OnePlus Pad Lite review: Glimpse of good-ol’ OnePlus in tablet form

OnePlus has evolved over the years. It’s now in the big leagues and playing its cards to fit it accordingly. But that good-ol’ spirit of competitiveness is often missed by fans. No more. At least for this one product, which is positioned in such a way that it gives off those “never settle” vibes, packaging the right features and for the right price. The product in question is OnePlus Pad Lite, which strikes a perfect balance between affordability and a good value proposition.

OnePlus Pad Lite doesn’t overpromise; rather, it quietly focuses on delivering the essentials—and then surprises you by doing a few things really well. If you’re looking for a reliable Android tablet that won’t hurt your wallet but can still handle streaming, browsing, light productivity, and even calling, this one’s worth a look—as long as your expectations are grounded in reality.

OnePlus Pad Lite comes in two variants, 6GB+128GB (WiFi) and 8GB+256GB (LTE), priced at Rs 15,999 and Rs 17,999, respectively. With Rs 2,000 instant bank discount and Rs 1,000 special launch offer, the effective price is down by Rs 3,000, which is a great price point for this tablet.

Design & build: Budget, not cheap

Now this is where things get interesting. The Pad Lite looks premium for its price—all thanks to its metallic back panel, which is way better than the plastic casing found on tablets in this price range.

The tablet has flat edges, which adds to the grip and a practical 16:10 aspect ratio for ideal in-hand ergonomics and a genuinely comfortable hold—even with a single hand. To think of it, it’s better than Pad Go’s 7:5 screen.

To eliminate any confusion, the tablet comes only in Aero Blue finish, and it looks sharp. But a black or a white option would’ve catered to more buyers. Just snap a case, and that’s solved.
While the metal back takes up a majority of the space, there’s a plastic strip holding the camera and antennas. This gives the tablet a nice dual-tone back. The power and volume buttons are strategically placed to be reached in both landscape and portrait orientations.

To wrap it up, there’s Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front, a bit outdated, but decent protection at this price. An IP52 rating offers minimal splash and dust resistance. Just don’t take it to the pool with you.

Display: Built for basics, and then some

The 11-inch LCD (1920×1200) gets the job done. Colors are decent, and brightness peaks at 500 nits, which is fine for indoor use and tolerable outdoors. But expect reflections on a sunny day or during flights. For Netflix, YouTube, or general media consumption, it’s great, but the lack of HDR is felt.

The best use case for this tablet is for students to take notes and even stumble for media consumption. The lack of HDR support shows color shift at certain angles. All in all, it’s a functional display, not a standout one.

The tablet also has 90Hz refresh rate, which renders smooth animations. You can always switch to 60Hz for better battery. The 180Hz touch sampling helps in casual gaming, after all, the tablet is not built for extensive gamers.

Performance: Functional

With a MediaTek Helio G100 under the hood (paired with 8GB RAM and UFS 2.2 storage in this review unit), performance is decent. Daily tasks like web browsing, emails, and YouTube run fine. It’s not snappy but can handle basic multitasking. This is where users will feel the effect of the price tag.

That said, the tablet manages heat dissipation remarkably well. There’s a 4G LTE SIM card slot, which makes connectivity on the go really seamless. With full calling and SMS functionality, you get the whole package, with one big caveat – no earpiece. Yep, you’ll have to use the speaker or earphones.

And with 128GB storage onboard, there’s enough room for your needs. In case that’s not enough, the microSD card slot supports up to 1TB, which is a rare and welcome feature in this segment, even if it means sacrificing the 3.5mm jack. With support for Hi-Res audio support via USB-C, OnePlus makes a smart decision to save itself from criticism.

The tablet gets a Quad Speaker system, which is boldly advertised as loud, well-tuned, and provides a genuinely immersive experience—especially when watching content in landscape mode. It’s easily one of the best audio setups in this price range. The default “O-Reality” audio tuning sounds better than the more famous Dolby Atmos profiles on rival devices.

Battery & charging

The 9340mAh battery is built to last. On Wi-Fi, there’s good range. Even with 4G running and mixed usage, it easily lasts a full day and then some. Under lighter use, you can stretch that to two days. If you’re not a frequent user, there’s good standby to last a single charge throughout the week.

The tablet gets a 33W SuperVOOC charger, which powers up the device from 10% to 80% in an hour, which is decent.

Cameras: For one purpose

Both the front and rear 5MP cameras are strictly utilitarian. Good enough for video calls or scanning documents, but not for photography. Which was the last time you used the camera on a tablet for photos, anyway?

Software: The edge over others

The OxygenOS 15 experience (based on Android 15) is clean, intuitive, and free of bloatware. Multitasking is well-executed—split-screen and floating windows feel natural on this screen size, and gestures are easy to learn.

If you use a OnePlus phone, the ecosystem adds real value: you can seamlessly mirror your phone, transfer files, and even use cross-device clipboard sharing. The O Plus Connect app also works with iPhones, expanding this tablet’s utility beyond Android.

OnePlus offers three years of software support, which is good in this price range.

Verdict: Should you buy?

OnePlus Pad Lite is not trying to be everything. It’s not trying to replace your laptop, outperform an iPad, or game like a console. It’s a straightforward, well-made tablet for media consumption, casual productivity, and light multitasking—with a few standout features like LTE calling, great speakers and impressive software. If you can live with the trade-offs, there’s no better tablet under Rs 15,000.