OnePlus Pad Go 2 vs iPad: Why Budget Buyers Are Switching

The Budget Tablet That Refuses to Act Budget

OnePlus walked into Bengaluru today (17th December 2025) with something to prove. After two years of silence on the Pad Go series, the company unveiled the OnePlus Pad Go 2 — and within hours, tech Twitter hasn't stopped buzzing.

The reason? OnePlus essentially brought flagship tablet features to a device that costs less than a decent pair of headphones. We're talking 5G connectivity, stylus support, a massive 10,050mAh battery, and a display that makes Samsung's ₹1,00,000+ Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra look stingy in certain departments.

The Pad Go 2 goes on sale tomorrow (18th December 2025) at 12 PM IST across Amazon India, Flipkart, and the OnePlus India store. Pricing starts at ₹19,999 for the Wi-Fi variant, with the 5G model (Shadow Black, 8GB/256GB) expected around ₹24,999.

For US buyers, the tablet is priced at $399.99 with pre-orders starting today and retail availability from December 26th.

What's Actually New (And Why It Matters)

The original Pad Go from 2023 was... fine. A serviceable budget tablet that did the basics without embarrassing itself. The Pad Go 2, however, feels like OnePlus finally took the training wheels off.

Display: The screen jumped from 11.3 inches to 12.1 inches with a resolution bump to 2800 × 1980 pixels (2.8K). That's 284 pixels per inch — sharp enough to make text actually pleasant to read. Peak brightness hits 900 nits with 98% DCI-P3 colour coverage. And here's the kicker: Dolby Vision support. Something Samsung's $1,200 Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra still refuses to include.

Processor: The Helio G99 is gone. In its place sits the MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Ultra — a 4nm chip that powers phones like the Poco X7 and CMF Phone 2 Pro. Early hands-on reports describe the OxygenOS 16 experience as "night and day" compared to the sluggish original. OnePlus claims TÜV SÜD certification for four years of smooth performance. Bold promise.

Battery: The 10,050mAh cell is genuinely massive. OnePlus promises 15 hours of video playback, 53 hours of music, and a slightly ridiculous 60 days of standby. It also doubles as a power bank through reverse cable charging — useful when your phone dies mid-commute and you're nowhere near an outlet.

5G (Finally): The Shadow Black variant becomes OnePlus' first tablet with cellular connectivity. Students bouncing between campuses and professionals who refuse to hunt for Wi-Fi will appreciate not being tethered to hotspots.

The Stylus Situation

OnePlus finally listened. The Pad Go 2 Stylo marks the first stylus support in the Pad Go lineup, offering 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. A 10-minute charge delivers half a day of use. Screen-off quick notes are enabled by default — tap the display with the Stylo, and you're instantly taking notes on the lock screen.

The catch? It's sold separately. OnePlus hasn't disclosed pricing yet, but given the accessory ecosystem strategy, expect it to add ₹3,000-5,000 to your total investment.

For students and note-takers who've been eyeing Apple's entry-level iPad purely for Pencil support, this changes the math considerably.

What Tech Reviewers Are Actually Saying

Early hands-on impressions have been consistently positive, with some notable caveats.

NotebookCheck called the display upgrade "a significant uptick from the 90 Hz SDR displays of the Pad Go and Pad Lite," noting that navigating OxygenOS 16 feels "night and day" compared to the original.

Fossbytes described their experience as "excellent," praising the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra's performance and the Open Canvas multitasking system.

Republic World summarised it as "OnePlus didn't try to overthink the Pad Go 2. They just made it more capable."

Croma Unboxed highlighted the quad-speaker setup with Omnibearing Sound Field technology, suggesting the Pad Go 2 "might become the ideal Sunday morning kitchen tablet for music, podcasts, or recipe videos."

The consensus? This isn't a revolutionary device. It's a competent mid-range tablet that refuses to cut obvious corners — and in a market flooded with compromised budget options, that restraint itself feels noteworthy.

What Users Are Buzzing About

Social media reactions following the Bengaluru launch have been largely enthusiastic, with a few recurring themes:

The Good:

1. "5G tablet under ₹25K? Samsung is in trouble."
2. "Finally, stylus support without paying iPad prices."
3. "That battery could last my entire exam week."
4. "Reverse charging = my phone's new best friend."

The Concerns:

1. "Why 33W charging with a 45W charger in the box? Confusing."
2. "No AMOLED at this price point hurts, even if the LCD is good."
3. "Stylus sold separately feels like nickel-and-diming."

The charging situation deserves explanation. OnePlus includes a 45W SuperVOOC charger, but the tablet maxes out at 33W input. Full charge takes approximately 129 minutes — acceptable for a 10,050mAh cell, though not the blistering speeds OnePlus phones are known for.

OnePlus Pad Go 2 Specifications

How It Stacks Against the Competition

At ₹19,999-₹24,999 in India and $399 in the US, the Pad Go 2 occupies a competitive sweet spot.

Apple iPad (10th Gen) starts at $349 (approximately ₹29,000) with an A14 chip and 10.9-inch display. Superior app ecosystem, but no stylus included, smaller battery, and no expandable storage.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE lands around $449 (approximately ₹37,500) with an Exynos 1580, 10.9-inch display, and IP68 water resistance. S Pen included — but the price premium is significant.

Realme Pad 2 occupies similar Indian pricing territory but lacks 5G, stylus support, and the refined software experience.

The Pad Go 2's value proposition hinges on priorities. If you need Apple's app quality or Samsung's water resistance, look elsewhere. If you want the most specs per rupee spent on an Android tablet — the math favours OnePlus.

The AI Features Nobody Asked For (But Might Actually Use)

OxygenOS 16 arrives with a suite of AI-powered tools that feel less gimmicky than the industry average.

AI Writer proofreads and adjusts tone in real-time — useful for students drafting assignments or professionals polishing emails. AI Recorder transcribes meetings and lectures automatically. AI Summary condenses lengthy articles and documents. AI Translation handles text conversion across languages.

Whether these features become daily utilities or forgotten toggles remains to be seen. But their presence signals OnePlus positioning the Pad Go 2 as a productivity device, not just a streaming slab.

What Experts Disagree On

Display Technology: Some reviewers mourn the absence of AMOLED, arguing that budget tablets deserve better blacks. Others counter that the IPS LCD's 900-nit brightness and colour accuracy exceed expectations for the price tier.

Long-Term Performance: TÜV SÜD's four-year fluency certification is impressive on paper. Whether the Dimensity 7300-Ultra actually delivers consistent performance through software updates remains unproven — the chip is relatively new to the tablet space.

Stylus Value: Critics note that adding the Pad Go 2 Stylo pushes total cost toward the ₹25,000-30,000 range, narrowing the gap with more capable alternatives. Defenders argue that optional accessories preserve choice for users who don't need them.

Who Should Buy This?

Strong fit:

1. Students needing note-taking, lecture streaming, and textbook reading
2. Budget-conscious professionals wanting productivity without premium prices
3. Entertainment enthusiasts prioritising display quality and battery life
4. OnePlus ecosystem users seeking device integration
5. Anyone wanting 5G tablet connectivity under ₹25,000

Consider alternatives:

1. Power users requiring AMOLED displays or flagship processors
2. Heavy gamers needing thermal management and peak performance
3. Apple ecosystem loyalists dependent on iPad-specific apps
4. Business users requiring enterprise-grade security features

The Verdict (Without Actually Saying "Verdict")

OnePlus played this one smart. Instead of chasing flagship specs and flagship prices, they identified what mid-range tablet buyers actually need — solid display, acceptable performance, outstanding battery life, and meaningful productivity features — then executed without obvious compromises.

The Pad Go 2 won't replace your laptop. It won't outperform a Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra in benchmarks. It definitely won't run iPad-exclusive apps.

What it will do is handle streaming, note-taking, video calls, light productivity, and casual browsing better than most devices in its price range. For students returning from winter break or professionals hunting for a secondary screen, the timing is deliberate.

We'll update this article once OnePlus confirms final Indian pricing and after extended use reveals real-world performance insights. The 5G variant availability across carriers also warrants monitoring.

For now, the hype appears justified. OnePlus made a compelling budget tablet that doesn't feel budget — and that's harder than it sounds.