Oppo Pad Air launched in Malaysia today as a lightweight tablet for light tasks. But the definition of light varies from user to user. Therefore through this brief review we try to answer what are the limitations of Pad Air's capabilities and is it still worth having with the market now filled with various types of tablets with various specifications and prices
Specifications And Design
Oppo Pad Air
10.36″ IPS LCD screen,
1200 x 2000 pixels, 60Hz
Snapdragon 680(6nm) processor
4 X 2.4 GHz Kryo 265 Gold Chip
4 X 1.9 GHz Kryo 265 Silver
Adreno 610 Graphics Chip
RAM 4 GB LPDDR4X
Internal Storage 64 UFS 2.2 (micro SD 512GB)
Main Camera 8 Megapixel f/2.0
Selfie Camera 5 Megapixel f/2.2
7100 mAh battery
18W wired charging
SIM/Telephony None
NFC None
No Audio Jack
Waterproof None
Scan System None
Sale Price RM1099 (4/64GB)
RM1299 (4/128GB)
The design of this tablet is similar to the Oppo Pad that was launched last February. A flat screen with moderately thick bezels, no physical home button, boxy sides and a back panel with a dual-tone design. One of these back panels has a wavy texture that serves as a rough surface that ensures the tablet does not easily slip out of the hand during use.
The screen is 10.36″ from the IPS LCD family with a resolution of 1200 x 2000 pixels. It also has a 5:3 ratio that we rarely see used on an Android device that typically has a 16:9 ratio. The IPS LCD technology used is quite basic as it only supports 60Hz and without any HDR support which is now commonplace on mobile devices.
The moderately large bezels are the same size on all four sides which makes the device look balanced. It's big enough to place your finger comfortably without it getting in the way of the content you want to watch.
The display is still satisfactory if the tablet is used indoors with bright colors and the screen is still sharp. The downside is that when used outdoors, the scorching sunlight can make it a little difficult to see what is displayed on the screen. The screen also detects every touch and scroll very well.
The body is made of aluminum material with flat sides. The flat design is now back in popularity replacing the rounded side design. The Air Pad is still comfortable in the hand when used even though the sides are boxy. No issues using in vertical or horizontal position. As we said a few paragraphs above, the wavy texture on the back panel makes it very easy to hold this tablet neatly.
Four speakers placed on the side support stereo audio. Dolby Atmos is supported by the tablet BUT not on the included speakers. Dolby Atmos can only be used when connected to an audio accessory. Only bluetooth connection is possible because the Pad Air is not equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack. It's a bit awkward for a large tablet not to have a 3.5mm audio jack when there's plenty of room to put it.
A relatively large power button is placed at the top and two buttons to change the audio volume level are placed on the right side. All three buttons are made of metal with a solid construction.
There is a tray for a micro SD card up to 512GB at the top but not for a SIM. The tablet supports WiFI networks up to 5GHz and bluetooth 5.1 tethering. Completing the design of the device is a USB-C charging port on the bottom. The device also doesn't have any waterproof standards or a physical fingerprint scanner. Only the facial scan biometric system is included. This confirms that the Oppo Pad Air is an entry-level tablet for those who don't need a lot of extra features.
Use And Software
ColorOS 12.1 is used and it is based on Android 12. This launcher is very usable with an interface design and icons that do not hurt the eyes. If you've ever used an Oppo device, imagine the same interface on a bigger screen.
This operating system from our experience is beautiful with various additional features provided like launching two apps simultaneously, launching apps on different screen ratios, Smart Sidebar and many more. There is also a RAM Extension feature that allows 1GB, 2GB and 3GB of RAM to be added to the device virtually by taking part of the device's UFS 2.2 storage.
There is no big issue in downloading various popular apps from the Play Store and then running them as the Snapdragon 680 is quite a powerful chip. Netflix for example can be watched in HD resolution quite smoothly.
At home we feel the Pad Air is the perfect tablet for school kids to use to view homework assignments via Google Classroom, go to online tutoring classes, and play YouTube Kids videos.
We have to admit this tablet was given to an eight-year-old to use to watch the latest episode of Agent Ali on Disney+ because he didn't want it on the main television at home. As a screen for watching videos, running light games and teleconferencing machines, the Pad Air can do all these tasks without a problem.
Bench mark
Oppo Pad Air is equipped with Snapdragon 680 which is a mid-range chip from the end of 2021. It is equipped with four Cortex-A73 cores and four more Cortex-A53 cores. Here are the scores that the Snapdragon 680 recorded in the benchmark tests are as below.
Geekbench 5 – 377/1479 Score
Antutu 3D – 249,784 Scores
Wild Life – 445 Marks
The score recorded is not amazing because the Snapdragon 680 is not a flagship chip, However from our experience reviewing other devices with the same chip the user experience is quite good but not on the Pad Air. This is because the Pad Air is only equipped with 4GB of RAM. This is a very small memory size for Android 12.
After opening only four apps, the first app that you try to reopen using the multi-tasking screen will go through the refresh process. This is perhaps the most underperforming Android tablet we've ever reviewed at us. To solve this issue there is cir RAM Expansion up to 3GB RAM.
But even with 7GB of RAM, the performance is not very impressive. Taking part of the storage for virtual RAM is also not recommended because the Pad Air is only equipped with 64GB which is very limited.
The first performance is also just average. We got the majority of heavy games like COD Mobile and PUBG Mobile only playable on medium settings. If the graphics settings are increased, the FPS rate will also increase. Again the Snapdragon 680 is not a flagship class processor so it is not fair to compare it to the Dimensity 8100 let alone the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 which is currently the chip with the highest score on us.
Telephony And GPS
No telephony because there is no support for SIM cards. Instead the internet connection is completely dependent on using WiFi up to 5GHz. Internet speed is fast when tethered to fast WiFi. The function of making video calls is just fine because of the 5MP camera used.
Camera
With only one 8MP camera on the back and 5MP on the front, you can definitely guess that the photographic performance is not very satisfactory. The 8MP camera is from the smartphone era of a decade ago. The camera can only take moderately good photos in bright lighting situations. When it's slightly cloudy or indoors with lights on, the effect of noise can be clearly seen.
Even in good lighting situations the picture is not very sharp with color reproduction that is not very lifelike. Selfie photos are also the same as they suffer from overexposure issues. If it is used for a web camera for a teleconference session, the noise from the 5MP camera is quite noticeable.
Does camera performance on a tablet matter? This is a question we often get asked because personally we feel no because tablets are rarely used to produce media content. Here are some samples we managed to record. Without a large sensor and OIS system, the photos taken are simply average.
Battery
The 7,100mAh battery provides a SOT life of up to 8 hours on moderate use while the tablet can also last up to 20 hours on a single charge. This is a typical usage life for a mid-range tablet. Battery life will drop to around 14 hours if streaming video content is interspersed with several primary application sessions. Recharging takes over two hours as the charger only has a maximum output of 18W.
Audio
Audio from the four speakers is loud and clear even at the highest audio settings. The stereo effect can be heard clearly due to the sufficient distance between left and right. But because of the position of the speaker on the side, sometimes the audio hole is covered with the palm especially from a horizontal position.
The Dolby Atmos audio system is supported by the device system but only if connected to external audio accessories. We don't know why this trend still exists. If you want to provide Dolby Atmos, make sure it can also be used on the supplied speakers. Seems like a waste. The absence of an audio jack is disappointing because usually on entry-level tablets it is provided.
In the box
Here's what you get with every purchase of the Oppo Pad Air in Malaysia.
1x Oppo Air Pad
1x USB-A to USB-C charging cable.
1x 18W Charger
1x Manual
Conclusion
The Oppo Pad Air is a mid-range tablet that performs normal tasks well. There are no issues with various popular applications because the Snapdragon 680 is a chip that is only about a year old. There are various features included in ColorOS 12.1 that allow the Pad Air to function well as a tablet for watching media.
The screen is large enough, sharp and bright complete with stylus support which can be purchased separately. The included 4GB memory is too small but can be increased virtually with the Exension RAM system up to 3GB. But the device's storage of only 64GB makes owners choose to focus on performance or storage to use. Fortunately there is still micro SD card support up to 512GB.
At a selling price starting at RM1099, it still falls into the affordable category for those looking for a tablet for light use by children at home. But in the current market Realme Pad with comparable specifications is sold at a more competitive price. If you want to spend less, an iPad 2021 can be bought with better specifications. The choice is in the hands of the user out there.
Pro
The screen is large, bright, supports a stylus and has a high resolution for watching videos.
The textured back panel makes it easy to hold without slipping.
Quad speakers have a satisfactory volume.
Can run various applications without problems.
Micro SD card support up to 512GB.
Good battery life.
Cons
No audio jack.
The 4GB RAM version is not very smooth without activating the RAM Extension.
The camera is not very satisfactory.
There is no physical fingerprint scanner.