OnePlus Pad Go 2 first impressions

Tablets occupy a strange space in modern life. They’re not quite laptops or oversized phones, but something in between that ends up becoming whatever you need most on a given day. A portable TV for late night Netflix binges. A sketchbook for hobbyists who swear they’re not artists yet. A digital classroom. A second screen on the couch. And occasionally, the device that keeps your laptop at home when you want to travel light.

ALSO READ: OnePlus Pad Go 2 confirmed to arrive with major display and battery upgrades

The original OnePlus Pad Go sat squarely in the comfort-tech category. User-friendly, uncomplicated, and meant for streaming marathons or college assignments. Two years later, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 arrives with a clear message that the brand wants this tablet to grow up a little. It’s larger, more powerful, and noticeably more confident about where it wants to slot itself in your everyday life.

So, here’s what it feels like to live with it over the first few days. A deeper dive will follow in our full review after we’ve put the tablet through its paces.

OnePlus Pad Go 2: Build and display

OnePlus has stretched the display from 11.3 to 12.1 inches, and this single change shifts the entire personality of the device. It no longer feels like a casual consumption tablet.

It starts feeling like a screen meant for actual work. More documents open side by side. More room for creators to illustrate, edit, or storyboard. More space for families streaming a movie together on a flight. It does come with added weight, now 597 grams, which you notice when you pick it up for the first time.

As for accessories, the Pad Go 2 will support the Pad Go 2 Stylo and third-party keyboards. For students and remote workers, this opens up a more laptop-like workflow. Pricing for the Stylo will be revealed at the December 17 launch.

Moving on to the display, the 12.1 inch 2.8K panel feels like the right kind of upgrade. Not unnecessarily extravagant, but clearly a step up from last time. Colours pop and indoor brightness feels comfortably high. Dolby Vision support is present, so the tablet is very obviously nudging you to make it your late-night streaming companion.

Outdoor visibility is something we will test in our full review, but the claimed 900 nits peak brightness is promising enough on paper.

ALSO READ: OnePlus Pad Pro announced with 12.1-inch display and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC

Four speakers sit around the frame with OnePlus’ Omnibearing Sound Field tech that adjusts output based on how you’re holding the device. If it works the way OnePlus claims, the Pad Go 2 might become the ideal Sunday morning kitchen tablet for music, podcasts, or recipe videos.

OnePlus Pad Go 2: Performance and battery

Under the hood, the Pad Go 2 houses the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra. That SoC has been known to push solid benchmark numbers and real-world performance, so there’s good reason to expect meaningful gains over the Helio G99 that powered the previous model.

The tablet comes with OxygenOS 16 out of the box. And OnePlus sprinkles AI features across the UI in a way that feels helpful rather than gimmicky. Students will appreciate the AI Writer that proofreads and rewrites tone. Professionals will find value in AI Recorder and AI Summary for meetings and articles.

As for battery, the gargantuan 10,050mAh battery is one of the biggest upgrades and solves a core pain point for anyone who uses tablets for both work and entertainment. OnePlus claims up to 15 hours of video playback and 60 days of standby, which suggests the Pad Go 2 is built for long-haul flights, weekend road trips, and those days when you bounce between meetings and downtime.

Charging still tops out at 33W, despite a 45W charger in the box. Not ideal, but not surprising for the segment. We will give you a full breakdown of the battery life in our upcoming review once we’ve pushed it through travel, streaming sessions, and productivity workloads.

OnePlus Pad Go 2 first impressions: A tablet that knows its purpose

On the surface, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 feels like the upgrade users were waiting for. Bigger screen. Better processor. Larger battery. Cleaner software with helpful AI tools. It’s shaping up to be a well-balanced device that fits seamlessly into a modern lifestyle where productivity and entertainment often blur into one another.

The first Pad Go launched at Rs 21,999, and it’s almost certain this one will land slightly higher. Between the display upgrade and rising memory costs, that feels inevitable. The tablet launches on December 17, alongside the OnePlus 15R, and pricing will decide whether the Pad Go 2 becomes the new go to option for mainstream Android tablet buyers.

What do you think of the OnePlus Pad Go 2? Drop a comment with your thoughts, and stay tuned to Unboxed by Croma for all things tech.