OPPO not only manufactures smartphones, but tablets as well offering some affordable and decent options. The OPPO Pad Air is the brand’s first tablet in the Philippines, launched in September 2022. It aims to provide a good balance between price and performance. But how does it fare in the competitive tablet market? Let’s find out in this review.
OPPO Pad Air Specs
| Display | 10.36-inch 2K IPS display, 2000×1200 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 |
| RAM/Storage | 4GB+64GB 4GB+128GB |
| Rear Camera | 8MP |
| Front Camera | 5MP |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi dual band, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Others | USB-C, Dolby Atmos Quad Speakers |
| OS | ColorOS 13, Android 13 |
| Colors | Gray, Purple |
| Battery | 7100mAh, 18W fast charging |
Display & Design
With a 10.36-inch display, a 5:3 aspect ratio, and a resolution of 2000×1200, the OPPO Pad Air offers a decent screen for browsing and watching videos. The screen has thick bezels on all sides, which make it comfortable to hold. It is decent but not outstanding, with average brightness (360 nits), contrast, and color accuracy.
The tablet has a simple and clean design, with a plastic frame and a metal back. It comes in two colors: purple and gray. It is relatively thin and light, measuring 6.94mm in thickness and weighing 440g. It feels comfortable to hold even with one hand.
The Pad Air is meant to be used in landscape orientation. The front camera is at the top center, while the power button and volume rockers are near the top left corner. It has four symmetrical 1W full-range Dolby Atmos speakers on the sides, which deliver decent sound quality. It also has a USB-C port for charging and data transfer and a microSD card slot for expanding storage. Conspicuously absent is the 3.5mm headphone jack for audio.
The tablet does not have a fingerprint scanner, but it does support face unlock, which provides a quicker method of unlocking the device, next to the usual PIN, password, or pattern.
Cameras
The OPPO Pad Air has an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. If you’re one to take photos using a 10-inch tablet, the rear camera can give you average-quality photos and videos in good lighting conditions. It does offer HDR mode and continuous autofocus, but the quality is pretty basic. However, it would suffice if you don’t have any other option.
The front camera, on the other hand, is fine for video calls and selfies, but it also suffers from noise and blur in low light. Again, it’s the bare minimum in terms of camera performance, but it’s fine for what it’s for.
Performance
The OPPO Pad Air is powered by the Snapdragon 680 processor, which is a mid-level chipset that can handle most tasks and some light gaming. It also has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (a lot more than what you normally get from budget tablets) with a microSD card expansion slot. It also runs on ColorOS 13 based on Android 13, which offers some extra features and customization options just for tablets.
The tablet supports split-screen mode, which lets you run two apps side by side. You can also use the dual windows feature, which lets you run two instances of an app on the same screen. These features are useful for multitasking and productivity.
In terms of gaming the OPPO Pad Air can run casual games without issue, but it struggles with more demanding games that require high graphics and performance. In this case, you can lower the graphics settings but do temper your expectations.
The Pad Air does excel as a productivity tool for web browsing, the occasional email, and some editing and writing on Google Docs and the like. It’s also a great entertainment portal for streaming on YouTube and Netflix (it has L1 Widevine certification) thanks to the high-resolution display and quad speakers.
Benchmark Scores:
- AnTuTu Benchmark V10.0.1: 302,152
CPU: 108,732
GPU: 48,548
MEM: 83,234
UX: 61,638 - Geekbench 6: 398 (Single-core); 1,203 (Multi-core)
Battery Life
The OPPO Pad Air has a good-sized 7,100mAh battery that can last up to 9 hours of mixed usage on a single charge. The tablet supports fast charging with the included 18W charger, which can charge the device from 0% to 50% in about an hour.
Verdict
The OPPO Pad Air is a decent tablet that offers good performance for its price. It has a nice display, a clean design, a decent processor, a long battery life, and some handy software features. It’s best for work and entertainment on the go, such as browsing the web, answering emails, watching videos, or even playing casual games.
Also read: OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite review
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly Android tablet that can do most things well enough, the OPPO Pad Air is worth considering. However, if you’re looking for a more premium option or a more powerful device for heavy gaming, you might want to look elsewhere.
Price & Availability
The OPPO Pad Air is available in the Gray variant with 4GB+64GB storage for P13,999, or the new Purple variant with 4GB+128GB for P15,999.
The tablet is available in authorized retail outlets, and online on Shopee, Lazada, and the SM Malls Online App.
