OnePlus Pad 4 First Impressions

For the longest time, tablets have existed in a space where meaningful upgrades arrive slowly. This meant incremental changes with each generation. However, recent launches, such as the Xiaomi Pad 8, suggest that brands are beginning to treat them as more than just larger-screen companions to smartphones. OnePlus appears to be leaning into this shift as well, with the new OnePlus Pad 4. The latest tablet from the brand brings a combination of flagship-grade hardware and a refined design language.

The OnePlus Pad 4 continues with the brand's clean and minimal design philosophy that we saw on the OnePlus Pad Go 2, and dials it up a notch for a more premium experience. It is available in two colours — Dune Glow and Sage Mist. We have the former for review. At first glance, it leans towards a warm, bronze-like finish with a subtle metallic sheen. It's not a loud or flashy shade, and the finish itself has a soft, satin-like texture. Despite its matte appearance, it has still attracted quite a fair bit of fingerprints and smudges during my initial days of usage.

One of the most striking things about OnePlus' latest flagship tablet is how slim it feels. At under 6mm thickness, the OnePlus Pad 4 comes across as impressively sleek. Despite its large footprint, its slim profile makes it easier to handle for extended periods. The camera module sits in the top-right corner (when held in landscape orientation) and features a pill-shaped island with a single lens and flash. It is slightly raised but does not wobble too much when placed on a flat surface.

The rest of the rear panel has a metal unibody construction that adds to the premium feel and looks clean. Oh, and there's also a POGO pin connector for the smart keyboard, although we did not receive one from the brand.

On the display front, the OnePlus Pad 4 sports a 13.2-inch 3.4K LCD screen with a 144Hz adaptive refresh rate, up to 1,000 nits peak brightness, up to 540Hz touch sampling rate, and Dolby Vision. Based on initial impressions, the panel looks sharp and vibrant, with punchy colours and sharp text across the board. It has relatively slim and uniform bezels, too.

Brightness also seems adequate in indoor conditions, although it did struggle a bit under Delhi's harsh sunlight. I will discuss the display experience after extended use in my full review.

Under the hood, the OnePlus Pad 4 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage. It runs OxygenOS 16 out of the box, which, like other OnePlus tablets, has been tailored for a larger screen experience. In my brief time with the Pad 4, apps opened swiftly, and even multitasking with up to three split-screen windows does not seem to make it sweat.

Given the hardware on offer, the tablet appears well-equipped to handle multitasking and demanding workloads. Its real-world performance, thermal behaviour, and long-term responsiveness will become clearer once I have spent more time with it.

OnePlus is also pushing its ecosystem story further with the introduction of the new Stylo Pro stylus. Compared to the standard OnePlus Stylo, the new stylus is said to offer improved pressure sensitivity, a refined tip for better precision, and additional controls aimed at productivity and creative workflows. We'll explore how well they translate into real-world usability in our full review.

The OnePlus Pad 4 packs a 13,380mAh battery and supports up to 80W wired fast charging. Given the size of the battery pack, endurance seems to be one of its key strengths, at least on paper. However, charging speeds and real-world battery life are some metrics that can only be evaluated after extended usage.

Based on our first impressions, the OnePlus Pad 4 feels like a more confident step forward for the brand's tablet lineup. Its slim design, understated Dune Glow finish, and large display give it a strong initial presence, while the core hardware and new Stylo Pro are indicative of a growing focus on productivity. However, how these elements come together in everyday use is something we will discuss in depth in our full review of the OnePlus Pad 4. So, stay tuned!