OnePlus Pad

The OnePlus Pad sets a new standard for affordable Android tablets, with terrific battery life just one of its strengths

- TONY PALANCO

PRICE 128GB, £374 (£449 inc VAT) from oneplus.com/uk

If you aren't tempted by the thought of paying £599 for Google's upcoming Pixel Tablet, the OnePlus Pad is a great alternative.

It costs £150 less yet has many high-end features that make it a worthy rival to Google's new tablet-and indeed to the iPad (see issue 340, p82).

This is OnePlus' first tablet, so the company has started with (if you'll pardon the expression) a blank slate.

It has come up with something very likeable: this slab of machined aluminium is thin and light, measuring 6.5mm thick and weighing a breezy 552g. It would have been nice to have a colour option other than Halo Green, but fortunately it looks smart.

It's a pleasure to use, too.

Curved edges along the sides and bottom make this tablet more comfortable to hold than rivals such as the flat-sided iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 (see issue 340, p91). A cutout in the top edge (when holding the tablet in landscape mode) provides a smart way to magnetically attach and charge the optional stylus.

The most striking design feature is the enormous 13MP rear camera. It's centred along the top edge of the tablet's rear and housed within an eye-catching black circle that sticks out both literally and figuratively. It makes a statement, but unfortunately means the tablet won't lie completely flat on a desk - unless you're using the optional magnetic keyboard cover.

The power button sits on the left, along with two volume buttons on the top. Quad speakers adorn the sides, and there's a single USB-C port on the right side.

Bold display The 11.6in display has an unusual 7:5 aspect ratio, making it a little more widescreen than an iPad. OnePlus says that, when used in portrait mode, this shape lets you see more lines of an ebook or rows of a spreadsheet; that's technically true, but in practice I didn't find the difference noticeable.