runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip that, while not quite top-end, we found offered solid performance even with extended gaming.
The OnePlus Pad supports faster charging
The Galaxy Tab S9 series is limited to 45W fast charging, while the OnePlus Pad is able to take advantage of up to 67W SuperVOOC charging. In both cases, you’ll need to buy a charging brick to take advantage of these speeds as there isn’t one provided in the box.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
