OnePlus Pad Lite review: Almost brilliant budget tablet

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OnePlus’ Pad Lite is the baby sibling of the company’s recent flagship tablet, the Pad 3. The Chinese giant is pushing an affordable, entry-level Android tablet into the market, claiming long battery life, better connectivity features (for those with other OnePlus devices), and multitasking features.

This is a tablet built for everyday tasks: streaming, light gaming, video calls, and note-taking. On those fronts, on its own, there is little to really fault it, and OnePlus’ minimalist design makes it a smooth experience.

But there are many rivals in the Android tablet market, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ and the Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2. While the Pad Lite performs decently, it lacks the technical chops that would put it top of the leaderboard. Here’s my full review.

Design & Build

Design & Build

• Slim and sturdy
• Sleek finish
• No fingerprint sensor

The Pad Lite has a clean, symmetrical design and comes in a single matt ‘Aero Blue’ finish, which is enjoyable to hold and resistant to fingerprint smudges.

The soft texture gives it a more refined feel than many plastic-bodied rivals, and the aesthetic is consistent with OnePlus’s broader design philosophy.

At 530g and just 7.39mm thick, it’s slightly heavier than the Galaxy Tab A9+, but still feels easy to carry around and handle one-handed.

Its extra heft actually gives the impression of a more premium device, with a well-balanced weight distribution that helps it rest comfortably in the hand. The rounded edges and flat back make it stable on a table or lap, although the camera bump does give it a slight wobble.

One thing notably missing is a fingerprint scanner, which would be far more convenient than the facial recognition capability that OnePlus has built in.

The Pad Lite has a clean, symmetrical design…which is enjoyable to hold and resistant to fingerprint smudges

While face unlock is responsive under normal lighting conditions, it’s not secure enough to be used for authenticating payments or accessing software such as password managers, meaning users will need to enter their lock screen password every time. It also does not perform well under low light, which is especially annoying when streaming shows late at night.

The Pad Lite also lacks a headphone jack, which is a shame on a budget device, though its Bluetooth 5.2 connection is stable and responsive with wireless headphones.

Screen & Speakers

• 11-inch, FHD+ LCD display
• Smooth 90Hz refresh rate
• Decent speakers but odd placement

The Pad Lite has a 1920 x 1200 LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate – a solid offering at this price point.

It’s one of the few in the budget segment to offer smoother-than-average scrolling, but it doesn’t match up to the sharpness or brightness of the Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2, which boasts a 1600 x 2560 resolution and 600 nits of brightness, compared to the Pad Lite’s 500.

Nevertheless, the Pad Lite’s 11-inch panel is crisp and comfortable for the likes of reading, browsing, and media playback.

When streaming shows, the display delivers decent contrast. Whites are clean, blacks are reasonably deep for an LCD, and overall picture quality is pleasant, especially indoors.

The Pad Lite’s 11-inch panel is crisp and comfortable for the likes of reading, browsing, and media playback

Eagle-eyed users might spot the lighter colour calibration, which can make skin tones appear a touch washed out, and the lower resolution means some fine textures get lost.

Still, for the majority of users, especially those coming from older tablets, the improvement in fluidity and clarity will be immediately noticeable.

OnePlus has also packed in a four-speaker setup with support for stereo playback. Audio is loud enough to fill a room, and spatial separation is good when the tablet isn’t being handled. Voices come through clearly, and music sounds fuller than expected at this price.

The only drawback is the placement. Since the speakers are located on the short edges, your hands may inadvertently cover them when watching in landscape mode.

Specs & Performance

• MediaTek Helio G100 chipset
• Handles gaming well
• No expandable storage

With 8GB of RAM and a MediaTek Helio G100 chip, the Pad Lite handles typical tasks – web browsing, HD streaming, video calls, and light gaming – without noticeable stutter or slowdown. For casual users, the performance is more than adequate, and at no point did the device feel sluggish during day-to-day multitasking.

Loading speeds are quick, and more intense Android games like Genshin Impact run impressively without slowing down mid-slash or spell, even with no changes to the default graphics or motion settings.

At no point did the device feel sluggish during day-to-day multitasking

One of the Pad Lite’s standout features is Open Canvas, OnePlus’s multitasking system which allows two apps to run simultaneously – either split-screen or with one floating above the other. It’s well-implemented and benefits from the extra RAM, making it easy to take notes during a video call or message while watching content. In most cases, both apps run fluidly side by side without any perceptible lag.

There are a few quirks, though. Some apps, like the game Hearthstone, don’t resize properly unless given a minimum amount of screen space – something OnePlus could improve with software tweaks. Still, for basic multitasking needs, it’s a good experience and rivals what is offered by other tablets in this bracket.

Storage is fixed at 128GB, which translates to around 40 downloaded HD films or thousands of photos. For casual and cloud-first users, the built-in space will likely suffice – but if not, you’re stuck. The Pad Lite lacks a Micro-SD slot, which is a shame since devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 offer expandable storage.

OnePlus Pad Lite benchmarks

Cameras

• Basic 5Mp front and rear sensors
• Passable colour balance
• Poor zoom performance

Cameras on a tablet are rarely a priority, especially in the budget space, and the Pad Lite does little to challenge that expectation.

The main camera is passable for quick snaps in good lighting. Colour balance is respectable, with the reddish hues of unripe berries, the deeper purple of those ready to pick, and the green foliage all rendered relatively accurately.

The wooden fence backdrop appears slightly desaturated, but doesn’t skew the overall palette. It’s fine for casual capture, but this is not a camera you’ll want to rely on for anything more than functional use.

Where the Pad Lite struggles most is with detail. The image begins to blur in more complex areas like shadows or overlapping textures, and lacks meaningful depth of field. Its photos lack that pop or clarity you’d get from an older mid-range phone, and texture becomes muddy with minimal zoom.

This is not a camera you’ll want to rely on for anything more than functional use

On the upside, the front-facing camera is decent for video calls. It handles skin tones naturally under decent lighting and maintains a stable image for platforms like Zoom or Google Meet.

Battery Life & Charging

• All-day battery life
• 80W wired charging
• No charger in the box
• Optional 80W upgrade

The Pad Lite impresses with its hefty 9,340mAh battery. The device can easily power a full day of non-stop video playback or web browsing without breaking a sweat.

But the charging experience feels a bit stingy. Out of the box, OnePlus only includes a USB-C to USB-A cable, and with a modest 12W travel charger, it crawls from 0 to just 7% in 15 minutes, barely hitting 15% after half an hour. At that rate, you’re looking at close to two hours for a full charge.

The device can easily power a full day of non-stop video playback or web browsing without breaking a sweat

While OnePlus currently sweetens the deal by throwing in a speedy 80W charger as a freebie on its website, it’s frustrating that such a powerful accessory isn’t standard. At minimum, a better cable or faster charger should be part of the package, not an afterthought or promotional perk.

Software & Apps

• OxygenOS 15 over
• Minor bloatware only
• Handy device mirroring

Running OxygenOS based on Android 15, the Pad Lite delivers the clean, no-nonsense software experience that’s become typical of OnePlus devices. OnePlus also says this will get four years of OS updates and six years of security updates.

The interface feels snappy and minimal, with no aggressive theming or system ads – a refreshing contrast to what you’ll find on budget offerings from other Chinese brands, where bloatware and visual clutter are often hard to escape.

Out of the box, there is some minor pre-installed software – Netflix and WPS Office are the two most notable – but these are arguably useful apps rather than intrusive ones.

The Pad Lite also benefits from cross-device features, particularly for those already in the OnePlus ecosystem. This includes file and clipboard sharing between a OnePlus phone and the tablet, as well as screen mirroring.

The Pad Lite delivers the clean, no-nonsense software experience that’s become typical of OnePlus devices

The OnePlus phone display appears in a floating window, allowing you to drag and drop files or respond to messages without switching devices.

Compatibility extends to Apple users too, via the O+ Connect app, and although this is not as deeply integrated as AirDrop or iCloud, it works reliably enough for casual use.

For families, the dedicated Kids Mode is a welcome addition. It allows parents to restrict app access, set screen time limits, and control internet permissions, all within a simple interface that doesn’t require additional downloads or third-party tools.

Price & Availability

The OnePlus Pad Lite comes in two configurations: a 6GB RAM + 128GB Wi-Fi model for £199, and an 8GB RAM + 128GB LTE variant for £229. 

You can pre-order one via the OnePlus UK website now, ahead of the device being released on 14 August. However, OnePlus has confirmed to Tech Advisor that the Pad Lite won’t be coming to the US, at least initially.

That UK price puts it in direct competition with the Redmi Pad 2 (from £169) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (from £239). Check out our guide to the best budget tablets to see our top recommendations.

Should you buy the OnePlus Pad Lite?

The OnePlus Pad Lite is a competent budget tablet, but it falls short of being truly competitive.

It gets the basics mostly right: the 90Hz refresh rate is welcome in this price bracket, the 9340mAh battery delivers excellent longevity, and OxygenOS is refreshingly clean compared to the bloated interfaces found on many cheap Android tablets. If all you need is a simple streaming and browsing device, it’ll do the job without fuss.

But the devil is in the details. The LCD screen, while smooth, is dimmer and less sharp than rivals like the Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2. The lack of expandable storage, a fingerprint scanner, and a headphone jack are all noticeable omissions on a budget device where practicality should be prioritised.

If you’re already using a OnePlus phone and want tight integration, the Pad Lite makes a reasonable case for itself. But, at full price, it’s stuck between entry-level tablets that cost less and better-rounded mid-range options that don’t cost much more. 

Specs

• Android 15
• 11-inch, 1920 x 1200, 90Hz LCD display
• MediaTek Helio G100
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB internal storage
• 5Mp front camera
• 5Mp rear camera
• Face recognition
• Wi-Fi 5
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 5G
• USB-C
• 9340mAh battery
• 33W wired charging
• 166.5 × 254.9 x 7.4mm
• 530g
• Launch colour: Aero Blue