Design and Build Quality
Like a number of tablets in the same segment, OPPO Pad Air sticks to a more minimal design with flat sides and slightly rounded corners complemented by a metallic grey color. The rear panel uses embossed lines to add a unique element in the aesthetics which is a breath of fresh air.
The single camera does not have an island and is almost flush with the surface of the device. When it’s in a landscape orientation, the volume rocker is on the top left, and the power button is on the left. This makes them easier to reach when watching movies or playing games.
Rounding up the design is a USB-C port on the right side/bottom, a microSD card slot at the top right, and a quad-speaker system, which we’ll talk about later. I would’ve loved to see a headphone jack here, but the brand seems to be firm in going along with the trend.
You get a 10.36-inch display IPS LCD with a resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels, which is decent for the things that you’re expected to do with this tablet – media consumption and gaming. A 90Hz refresh rate or even 120Hz would’ve made it a sweeter deal, but I guess things had to be done to keep the price down.
Performance
OPPO Pad Air packs a Snapdragon 680, which seems to have become a staple in a lot of mid-range devices these days. I’m not a fan of its gaming performance, as I think that the Helio G96 or G99 would’ve been the better choices, but it still offers a great to decent experience, depending on what you play.
If that game is Mobile Legends, then you won’t have any issues even with refresh rate set to high and with graphics set to Ultra. Asphalt 9 is playable, but don’t expect it to look anything above low graphics, and a very demanding game – Genshin Impact, will work at 30 fps and low to very low preset, though you could run into some stutters here and there, especially when there’s a lot happening.
While a lot of devices have shifted to 6GB or 8GB of RAM, some even more, OPPO Pad Air has 4GB, which I think is still okay, but what’s weird is that for a device that’s pegged for media consumption, this tablet has 64GB of storage. Personally, I’m okay with it since I only stream movies and music, but for those who want to use local files, or if you have a huge library of music or videos, this may not be enough.
As for its speakers, they can get pretty loud and with no audible distortion, but the treble can sometimes be a bit harsh. Otherwise, the clarity is more than satisfactory, and the low-end has a bit of presence.
Camera
The 8MP camera on can shoot decent looking photos good enough for your typical social media posts but will definitely not be replacing my phone as a primary shooter. The 5MP selfie camera works okay for zoom calls, though you shouldn’t expect anything spectacular in terms of image quality.
Software
At the time of writing, OPPO Pad Air runs ColorOS 12.1 on top of Android 12. To take advantage of its large display, the brand has also equipped this tablet with a number of features geared for multi-tasking.
The most common, of course, is Split Screen, which lets you view two apps side by side. In this device, you can easily enable it by swiping down with two fingers.
You can also open a floating window and drag it anywhere on the screen. You can even dock it on the side and open it at a later time. So far, this seems to be limited to only a single floating window. Bloatware? no problem, as there’s almost none.
Battery
With my use case of mostly media consumption via Spotify, YouTube, Netflix, and Apple Music, a bit of web browsing here and there, email, and a few games of Mobile Legends, the OPPO Pad Air lasted around 2 to 3 days before I needed to recharge.
Speaking of which, you also get 18W fast-charging, which isn’t the best we’ve seen for a tablet but is still a nice-to-have feature. Better have something to do to kill time while charging.
Verdict
If you’re aiming to use the OPPO Pad Air for media consumption and for non-resource intensive gaming, I would say it’s a decent package for the price. The design looks great, the battery life is good, and the user interface offers nifty features to maximize the large display. You also get pretty good speakers.
My wishlist for this product – a higher refresh rate, more storage, a slightly better processing package, and a headphone jack. The rear camera’s nothing to write home about, but usable, while the front unit is decent. A bunch of accessories like a cover with a keyboard would also make it more usable for productivity work.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
