OnePlus teases tablet, mechanical keyboard

1 year ago 102

This morning, OnePlus made a pair of big announcements: the OnePlus 11 smartphone and the Buds Pro 2. All in all, a good morning for the Oppo-owned phone maker after months of teasing the products. But as the company is looking to reassert itself under new ownership and is deep in the throes of a flagging mobile market, it revealed that it’s got a few more tricks waiting in the wings.

A while back, I would have scratched my head at the notion of entering the tablet market at such a mature stage, but we’re living in weird times here. Along with PCs, the category got a boost at the beginning of the pandemic.

More people stuck at home = more people looking for entertainment outlets, and between streaming and casual gaming, they fit the bill — not to mention the shift to home offices. The latest numbers are mixed. Apple has made some gains and the overall market numbers are either flat or slightly up, depending on which analyst firm you prefer.

It’s hard to say much about the OnePlus Pad at this point. The company is really teasing out the information, as it is wont to do. I’ll admit that it’s tough to get too excited about a new tablet in 2023, but I’ve also grown to trust the company’s ability to make a good product for an affordable price. Naturally, this is an ecosystem play, and the Pad is going to liberally borrow design elements from the rest of the line.

Image Credits: OnePlus

“We believe the Internet of Everything is the future, and users will demand fast, smooth and streamlined experiences in multiple scenarios” says President and COO, Kinder Liu. “By entering the tablet industry, we hope the unique and industry leading OnePlus fast and smooth experience will bring more vitality and possibility and offer users the best choices.” So much for tempering expectations…

The Pad will sport an 11.61-inch display with an impressive 144Hz refresh rate. Like the new phone, it supports Dolby Vision and Atmos. Inside is a Dimensity 9000 — a MediTek chip announced back in 2021. That’s paired with 12GB of RAM and a 9510mAh battery, which promises 12+ hours of watch time. The company will also be making a keyboard case and stylus available for sale.

Here’s what the company has to say:

Halo green is an iconic glow of OnePlus Pad. Being expansive and stunning, this Halo Green also blends the vibrancy of life with the vastness of space. Notably, the centred camera frees users from inconveniences when holding it and position offset when taking photos. OnePlus Pad encased in a Unified Metal Body incorporated with a 2.5D curved glass — the first time it is used in a tablet — and the cambered frame design makes the device feel thinner and easy holding. The super slim 6.54mm bezel brings an 88% screen-to-body ratio. Overall design of OnePlus Pad in line with ergonomics to allow users to hold it comfortably for a long time without fatigue.

Image Credits: OnePlus

Ditto for another product category, though this one happens to be white-hot right now. The company’s upcoming mechanical keyboard is part of a newly announced “OnePlus Featuring” line, which appears to be built around branding/partnering with third parties. (Not calling it “OnePlus x” feels like a missed opportunity). Certainly that’s the case with the unwieldly named OnePlus Featuring Keyboard 81 Pro, which looks to be very similar to the Keychron Q1 with the phone maker’s red color scheme. Not entirely sure of the strategy here, though OnePlus has good global distribution, and this is certainly easier than building a new mechanical keyboard from scratch.