Over the last week I’ve been testing the new OnePlus Pad Go 2, a relatively affordable new Android tablet announced alongside the OnePlus 15R. I spent this time watching movies, playing games, and browsing YouTube – like most of the best budget Android tablets, entertainment users are the target audience here.
Just as the phone is a cheaper alternative to the OnePlus 15, the Pad Go 2 lets you enjoy some of the tablet benefits that the OnePlus Pad 3 offered in early 2025, but at a cheaper price. Pricing for the Pad Go 2 starts at $399.99 for the 8GB + 128GB model, which is $50 more expensive than the base iPad – although the OnePlus slate offers a larger screen.
A few specs have been downgraded, but the fun apparently hasn’t; The tablet has quickly replaced my iPad Pro as the device I reach for when I want to play a quick game.
That’s partly due to the tablet’s own merits: its mid-range processor handles all the titles I want, its screen looks pretty good, and the quad speakers mean I don’t have to rely on Bluetooth headphones. But the Pad Go 2 also outperforms the iPad in some ways; It’s lighter and therefore easier to hold during long firefights, has a wider aspect ratio to add cinematic quality to my battles, and costs a lot less.
I’m still working on my full review of the OnePlus Pad Go 2, but a week of testing has given me a lot of insight into how it works. Before the full analysis is complete, let’s look at Go 2 and how well it handles gaming and entertainment:
This is how the OnePlus Pad Go 2 runs games
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 features MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Ultra chipset, paired with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB of storage (in the Wi-Fi model) or 256GB (in the 5G version).
This is a relatively new component, but we’ve seen its variants (including the Energy and the suffix-less 7300) in models like the Motorola Edge 60, Poco X7, Oppo Reno 12 and Realme 14 Pro. Having enjoyed gaming on several of these handsets, I knew what to expect from the new tablet: enough power to play most games without having to crank all the settings to max, but making trade-offs to ensure the device’s price remained affordable.
To double-check, I ran some benchmark tests and got similar results to phones I’d tested with the chip. This confirms what I expected: This tablet offers average performance, well behind premium slates (including the Pad 3) but much better than budget alternatives.
Since I’m a diligent tester, I took the trouble and played a few different games on the Pad Go 2, including PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, Total War: Medieval II, and the latest mobile version of Red Dead Redemption. I rarely observed any stutters or lag affecting gameplay, and it felt buttery smooth. With certain titles I was even able to enjoy higher graphics settings without putting any strain on the tablet.
While the OnePlus Pad Go 2 doesn’t offer nearly as much processing power as the iPad Pro – or any other modern iPad or some of the top-end Android slates you can find – as processing power increases, you often see diminishing returns. I rarely had a desire for more juice.
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is easy on the arms
After getting used to my iPad Pro 12.9 for gaming, I was surprised at how easy it felt to pick up the OnePlus Tab. Weighing 597g for the Wi-Fi model or 2g more for 5G, it’s a good 80g lighter than my similarly sized iPad.
This added level of portability made it easier to handle during extended gaming sessions. I’m not a controller user; As you can probably tell from my selection of games, I like to use touch controls and make the most of the screen real estate. That’s why it’s important to me that I can hold the slate with one hand and tap it with the other for long periods of time, and OnePlus delivers.
I used the tablet with a separately available stylus and protective case, and the latter did somewhat to hide the fact that the Pad Go 2 doesn’t look much different in design from countless other Android slates. It’s a large candy bar with a screen and some buttons around the edge.
The carrying case has perhaps the weakest magnetic clasp I’ve ever seen, and when I put the pen in the case’s holster, it blocked the volume buttons. Luckily I don’t judge the accessories.
Watch on the OnePlus Pad Go 2
At 12.1 inches, the display is slightly smaller than that of an iPad and has a wider and narrower aspect ratio of 7:5. Personally, I prefer the widescreen look for games and movies, which makes the content appear more cinematic and eliminates the need for annoying letterboxing. However, that is all a matter of taste.
What’s not dependent on taste is the 2800 x 1980 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, which gives you more pixels and smoother motion than certain other affordable Android tablets.
However, I would have liked a higher maximum brightness than 600 nits; LCD panels like the one on the OnePlus Pad Go 2 often have issues with color saturation and intensity, and bright panels can partially compensate for this.
There’s no getting around the fact that the Pad Go 2 doesn’t offer HDR, HDR10+, or a wide color gamut, but that’s forgivable for the price. However, if you’re picky about your tablet screen, there are plenty of other options that feature OLED.
How long does the tablet last?
I was surprised that the OnePlus Pad Go 2 only supports 33W charging speed. OnePlus is a pioneer in fast charging, offering 120W of power on the OnePlus 15 and 80W on the Pad 3, but the new slate stays flat like its predecessor. This is despite the fact that a 45W charger is included in the scope of delivery.
More than once this meant I had to twiddle my thumbs and wait for the tablet to charge if I wanted to play; For certain intense titles, this speed barely compensates for the power used while playing.
The battery itself has a capacity of 10,050 mAh, which is at least a significant increase over the 8,000 mAh in the original Go. It’s certainly enough for most of the tablet’s functions, like social media, music streaming, or watching videos, but I was surprised at how quickly the battery level drops while gaming.
After half an hour of playing the Red Dead port, the percentage had dropped by about 10%, and other titles had similar or higher rates over shorter periods of time. I’m used to this from iPad gaming, as Apple’s slates are battery-friendly, but the burn speed is slightly faster than Android tablets.
Android on a tablet
The OnePlus Pad Go 2 runs on Android 16, with the company’s Oxygen OS 16 on top. The main functions of this software are in the field of AI: creating letters, editing images, transcribing audio files and so on. I’ll save testing most of these features for my full review.
Android tablet critics won’t be convinced by the Pad Go 2, as the interface often feels like that of a smartphone that’s been stretched to fit a larger screen. Few apps seem to be designed specifically for tablets, and that’s definitely true for game control schemes that require some hand contortion to cover.
The tablet has a camera on the back and one on the front; both are 8MP. They seem perfect for scanning documents and this is another area I need to explore when I write my full review.
Pre-orders for the OnePlus Pad Go 2 are now open on OnePlus.com and the Pad Go 2 release date is set for December 26, 2025 on the OnePlus website. If you’d rather buy the tablet from Amazon or Best Buy, you’ll have to wait until January 2026 to pick it up.
