OnePlus has rapidly become one of the most prolific manufacturers of Android phones, expanding from its original “budget flagship” remit into a steady flow of top-end phones. The firm’s next device could bring quite the step up in size, however.
That’s because OnePlus has registered a trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office for the “OnePlus Pad,” which would seemingly imply an incoming tablet. OnePlus has never released a tablet before, so this would be a new step for the brand.
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The listing, as first reported on by MySmartPrice, unfortunately doesn’t give anything else to go on besides the name. Sometimes, trademark or regulatory filings have images, diagrams, or other little details to suggest potential features or capabilities, but not in this case; it’s a trademark filing for the OnePlus Pad brand name, rather than a particular device. As a result, it's likely that any device is still a ways off — if indeed it ever gets made at all.
Still, the name seems pretty clear cut. All of OnePlus’ smartphones to date have shipped with Android, with the brand’s clean-looking and smooth-running OxygenOS skin on top, so it seems likely that its first tablet would do much the same.
While there are many of them the market, even the best Android tablets have never grabbed the same kind of mindshare as Apple’s genre-defining — and still field-leading — iPad models.
Amazon’s super-affordable Fire tablets are ideal for simple content consumption, however, while Samsung makes an array of tablets across price points. Both makers have their tablets on our list of the best tablets, although iPad models such as the new iPad Pro 2021 hold the most spots.
A potential OnePlus tablet could be an intriguing new option, however, given the company’s reputation for quality in the smartphone space. A sleek, premium-feeling Android tablet with smooth software and a sub-flagship price could be a head-turning device, indeed. The biggest knock against OnePlus phones has been its cameras, too, and that’s typically less of a concern for tablet users.
MySmartPrice reports that OnePlus’ sister brand Realme has already announced its own upcoming tablet, while another sister brand, Vivo, is said to have filed a trademark for the “Vivo Pad” with the same commission. If the details are true, it could indicate the potential OnePlus Pad is to be part of a wider tablet push from parent company BBK Electronics.
OnePlus released the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro Android flagship phones this spring, and both received strong 4.5-star reviews from Tom’s Guide. The firm’s first smartwatch, the affordable OnePlus Watch, was recently called the “best cheap smartwatch for Android users” by our senior writer Kate Kozuch.
It remains to be seen whether a OnePlus Pad eventually sees the light of day — the fact that OnePlus has registered the name isn't in itself proof that it will actually make such a device — but if it does appear, and if it packs the same kind of quality as the OnePlus 9 range, it could be a real contender. We'll be watching with interest.
