It wasn’t up to a week ago that OnePlus bestowed us, the consumers, with a selection of new devices to choose from. Of these, one was the OnePlus Pad 2, the sequel to its fantastic OnePlus Pad tablet that was released last year.
If you’re strongly considering blessing yourself with a OnePlus Pad 2, you might want to be sure that it’s the best option you can get and to do that, you need to pit it against the competition. In this case, one of the closest competitors is the Google Pixel Tablet. So, without further ado, let’s see how the OnePlus Pad 2 fares beside the Pixel Tablet.
How Does The OnePlus Pad 2 Compare To Google’s Pixel Tablet?
Looking for an Android tablet from a name that you can trust? The OnePlus Pad 2 and Google Pixel Tablet are some of the best options that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Here’s a summary of how they compare to each other.
| OnePlus Pad 2 | Google Pixel Tablet | |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Google Tensor G2 |
| RAM | 12 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB; UFS 3.1 | 128GB, 256 GB; UFS 3.1 |
| Display | 12.1 inches, IPS LCD, 144Hz, 3000 x 2120 pixels (304ppi), HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 900-nit peak brightness | 10.95 inches, IPS LCD, 2560 x 1600 (276ppi), 500-nit typical brightness |
| Rear Camera | 13MP, f/2.2; 4K/30 video support | 8MP, f/2.0; FHD/30 video support |
| Selfie Camera | 8MP, f/2.3; FHD/30 video support | 8MP, f/2.0; FHD/30 video support |
| Battery | 9,510 mAh | 7,020 mAh |
| Charging | 67W wired charging | 15W wired charging |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, USB Type-C 3.2 (Gen 1) |
| Speakers | 6 (Stereo) | 4 (Stereo) |
| Dimensions and Weight | 268.7 x 195.1 x 6.5 mm, 584 grams | 258 x 169 x 8.1 mm, 493 grams |
| Launch Price | $549 | $499 ($399 w/o dock) |
The Design
I’ll always reiterate that design is subjective, but I think the higher price of the OnePlus Pad 2 clearly allows the company to go for what I think will generally be the preferred design among the two. It looks more premium, has a metal unibody build, and is just 6.5mm thin, so there’s little to not like.
Meanwhile, the Pixel Tablet goes for softer pastel colors on what looks to be a plastic casing, so it’s not surprising that it simply looks cheaper. Plus, its bezels are bigger and it is 8.1mm thick, so that doesn’t help.
The Screens
Both devices are relatively large, but there’s an inch of difference in their diagonals. The OnePlus Pad 2 is 12.1 inches while the Google Pixel Tablet is just shy of 11 inches. With a bigger screen size, it’s not too surprising that the OnePlus Pad 2 has a higher resolution, but it also has a higher pixel density, so it makes up for its size and more.
Both are IPS LCD panels, and while the OnePlus Pad 2 has added perks like Dolby Vision and HDR10+ certification, Google doesn’t make any mention of such, so it probably doesn’t have them. That makes the OnePlus option much better for entertainment and gaming.
The Chipsets And Memory
OnePlus goes the usual way of any manufacturer looking for power and uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Google prefers to keep things in-house, because why not, and opts for the Google Tensor G2. Unfortunately, this compromises performance to a degree, so the OnePlus is obviously king.
The OnePlus Pad 2 comes in a single 12/256GB configuration while the Google Pixel Tablet comes with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. Again, that’s a win for OnePlus.
The Batteries And Charging
The OnePlus Pad 2 is slimmer and only has an inch more in terms of screen diagonal, yet it somehow manages to fit in a much larger battery. It’s a 9,510 mAh cell versus the 7,020 mAh cell in Pixel Tablet. The OnePlus model also has better charging, going up to 67W to fill that massive battery in an hour and a half. The Pixel has a measly 15W.
The Cameras
You shouldn’t be buying a tablet if you want jaw-dropping photos. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t use it to take pictures. The OnePlus Pad 2 has a 13MP main camera against the 8MP camera in the Pixel. Neither has OIS, but the OnePlus can at least record 4K. Both have 8MP cameras on the front too.
Pricing, And Which Should You Get?
Now, this is where things might balance things out since it is quite obvious that the OnePlus Pad 2 wins hands down on paper.
The OnePlus Pad 2 costs $549 and the Pixel Tablet on its own costs $399 without the dock. That’s a $150 difference, and for a sleeker design, a bigger battery, a bigger and better screen, a faster processor, more RAM, faster charging, and a better primary camera, I think the OnePlus device more than makes up the difference in price, and it’s the one I’d go for.
