Category Archives: tablet

OnePlus’ Refreshing Summer Launch Event

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OnePlus LogoOnePlus refreshed its product line with no less than five new devices which I feel must be a record for OnePlus. None of them were really a secret as they were all announced back in mid-June. However, we now have details and pricing on the devices, so let’s review what was launched and see what the picks are.

First, up there are two new phones, the Nord 5 and the Nord CE5. The Nord 5 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform, which provides plenty of processing power for the mid-range phone and a significant boost over the previous generation. The launch video make it pretty clear that they’re going after the gamers with the Nord 5: smooth graphics, fast RAM, big battery and built-in cooling.

Looking at the screen, the 6.83″ 144Hz Swift AMOLED display has a resolution of 2800 x 1272 pixels giving 450 ppi. The battery is a chunky 5200 mAh squeezed into a phone only 8.1 mm thick and the form is designed to feel good in the hand. The new Bypass Charging allows the phone to draw power directly from the charger when playing demanding games which relieves stress on the battery.

For the creators, the Nord 5 features 50 MP cameras front and back with an additional 8 MP ultra-wide lens on the rear. HDR and natural colour algorithms are lifted from the OnePlus 13 so the pictures are going to be good.
Pricing for the Nord is £399 (8+256GB) and £499 (12+512GB) though there are combinations of discounts, trade-ins and vouchers that can bring that price down.

Turning to the Nord CE5, it uses the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex chipset powered by a similar 5200 mAh battery. The screen is slightly smaller at 6.77″ (but you’re unlikely notice the difference as it’s only a little over a millimetre in real units). The screen refreshes up 120 Hz and pixels come in at 2392 x 1080, so the pixel density is lower at 387 ppi.

On the camera front, the selfie cam is 16 MP, and round the back there’s a 50MP main lens along with an 8MP ultrawide. As with the 5, there’s similar photographic crossover from the 13 and if you need more storage, the CE5 can take a MicroSD card up to 1TB.
For the CE5 expect to pay £299 (8+128GB) and £349 (12+256GB) respectively, and as with the big brother 5, there are additional discounts, gifts and benefits.

Both phones come with OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15, based on Android 15 with the addition of Open Canvas, the multitasking windowing extensions that make the space more useful. Gemini features in both too, plus the Nord 5 comes with OnePlus’ new AI features like AI Plus Mind, which recognises on-screen content, storing it and morphing it into useful data such as calendar events.

Sticking with handheld devices, building on the successful launch of the Pad 3, OnePlus has launched the Pad Lite, an affordable, entry-level tablet. It’s £199 for the 6+128 GB Wi-Fi version and £229 for the 8+128 GB 5G one, which is competitive against similar devices. There are some additional savings and special offers for purchases through end of August. Although it’s not mentioned in the press release, I think we can expect the Lite to replace the Go in the OnePlus portfolio.

The Pad Lite has an 11″ 1920 x 1200 pixel display driven by MediaTek Helio G100. Powering everything is a a substantial 9,340 mAh battery which, while watching videos, should keep the Lite going for about 11 hours. There are cameras front and back but they’re nothing to write home about at only 5 MP: that’s still perfectly adequate for video calling or online meetings. Of course, the Lite comes with the Open Canvas Android extensions to take full advantage of the larger display.

Moving onto smaller devices, OnePlus has launched the Buds 2, which integrate well into the ecosystem with Google Fast Pair, Dual-Device connections and low latency game mode. Obviously there’s Active Noise Cancellation here, with the Adaptive ANC adjusting 800 times per second and intelligently switching between transparency and noise cancellation depending on the environment. The OnePlus Buds 4 are available in the colours Zen Green and Storm Gray and are priced at £119, though they’re down to £99 for early birds.

And finally, a new version of the Watch 3 coming in a 43 mm case size and priced at £269 with a £20 discount to £249. This is perhaps the one I’m most interested in as my Fitbit Sense 2 comes to EOL. A smaller version of the larger 46 mm Watch 3 in steel rather than titanium, it continues to use OnePlus’ Dual Engine architecture combining long battery life with Google’s WearOS. The Watch 3 offers 60 hours of wear in smart mode and up to 7 days when in power saving mode.

Speaking about the OnePlus Nord 5 series, Pete Lau, Founder of OnePlus, said: “OnePlus Nord series combines minimalist design with industry-leading flagship technology, earning the trust and love of users around the world. Driven by our Never Settle spirit, we continue to raise the bar across all price segments. By bringing flagship-grade performance and advanced OnePlus AI features to more users, we believe the OnePlus Nord 5 Series will become an essential companion in everyday life.”

There’s a somewhat quirky launch video which probably isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, but you can find it here. Skip through to about four minutes in for the start.

High Five for OnePlus with Ecosystem Refresh

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OnePlus LogoNot content to rest on the success of the Pad 3, OnePlus has announced five new devices for launch on 8th July with a combo of phones, earbuds, watches and tablets. Yes, another tablet is coming too.

Starting in the smartphone department, the Nord 5 and Nord CE 5 will refresh OnePlus’ mid-range devices The Nord 5 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform and it comes with the same Cryo-Velocity VC cooling inside the OnePlus 13, so that should keep the gamers happy. When it comes to the Nord CE 5, I’m liking the back cover’s stone-flow effect.

And if gamers want to hear the in-game sound effects perfectly sync’d with the action, then the new Buds 4 earphones will be a perfect match. When put into “Game Mode”, the Buds 4 offers 47ms ultra-low latency audio. The earphones will be offered in both Storm Gray and Zen Green.

Next up is a smaller 43 mm version of the OnePlus Watch 3 in stainless steel. Packing all the same features as its big sibling, this will appeal to fans who find the current 47 mm model a bit too big. Zooming in on the picture, the case appears somewhat rounder that the current model too.

Finally, there’s a yet another new tablet coming. This time it’s the OnePlus Pad Lite, an affordable entertainment and productivity hub which will be available in Aero Blue in Europe. I’m assuming that this is the successor to the Pad Go and the unique central camera returns….

If you can’t wait to get your hands on the products, there are a number of pop-ups planned in a European tour of 7 countries.

  • Helsinki (Finland) on 8th July
  • London (UK) on 10th July
  • Copenhagen (Denmark) on 11th July
  • Antwerp (Belgium) on 12th July
  • Paris (France) on 12th July
  • Warsaw (Poland) on 12th July
  • Madrid (Spain) on 16th July

As is their style, OnePlus will be trickling out more information on its socials over the next few weeks.

OnePlus Delivers Premium Pad 3

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OnePlus LogoEarly this morning UK time, OnePlus released orders for the Pad 3, delivering what looks to be a premium tablet at a less-than-premium price. The third iteration of the Pad series, it comes with some decent specs on paper. Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Mobile processor, up to 16 GB RAM and 512 GB of storage, and a large 13.2″ 144 Hz screen with a resolution of 3392 x 2400 pixels giving 315 ppi. That’s a big detailed screen in a device a smidge thinner than 6mm. I’m showing my age, but it’s strange to think that my first desktop PC came with a 14″ monitor and here’s a tablet that’s almost the same size. But I digress…

The Pad 3 comes with OnePlus’ Open Canvas extensions to Android 15 that enable effective multitasking on the large screen and when used with the folio-style Smart Keyboard or the Stylo 2 stylus, it’s going to get the job done. Open Canvas allows three apps to run at the same time on the screen. Of course, you could just kick back and watch a film on the 3.4k high definition screen. Your call.

There’s a substantial battery with a capacity just over 12,000 mAh which should give somewhere around 18 hours of watching video or 6 hours of intensive gaming. In theory, the Pad 3 can hold its charge for two years when switched off but who’d want to do that? 80W SuperVOOC charging will boost the battery by 18% in 10 minutes.

”Our OnePlus Pad Series has established a strong reputation for delivering some of the most powerful and productivity-focused tablets on the market – and the launch of the OnePlus Pad 3 is the next big step of this journey,” said Celina Shi, Chief Marketing Officer, OnePlus Europe. ”Combining blazing fast hardware, a vibrant display, ultra-portability, AI enhanced productivity features and booming speakers for immersive gaming and movies, the OnePlus Pad 3 redefines the Android tablet industry in 2025.”

The OnePlus 13 is pretty much phone of the year for 2025 and it looks like the Pad 3 is likely to be the tablet of 2025 as well. I haven’t yet got hands-on but the early reviews are positive. If you’re tempted, there are some launch offers on at the moment with deliveries expected around 19th June. Get in there quick.

OnePlus Pad 3 is available in Storm Blue and is available in two versions, priced as follows:

  • 12GB + 256GB: UK£529 / €599 / US$699
  • 16GB + 512GB: UK£599 / €699

Pad 3 is available with the following accessories:

  • Stylo 2: £99 / €99 / $99
  • Smart Keyboard: £169 / €169 / $199
  • Folio Case: £59

The launch offer in UK is to get the 16 GB version of the Pad 3 for the price of the 12 GB, and one free accessory from the list above.

The quirky launch event video takes place in a luxury hotel set in the tropics – watch below.

OnePlus Pad Pricing Announced

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OnePlus LogoAfter several months of waiting, the price point for the OnePlus Pad has been announced at UK£449 (499 € / US$479) for 8GB RAM and 128GB storage with pre-orders in Europe from 10:00 BST on Friday 28th April. Pre-orders will come with the choice of the OnePlus Folio Case or the SuperVOOC 80W adapter. Shipping is from 18th May so it’s a few weeks until the courier drops it off, as it were.

The full price list for the Pad and accessories is:

  • OnePlus Pad £449
  • Stylo (Pencil) £99
  • Magnetic Keyboard £149
  • Folio Case £59
  • 80W SUPERVOOC Adapter £39.

The original Early Bird offer when the pricing was unknown sold out in five days so it looks it’s going to be popular.

Toumas Lampen, European Head of Strategy, commented ’Earlier this year, we announced our ambition to build a Superior Digital Life for consumers. Today we take our next big step in that journey by announcing the price and pre-order dates of our first ever tablet, OnePlus Pad. Following a complete sell out of our Early Bird Offer earlier in April, we’re thrilled that people are as excited about OnePlus Pad as we are.’

A quick reminder of the specs….it’s a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 CPU driving an 11.6″ 2800×2000 pixel screen with a 144 Hz refresh rate and powered by a 9510 mAh battery. Four speakers support Dolby Atmos audio for great sound. The colour way is Halo Green and it has this lovely circular pattern on the rear, spreading out from the large camera array.

I think this is a good price point as it fills space that’s missing in the Samsung range. The Galaxy Tab A8 is in the £200+ range but the Tab S8 is £700+, so there’s a convenient slot there for OnePlus to position itself as a “not-quite-a-flagship-killer-but-only-about-half-the-price-of-one”.

I’m looking forward to getting my hands on one (fingers crossed!)

Reservations Open for OnePlus Pad but Still No Price

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OnePlus LogoOnePlus have opened reservations for the OnePlus Pad but it’ll cost you UK£99 hold your spot until the price is announced on 25th April. Don’t worry, the fee is refundable if you decide the Pad isn’t for you and there are some tasty freebies if you continue with the order. Global pre-orders open on 28th April.

First, a quick reminder of the OnePlus Pad’s specs – it’s powered by the Dimensity 9000 chipset with 8 GB RAM + 128 GB of storage. The display is a 11.6″ screen with a 2800×2000 pixel resolution. There’s an unusual 7:5 screen ratio with a camera in the centre round the back and from the pictures, it’s clear that OnePlus expect the Pad to be used in landscape orientation. Finally, it comes in a unusual Halo Green to match the Eternal Green of the 11 smartphone. There’s a large 9510 mAh battery but the most interesting part is that allegedly the Pad will retain power for a month on standby.

If you pony up for a reservation, you’ll get a free 80W SuperVOOC charger and the choice of one from the following (as stocks last):

  • Magnetic keyboard (£149)
  • Stylo in white (£99)
  • Folio case (£59)

Follow through on the full payment before 10:00 BST on 28th April and you’ll get your freebies. Full details of the promotion are here.

Even just considering these as accessories, it’s clear that OnePlus aren’t messing around and it’s back to their “flagship killer” mantra by offering styluses and keyboards.

Toumas Lampen, European Head of Strategy, said, “Earlier this year we launched our first ever tablet, the OnePlus Pad, which represents a big step forward in our journey of building a Superior Digital Life. Feedback so far from our community has been nothing short of incredible. In celebration, we’ve created an unmissable Early Bird Offer for OnePlus Pad that bundles its best accessories for free. We can’t wait for you to get your hands on it.”

There’s no doubt that the tablet market is tough – there’s Apple and there’s Samsung – but if anyone can do it, it’s OnePlus.

OnePlus Delivers a Vision for the Future

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OnePlus LogoRight on cue, OnePlus delivered its largest launch event showcasing the OnePlus 11 5G smartphone, Buds Pro 2 earphones, Pad tablet and the Keyboard 81 Pro. In some respects there were no surprises but the big takeaway was OnePlus’ ambition to build an ecosystem with phones at the centre.

OnePlus has always had a strong fan base or “community”, as they’d probably prefer but even I was surprised by the numbers. The OnePlus Red Cable Club has 30 million members and you actively have to join; you aren’t automatically enrolled. In comparison, OnePlus has sold 55 million phones, which is nothing compared to Apple’s 2 billion phones, but it means that nearly 55% of owners are in the Club. I think that’s impressive and important. And over 14,000 people watch the live event broadcasting from New Delhi, India.

OnePlus’ new cryptic legend is “1+4+X”. 1 is the phone at the heart of the ecosystem, 4 are the categories of TV, wearables, tablets and earphones. X is entertainment, efficiency and health. There we have it – OnePlus’ strategy for the next few years. It’s not an entirely new approach as there have been hints of this as far back as the early Nord phones.

For comparison, Samsung’s been at this for awhile and have been very successful at it, though some of their gear only interoperates with other Samsung products, cf SmartTags, which I find frustrating. Xiaomi is another useful comparison but hasn’t been as successful in building an ecosystem. Xiaomi have lots of products in different categories but they don’t present as a unified system.

As OnePlus unveiled new products, the presenters often emphasised the interoperability between, say, the Buds Pro 2, and the OnePlus 11. Having devices from the same stable is now an advantage and while the event was really about the high-end offerings, I imagine this will trickle down to the Nord phones and lesser Buds.

With the strategy out of the way, let’s talk about the products, pricing and availability. The specs are well covered elsewhere so I’ll highlight a few of the main features only.

The Phone
The OnePlus 11 5G is largely as expected with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering a 6.7″ fluid AMOLED QHD+ display with 120 Hz refresh. Two colour ways, Eternal Green and Titan Black. There’s Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos and plenty of clever AI trickery called RAM-Vita to compress unused apps and reserve RAM for particular apps.

Inside is a 5000 mAh battery that will charge from 1 to 100% in 25 mins using the 100W SuperVOOC charger supplied in the box. While OnePlus reckons you’ll get at least 4 years of good battery health, I’m disappointed that there’s no wireless charging – I think that feature was last seen on the OnePlus 9. The phone is WiFi 7 ready and has dual WiFi acceleration to improve download speeds.

The 11G’s cameras are managed by Hasselblad’s 3rd generation of mobile software with hardware assistance and computational photography. The three cameras offer 50 MP OIS for the main lens, a 32 MP 2x optical zoom for portraits (and bokeh) and an ultra wide 48 MP lens. In addition there’s a new colour calibration sensor that really should ensure colours are true to life.

Pricing is
US$699 / 829€ / UK£729 for the 8GB+128GB version
US$799 / 899€ / UK£799 for the 16GB+256GB
Pre-orders are open now with shipping in around 20th February.

The Tablet
The OnePlus Pad is the first tablet from the company and I get slightly mixed messages on this device. OnePlus tout the entertainment credentials of the Pad – big screen, hi-resolution, large battery for video, great sound – but Pad also comes with a stylus and a magnetic keyboard, which makes me feel they’re going after the more work-like Samsung Tab S series. As pricing and availability hasn’t yet been announced we’ll have to see.

The Pad is powered by the Dimensity 9000 chipset with up to 12 GB RAM. The screen is 11.6″ with a 2800×2000 pixel resolution which ought to look lovely. There’s an unusual 7:5 screen ratio and from the pictures, it’s clear that OnePlus expect the Pad to be used in landscape orientation and it comes in a lovely Halo Green to match the Eternal Green of the 11.

There’s a large 9510 mAh battery which will take advantage of 67W SuperVOOC to charge rapidly but the most interesting part is that allegedly the Pad will retain power for a month on standby.

The OnePlus Pad will only be offered with WiFi connectivity as owners are expected to seamlessly connect through to their OnePlus phone.

No details on price but pre-orders are expected in April.

The Earbuds
There’s nothing much to say that hasn’t already been covered in previous articles here on GNC. The Buds Pro 2 will come in three colours; Arbor Green, Obsidian Black and Misty White. Co-created with Dynaudio, the Buds Pro 2s have dual drivers for exceptional sound reproduction and with three external mics, there’s up to 48 dB of a active noise cancellation. When used with the charging case, there’s up to 39 hours of listening and 10 mins of charge gives 10 hours of music.

Pricing is $179 / 179€ / UK£179 and pre-orders are open.

The Keyboard
The OnePlus Featuring Keyboard 81 Pro is an interesting addition to the portfolio. Yes, it’s a high-end mid-sized keyboard with some cool features but it doesn’t really seem to fit into the ecosystem. Yes, it will work with PCs, Macs and other devices but I don’t see what makes this OnePlus special other than a couple of red keycaps. The premium materials are lovely and there are some nifty features like the metal stand, but it would have been nice to see some customisation for the 11 or the Pad. One for the fans, I think.

Price and availability to be announced later.

Conclusion
Overall, a solid launch event from OnePlus with an exciting long term vision for the future and some pretty cool products as well. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a few of them in for view from the nice folks at OnePlus.

Xiaomi October Global Launch – Smartphones, Vacuums, Tablets and Earbuds

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Xiaomi Logo - an orange squircle with stylised white MI lettersReturning to an in-person event, Xiaomi‘s global launch took place in Munich, Germany with Abi Go, Head of Product Marketing, kicking off the event. Looking at the company, Xiaomi are now #266 in the Fortune Global 500, primarily through 160% growth in the premium smartphone category. The phones are no longer cheap and cheerful, and the Xiaomi 12 received some good reviews, including from myself. Xiaomi isn’t only about phones too – they’re rapidly growing in autonomous driving and robotics as well – but as you’ll see from the launches, Xiaomi is getting well established in consumer electronics.

First up was the Xiaomi 12T series, with the 12T and the 12T Pro smartphones. Both very similar in design, with a large main lens dominating the camera array on the rear. To reinforce this, the Pro comes with a whopping 200 MP main sensor and the standard 12T is fitted out with a still-fairly-big 108 MP sensor. Every part of the imaging system has been optimised, from the lens (8P) to the sensor (1/1.22″) and the software (advanced imaging processing). The new ProCut software uses AI to crop and frame images to make any scene look its very best, and the In-sensor zoom allows 2x zoom at the sensor level for clear portraiture. Both phones have an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro and 20MP selfie camera on the front.

Inside the 12T Pro is a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 with a MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Ultra featuring in the 12T itself. Each chipset offers significant improvements in performance and power consumption over the previous generation. Both phones sport a 6.67″ 1220p resolution and 120 Hz CrystalRes AMOLED display covered by Gorilla Glass 5. The AdaptiveSync display will adjust the screen frequency for a fast and smooth refresh when needed and then revert to a lower power saving rate when not. Sound is by Harmon/Kardon and supports Dolby Atmos for a detailed and rich soundscape.

Keeping the power on is a 5,000 mAh battery with 120 W charging which will charge the battery from 0% to 100% in 19 minutes. With all the improvements to the CPU, the display and the battery, users can expect 13.5 hours of normal screen-on time and nearly 8 hours of gaming. That’s impressive.

Coming in three colours: blue, black and silver, the phones look, and I imagine, feel the part. The Xiaomi 12T Series will be available for sale starting on 20th October via Xiaomi official channels. The Xiaomi 12T Pro (8GB+128GB) will have an RRP of GB£699, and the Xiaomi 12T comes in two storage variants, 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB, with an RRP of £499 and £549 respectively.

Next up were vacuum cleaners, starting with the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X10+ which offers great cleaning for carpets with mop pads that lift up out of the way when the robot encounters carpet. S-Cross AI uses a pile of extra sensors to navigate the home and avoid hazards. X10+ comes with an all-in-one docking station that charges the robot, empties the dirt bag, cleans the mop pads and adds water to the X10+’s reservoir. Of course, the X10+ can be controlled by an app too. The vacuum robot is priced at 899€.

The W10 Wet Dry vacuum series are a series of wet and dry battery powered vacuum cleaners with a variety of features from assisted power, heated water rollers and base stations. Prices start from 599€.

The third set was for TVs and Xiaomi’s second generation TV Q2 series with QLED screens will come in 50″, 55″ and 65″ sizes. All the TVs support Dolby Vision IQ and Google TV is built-in. Prices start from 599€

Xiaomi’s been producing smart bands for several years and this time it’s the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro. It’s a bit bigger than the previous bands but it’s much more stylish in a rectangular design that’s in keeping with current trends, i.e. it looks a fair bit like one of the market leading smart watches. The 1.64″ AMOLED screen is 84% bigger than the previous generation and the 7 Pro now has GNSS (GPS) built-in for route tracking so your smartphone doesn’t have to come along for the tracking. As before, the Band 7 Pro comes in a range of colours with two new vegan bands, pine green and moon grey, added to the selection. Battery life is around 12 days. All this doubles the cost and the Band 7 Pro will be priced at GB£84.99 / 99€.

Finally, Xiaomi announced the Redmi Pad, an all-in-one pad for fun. The Redmi Pad comes as a slim and durable medal unibody and is available in mint green, graphite grey and moonlight silver. At 445g it’s roughly twice to three times the weight of a phone but it’s easily portable. The screen is 10.6″ with 2K resolution at 90 Hz and the viewing experience is enhanced by quad speakers supporting Dolby Atmos. Inside is the MediaTek Helio G99 CPU along with an 8000 mAh battery. The camera is sensitively placed along the long edge to make video calls a little bit more natural (cf Samsung Galaxy Tab series) and FocusFrame tracks the users faces to ensure they’re in the picture. MIUI has been enhanced for the Pad and prices start at GB£269 / 279€ for the 3GB+64MB variant. I like this…

Although not covered in the presentation, Xiaomi also announced the Redmi Buds 4 Pro and Redmi Buds 4. Both offer noise cancellation and charging cases. The Redmi Buds 4 Pro offer 9 hours of listening on a single charge with a total of 30 hours when the charging case is used. The Buds 4 will go 6 hours on a single charge but offer 36 hours total when recharged from the case. Redmi Buds 4 and Redmi Buds 4 Pro available from £49.99 and £84.99 respectively via Xiaomi’s official channels. Available in the UK from 4th October.

The livestream is available here.