OnePlus Pad Go 2 First Impressions

Like its smartphones, OnePlus has maintained a steady presence in the tablet segment. However, its last two models — the OnePlus Pad 2 and OnePlus Pad 3 — have been positioned in the flagship category, with the original OnePlus Pad Go remaining the company's only offering in the affordable tablet space since 2023. That changes now. The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is set to launch in India on December 17, and it promises several upgrades over its predecessor.

We spent some time with the OnePlus Pad Go 2 ahead of its launch, and here are our first impressions.

OnePlus Pad Go 2 First Impressions: Design and Display

The OnePlus Pad Go 2 builds upon the design of the OnePlus Pad 3 and incorporates refinements that help it appear modern and premium. The centrally placed single-camera deco, which we saw on the OnePlus Pad Go, has now been tucked into the corner, keeping up with the recent design trends. Despite this, it remains unobtrusive and does not cause the Pad Go 2 to wobble. The familiar OnePlus logo still sits at the centre of the back panel.

The new camera deco of the OnePlus Pad Go 2

While OnePlus hasn't revealed the final weight or thickness yet, the tablet feels sturdy and well-balanced for a device with a 12-inch-class display.

The Pad Go 2 will be sold in India in two colour options — Shadow Black and Lavender Drift. Our unit is the Shadow Black variant, which looks sleek and understated. However, as with many matte black finishes, it does pick up fingerprints and dust more visibly than we would prefer. The soft-touch texture, though, offers a reassuring grip and feels comfortable during prolonged use while browsing, reading, or watching videos in landscape.

The Shadow Black variant appears to attract fingerprints and dust fairly easily

On the front, the upcoming OnePlus tablet features a 12.1-inch 2.8K screen with Dolby Vision support, 284PPI, and Dolby Vision certification. During our brief time with the OnePlus Pad Go 2, the display looked vibrant with crisp text and vivid colours. The panel also has TUV Rheinland Smart Care 4.0 certification, which should help with eye comfort during longer sessions. The company claims 900 nits peak brightness, and the outdoor legibility appears to be good at first glance, despite being a bit reflective in nature.

We'll take a closer look at the display experience, including its colour accuracy, streaming performance, and stylus responsiveness, in our full review.

OnePlus Pad Go 2 First Impressions: Performance, Camera, and Battery

The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Ultra chipset. While we cannot talk about its performance yet, OnePlus claims that the tablet will deliver up to four years of smooth performance, as certified by TUV SUD Fluency testing. The brand, however, has yet to announce the RAM and storage configurations.

You get dual speakers at the bottom, along with the SIM-tray slot

OnePlus says its tablet will also feature the self-developed Open Canvas software for multitasking on a large display. It offers intuitive touch controls, using which users can activate split-screen mode and switch between multipleo windows. If executed well, this should make it an interesting proposition for users who multitask heavily and use a tablet as an alternative to their laptop.

The company has confirmed that the Shadow Black variant of the Pad Go 2 will be the first OnePlus tablet to offer 5G connectivity. Among other firsts is the OnePlus Pad Go 2 Stylo. Aimed at students and creative professionals, it is an integrated stylus in the Pad Go series for productivity, note-taking and creative work. A potential rival for the iPad and Apple Pencil in the making, perhaps?

Like its predecessor, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 will be equipped with a single rear camera, with a slightly different layout. We will test the camera and its capabilities thoroughly in our review.

The OnePlus Pad Go 2 appears fairly slim, despite its large battery pack

The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is confirmed to pack a 10,050mAh battery, with support for 33W SUPERVOOC wired fast charging. The company promises up to 15 hours of video playback, up to 53 hours of music streaming, and up to 60 hours of standby time. It will also support reverse wired charging.

In initial usage, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 comes across as an upgrade that caters to users who want a large display experience without stepping into flagship pricing. The upgrades, at least on paper, make it more versatile than the first-generation Pad Go.

There are still things we need to evaluate closely, though, including performance, camera quality, battery life, and the software experience. Thus, stay tuned for our OnePlus Pad Go 2 review, which drops soon.