OnePlus’ first tablet will cost $479

OnePlus has announced pricing for its first tablet, the Android-powered OnePlus Pad. Starting this Friday, April 28th, the OnePlus Pad will be available for preorder for $479 (€499 / £449) from OnePlus directly. Accessories for the Pad include a $149 magnetic keyboard case, a $99 stylus, and a $39 folio case. It is expected to begin shipping on May 8th from OnePlus, with Amazon availability slated for later in May. Those that place a preorder before May 8th will be able to get 50 percent off a set of OnePlus Buds Pro 2 earbuds when purchased with the tablet.

The OnePlus Pad is entering a tablet market that’s dominated by Apple, with Samsung scooping up whatever’s left. OnePlus originally made its name by selling high-end smartphones at prices that were considerably less than those of Samsung or Apple; it will be interesting to see if the Pad is able to inject some excitement into the Android tablet market in a similar fashion.

The most compelling aspect of the tablet is its display: a 144Hz LCD with a unique 7:5 aspect ratio that splits the difference in shape between a 4:3 screen, similar to an iPad, and a 3:2 display, like the one found on Microsoft’s Surface Pro devices. That should make it flexible for both landscape and portrait orientations, something that Samsung’s tablets struggle with. Additionally, the screen supports Dolby Vision HDR, and the Pad’s quad speaker array supports Dolby Atmos audio.

In addition to the interesting screen, the Pad has an aluminum chassis with a brushed metal finish. It comes in a single color: green. Other specs include a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

Like the iPad and Samsung’s tablets, you’ll be able to pair the Pad with a trackpad-equipped keyboard case for productivity work or write on its screen with the optional stylus. It will also be able to use a paired OnePlus phone’s data connection without needing a dedicated data plan of its own.

The pricing of the Pad puts it in the middle of the pack — it’s more expensive than Apple’s entry-level iPads but has hardware features that compete with the much pricer iPad Pro line. Similarly, it costs more than Samsung’s budget tablets but not nearly as much as the Tab S8 models that share similar features. It’s a formula OnePlus is familiar with.

We’ll have a review of the OnePlus Pad in the near future, so stay tuned for more impressions.

Correction, 10AM ET, April 25th: An earlier version of this article had the incorrect UK price.