OnePlus has entered the tablet market with the OnePlus Pad, its first tablet. While the OnePlus Pad comes with a number of interesting features and very good hardware (including a large 11.61-inch display with 144 Hz refresh rate), it faces some stiff competition, not just from the tablet OG — iPad — but also from other Android players in the tablet space. One of the most notable challengers standing in its path is the Xiaomi Pad 5, which also packs in a lot of very good hardware and features at a surprisingly affordable price. 


So, if you are in the market for an Android tablet and want great hardware at a relatively affordable price, which tablet should you Pad up to — the Xiaomi Pad 5 or the OnePlus Pad? Let’s try and work that out for you.


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Design


Both tablets come with very different designs. The Xiaomi Pad 5 has a more rectangular shape to it, while the OnePlus Pad is a little more square-ish. The Xiaomi Pad 5 mimics the new iPad in having straight sides and a flat back, while the OnePlus Pad generally has a more curved feel to it, although one of its slides is straight. Then there is the location of the camera — the Xiaomi Pad has it in the top left corner while the OnePlus Pad has its camera on the left side, bang in between the upper and lower corners.


The OnePlus Pad has also a slightly more premium feel to it with its metal body, while the Xiaomi Pad 5 has a plastic back. The OnePlus Pad is more likely to stand out because of its subtle green (Halo Green, as OnePlus calls it) shade and concentric design, as compared to the slightly more routine black of the Xiaomi Pad. Interestingly, although the OnePlus Pad comes with a larger display, the tablet itself is only slightly taller than the Xiaomi Pad and is actually slimmer than it. It is, however, significantly wider (thanks to that square-ish shape) and at 552 grams, heavier than the 511 grams of the Xiaomi Pad 5. 


If you are a fan of the iPad's design, you are more likely to be impressed by the Xiaomi Pad 5 which is cut from the same design fabric. However, we prefer the more rounded and premium feel of the OnePlus Pad, which is also likely to turn more heads because of its colour and the location of the camera unit. 


Winner: OnePlus Pad


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Display


Both the OnePlus Pad and the Xiaomi Pad 5 come with superb, bright displays, with high refresh rates. However, the OnePlus Pad has a clear edge here. It has a larger display (11.61 inches as compared to 10.95 inches), a higher resolution (2,800x2,000 pixels as compared to 2,560x1,600 pixels)  and even a higher refresh rate (144Hz as compared to 120Hz). 


Xiaomi Pad 5 has a superb display, but the OnePlus Pad is the better one, especially when you consider that it packs in more pixels into a frame that is not too much larger than the Xiaomi Pad 5. The higher refresh rate does not harm its cause either. 


Winner: OnePlus Pad


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Processor, RAM, Storage  


The OnePlus Pad scores over the Xiaomi Pad 5 here too. Both tablets come with flagship level processors, but the OnePlus Pad is powered by a Dimensity 9000 chip that is superior to the older Snapdragon 860 on the Xiaomi Pad 5. 


The OnePlus Pad also comes with 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB RAM and storage variants, which is superior to the 6GB+128GB and 6GB+256GB variants for the Xiaomi Pad 5. What's more, while both devices come with UFS 3.1 storage, the OnePlus Pad has LPDDR5 RAM while the Xiaomi Pad 5 has LPDDR4X, which is slower. 


Neither device has expandable memory, but the OnePlus Pad wins this round easily. 


Winner: OnePlus Pad


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Software 


This is an interesting one. The OnePlus Pad comes with Android 13 out of the box while the Xiaomi Pad 5 was released with Android 11, and is in the process of being updated to Android 13. However, it is the skins on top of Android that make the difference to the user experience. 


The OnePlus Pad comes with a version of OnePlus' OxygenOS interface, while the Xiaomi Pad 5 has a version of MIUI. Both interfaces are similar to the ones seen on the phones of both brands but come with special provisions and gestures for the larger tablet displays. We think that MIUI on the Xiaomi Pad 5 works better than OxygenOS on the OnePlus Pad in terms of fluidity and features. Gestures worked more smoothly and apps seemed more optimized to the tablet display on the Xiaomi Pad 5 as compared to the OnePlus Pad. 


OnePlus might fix matters with some updates in the coming days but at the time of writing, the Xiaomi Pad 5 has a more tablet-friendly interface, even on its older version of Android. 


Winner: Xiaomi Pad 5


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Gaming, Multimedia 


You would have thought that with its better processor and more RAM, the OnePlus Pad would run away with the gaming and multimedia round. However, this is not the case. In fact, as the Snapdragon 860 on the Xiaomi Pad 5 is a very capable chip, the Xiaomi tablet turns in a very good performance. We were able to run games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile at high settings on both tablets. Both tablets also have quad speakers, which deliver very good sound. 


The slightly larger display of the OnePlus Pad might seem like an advantage on the surface but its rather unusual aspect ratio often leads to 'banding" around videos. We are giving this one to the OnePlus Pad as its newer and more powerful processor and more RAM make it a potentially better long-term investment, but the difference between the two tablets in this department is not noticeable.


Winner: OnePlus Pad 5


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Productivity


As both are relatively high-end tablets, there is a fair chance that both the OnePlus Pad and the Xiaomi Pad 5 will be used for productivity tasks and even substitute for tablets. While both come with excellent displays as well as keyboard and stylus accessories (which have to be purchased separately), we felt that the better software on the Xiaomi Pad 5 gave it an edge over the OnePlus Pad. 


The stylus simply did more on the Xiaomi Pad 5 and multitasking also worked a little more smoothly. Both devices have reasonably good 13-megapixel rear cameras and very good front-facing 8-megapixel cameras with subject tracking for video calls and vlogs.  Some might appreciate the clean OxygenOS on the OnePlus Pad, but productivity-oriented users might prefer the pre-installed editing and productivity tools on the Xiaomi Pad 5 as compared to the more barebones OnePlus Pad. 


Given OnePlus' excellent track record in updating devices, this might change in the coming days, but at the time of writing, the Xiaomi Pad 5 had a clear productivity edge over the OnePlus Pad. Neither tablet has a fingerprint scanner or 4G/5G connectivity, though.


Winner: Xiaomi Pad 5


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Battery Life, Charging 


The OnePlus Pad wins this round easily. It comes with a larger battery (9,510mAh) than the Xiaomi Pad 5 (8,720mAh) and generally delivers close to a dozen hours of battery life on a single charge, which is significantly more than the eight hours or so one gets on the Xiaomi Pad 5.


As if that were not enough, the OnePlus Pad also comes with support for 67W SuperVOOC charging and a 67W charger in the box. The Xiaomi Pad 5 on the other hand supports a 33W charger, but comes only with a 22.5W charger in the box. The OnePlus Pad generally charges from 0 to 100 in about an hour and a half while the Xiaomi Pad 5 takes about two hours. 


Winner: OnePlus Pad 


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: General performance


In routine tasks like Web browsing, social networking, messaging and mail, both devices are pretty much even-steven. Both tablets sailed through normal day-to-day tasks with a degree of ease. 


The OnePlus Pad's slightly more square-ish form factor and marginally larger display made it a better device to view content on, but then multitasking and gestures worked more smoothly on the Xiaomi Pad 5, thanks to its better tablet-tailored software. We are calling this one a tie, as there is not much between the two devices here. 


Winner: Tie


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Price


The Xiaomi Pad 5 starts at Rs 26,999 and the OnePlus Pad starts at Rs 37,999. That would seem to make this a cakewalk for the Xiaomi Pad 5. However, a closer look will show that the OnePlus Pad actually starts at 8GB+128GB while the Xiaomi Pad 5 starts at 6GB+128GB. In fact, both the variants of the Xiaomi Pad 5 come with 6GB RAM and differ only in terms of storage (128GB and 256GB). 


The OnePlus Pad on the other hand comes with much higher RAM and storage numbers — it comes in 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB variants. Factor that in with the OnePlus Pad's larger display, and the price difference does not seem so great. The Xiaomi Pad 5 wins this round because of its lower price tag, but it is significantly behind the OnePlus Pad in terms of the hardware it offers at this price. 


Winner: Xiaomi Pad 5


OnePlus Pad Vs Xiaomi Pad 5: Which Is The Better Option?


If you are on a tight budget, the Xiaomi Pad 5 is a no-brainer. Xiaomi's tablet comes with a good display, great sound and decent battery life at a price that is much lower than that of the OnePlus Pad. However, if you are looking in terms of a premium design and more storage and RAM, the OnePlus Pad wins the day. 


The greater (and faster) RAM and storage also make the OnePlus Pad a better long-term option on paper, as compared to the Xiaomi Pad 5. That said, at the time of writing, the Xiaomi Pad 5 did have a clear software edge over the OnePlus Pad, which might appeal to those who value productivity.  But again, OnePlus is known for its constant updating of devices, so the OnePlus Pad might be a very different beast a few months down the line.


At the time of writing, both the Xiaomi Pad 5 and the OnePlus Pad are very good tablets for their price and perhaps the best value for money premium tablets you can get on Android. If budget is not a major constraint, the OnePlus Pad is the better option simply for the premium finish and greater RAM and storage. But you would not be too far behind if you feel inclined to save money and go for a Xiaomi Pad 5.