OnePlus recently announced its newest tablet, the OnePlus Pad 2.
The Pad 2 has some fantastic specs and is even cheaper than Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9, but how exactly does it compare?
Keep reading to discover all the major differences between the OnePlus Pad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9.
The OnePlus Pad 2 has a 3K display
Firstly, the OnePlus Pad 2 has a higher-resolution display with a slightly faster refresh rate.
The Pad 2 boasts a 12.1-inch 3K (3000 x 2120) LCD screen with a smooth 144Hz refresh rate. The display has an unusual 7:5 aspect ratio that makes the tablet ideal for split-screen use, though it does leave you with slightly bigger black bars when streaming movies on Netflix.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 also features a stunning display, with a lower 2560 x 1600 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The Tab S9 does, however, benefit from AMOLED technology, meaning you can expect deeper, true blacks and vibrant colours from the display. This makes the tablet ideal for streaming TV and films.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 comes with a stylus
Both tablets support styluses, but only the Galaxy Tab S9 ships with a pen included. This makes the Tab S9 better suited to note-taking and digital art right out of the box.
Of course, you can opt to buy the OnePlus Stylo 2 alongside the Pad 2, just bear in mind that it’ll cost £99 extra. That said, the OnePlus Pad is already £200 cheaper than the Galaxy Tab S9 (or £300 less with the same 12/256GB configuration), so you’ll still pay less overall even if you do pick up a stylus at checkout.
The OnePlus Pad 2 packs a more powerful chipset
The OnePlus Pad 2 launched nearly exactly a year after the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, meaning the Pad 2 can carry a newer processor.
The Pad 2 is equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. We haven’t had the opportunity to put the tablet through our vigorous benchmarking tests just yet, but on paper that makes the Pad 2 the fastest and most powerful Android tablet around.
Before the Pad 2 came along, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 (along with the rest of the Tab S9 collection) was the most powerful Android tablet on the market. This is thanks to its custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset. The Tab S9 is available with either 8GB/128GB or 12GB/256GB, with the latter matching the OnePlus Pad 2. Samsung has also included a MicroSD slot on the Tab S9, allowing its storage to be expanded up to 1TB.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 has a higher-resolution front camera
When it comes to their front cameras, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 is our winner thanks to its higher photo and video resolution and wider view.
The Galaxy Tab S9 has a 12-megapixel selfie camera with a 4K/30p video resolution and an ultra-wide 120-degree field-of-view. While the camera tech is nothing overly impressive – especially compared to Samsung’s smartphones – it might be better suited to video calls, with the wide FOV squeezing more people into the frame.
The OnePlus Pad 2 features an 8-megapixel front camera with a 1080p/30p video resolution – the same found on the older OnePlus Pad. Again, the camera is nothing noteworthy, but should be fine for quick snaps and video calls.
The OnePlus Pad 2 supports faster charging
Finally, the OnePlus Pad 2 packs a bigger battery and faster charging support.
The Pad 2 is equipped with a 9510 mAh battery and speedy 67W SuperVOOC charging, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 features an 8400 mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging.
