OPPO Pad Air Review – A Stylish Entry-Level Tablet

The competition in the tablet segment has risen in recent years due to the demand online school and work. OPPO responded to this demand with its new OPPO Pad Air. The price of the tablet is comparable to that of other competitors. In this review, we will determine if this is the right tablet for you.

OPPO Pad Air Specs

OS:Android 12 with ColorOS 12.1
Processor:2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 | Adreno 610
Display: 10.36" IPS LCD Display 1200 x 2000, 5:3 ratio
Wireless Connections:Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Memory:64GB Internal Storage expandable with a MicroSD Card; 4GB RAM
Connectors:Type-C USB 2.0, OTG Support
Cameras:Rear: 8MP f/2.0
Front: 5MP f/2.2
Security:Face unlock
SIM Card Slots:MicroSD Card
Battery:7,100 mAh
SRP:Php 13,999

The Unboxing

OPPO Pad Air Unboxing

The OPPO Pad Air comes in a box with an image of the product and written on it is the word “Pad” on its front. The model name is also located on the top. Inside the box, you will find the OPPO Pad Air, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, an 18W charger brick, a SIM pin ejector, a quick starter guide, and a safety guide.

The Design

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The OPPO Pad Air has a unique design with a two-tone back plate. The top part was inspired by the sunset dunes and is not only aesthetically pleasing but also satisfying to touch. The rest of the back plate is made of aluminum and the camera is slightly raised from the body.

The OPPO Pad Air measures 245.08mm in height, 154.84mm in width, and 6.94mm in thickness. It is relatively lightweight at 440 grams, compared to other brands. It is meant to be used in landscape mode with the front camera located in the middle of its long bezel which is also thick making it easy to grip.

The power button is located at the top left corner on the side. Also, the volume button and SIM tray (which accommodate only a MicroSD card slot) are located on the top left and right corners respectively. Moving ahead, on its right side, you will find the USB Type-C port. The Dolby Atmos speakers, on the other hand, are located on both the left and right sides, with two speakers on each side.

The Display and Speaker

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The OPPO Pad Air comes with a 10.36-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2000 x 1200 and a 5:3 aspect ratio, as well as a 60Hz refresh rate. The display has good color, but, it is not as satisfying as an AMOLED display.  The brightness is not as high as it could be, making it difficult to use in bright sunlight. However, the viewing angle is decent because it is an IPS display.

The display settings on the OPPO Pad Air are limited. It only has a Screen Colour Temperature setting, which can be set to cooler, default, or warmer.

OPPO Pad Air has Dolby Atmos speakers which are stereo speakers on each side. This speaker setup makes it enjoyable to binge-watch shows online. However, it does not have an audio jack, so the only option is to use a Bluetooth earphone to connect to the OPPO Pad Air.

The Performance

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Under the hood of the OPPO Pad Air is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset, a 6nm processor with 4 x 2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold and 4 x 1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver cores, and an Adreno 610 GPU. It is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which may not be enough for some users. Fortunately, it is possible to expand the storage with a MicroSD card.

The tablet runs on ColorOS 12.1 which is based on Android 12. There are no significant differences with the smartphone version of the software. Here are our benchmark scores of the OPPO Pad Air.

Throughout the review period, we found out that the performance of the tablet was decent. We have used it for productivity and entertainment tasks, and it did not show any issues. Also, we were able to do spreadsheet work, internet browsing, watch videos, and play games on it. High-demanding games we also played like Genshin Impact and Asphalt 9, but we had to lower the settings to make them playable. We also noticed that the tablet gets warm to the touch during gaming sessions.

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The OPPO Pad Air does not come with any accessories, but we were able to connect a keyboard and a mouse which worked well. The cursor behaves like how it would be on a computer, but somehow, it feels strange to navigate with the tablet using its gestures mode. However, the OPPO Pad Air excels in multitasking, as it is easy to use split-screen mode and the cursor works well with it.

The Camera

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The OPPO Pad Air has only one rear camera, an 8 Megapixel camera, and a 5 Megapixel front camera. Like other tablets in its price range, it performs adequately for general use such as taking pictures of documents and making video calls. But in spite of that, it is not suitable for photography purposes.

Rear Camera Sample Pictures

Front Camera Sample Pictures

The Battery

A 7100 mAh battery is what the OPPO Pad Air has. After a 12-hour full-day use of the tablet, we ended with a 10% battery life. We did some browsing on the internet, scrolled through social media, did some office work, and watched some videos with the tab. It supports 18W charging and, in our test, we were able to charge it from 0% to 100% in about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

OPPO Pad Air Verdict

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With all of the tests and benchmarks that we conducted for this review, we can say that the OPPO Pad Air has a nice design, a decent display, and supports a microSD card. Its performance is acceptable for its price point, but the rivalry in this price range is quite competitive, as there are other brands that offer better options for a slightly higher price. However, if your budget is limited, the OPPO Pad Air is a decent choice. If you can find it on sale, it may be an even better option.

The OPPO Pad Air is priced at Php 13,999 and it is available on Shopee and Lazada.

8.3 Total Score
OPPO Pad Air Review

With all of the tests and benchmarks that we conducted for this review, we can say that the OPPO Pad Air has a nice design, a decent display, and supports a microSD card. Its performance is acceptable for its price point, but the rivalry in this price range is quite competitive, as there are other brands that offer better options for a slightly higher price. However, if your budget is limited, the OPPO Pad Air is a decent choice. If you can find it on sale, it may be an even better option.

Design
9
Performance
8.5
Display
8
Software
8.5
Battery Life
8
Price
8
PROS
  • Slim build with unique design
  • It has expandable storage
  • Performance is decent
CONS
  • Charging speed is slow
  • Camera quality is not up to par
  • Display is not bright
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