With the first-gen OnePlus Pad unveiled more than a year ago and pretty much no rumors of a sequel floating around until just last week, we definitely wouldn’t blame you if you were starting to think the company was planning to already exit the tablet market.
But the OnePlus Pad 2 appears to be merely delayed from what one would consider a “normal” launch schedule rather than altogether cancelled. And while it remains unclear exactly when “in the second half of 2024” we should expect this device to see daylight, a key selling point may have just been prematurely revealed by a generally reliable rumormonger over on X.
Unlike its decidedly mid-range forerunner, this second-gen Android-based iPad alternative will purportedly go up against all the best Galaxy Tabs out there in terms of processing power. We’re talking both current and future high-end Samsung slates, mind you, as the Galaxy Tab S9 family uses Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 technology while the OnePlus Pad 2 is today tipped to go up to a Gen 3 SoC.
That should represent a MASSIVE improvement over the respectable MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset found under the hood of the original OnePlus Pad, likely bringing the brand’s sophomore tablet effort at the same level as the upcoming Galaxy Tab S10 series.
While the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 already powers many of the best Android phones money can buy, there are no tablets (at least to our knowledge) available anywhere around the world with this beastly processor on deck. That’s obviously going to change in the not-very-distant future, with OnePlus parent Oppo being just one of the companies expected to step things up in the raw speed department before long.
A Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-based OnePlus Pad 2, of course, is likely to cost significantly more than its affordable predecessor, but for the time being, it might be best to think happier thoughts and focus primarily on the positive aspects of this new rumor. Besides, something tells us this bad boy could still end up at a lower starting price than the smallest and cheapest member of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 family, thus potentially rivaling all the best Apple iPads out there in terms of bang for buck.