Design and Build Quality
The first point of divergence is physical design. The iPad Air sports Apple’s iconic, industrial aesthetic with flat edges, a premium aluminum unibody, and a symmetrical bezel surrounding the display. It’s exceptionally well-built, thin, and lightweight, exuding a sense of high-end craftsmanship. It’s available in multiple color options like Blue, Purple, and Starlight, allowing for some personal expression.
The OnePlus Pad takes a different approach. It features a unique centered camera module on the back, reminiscent of a flagship phone, which creates a distinctive look. It’s also crafted from a single piece of aluminum, feeling just as solid and premium in the hand as the iPad. A significant ergonomic advantage is its “2.5D curved frame,” which makes it more comfortable to hold for extended periods compared to the iPad’s sharper edges. Its Halo Green color is striking and exclusive, helping it stand out in a sea of silver and space gray tablets.
Verdict: This is subjective. The iPad Air has a timeless, professional design. The OnePlus Pad offers a more ergonomic grip and a fresher aesthetic. For comfort during long reading or media sessions, the OnePlus Pad has a slight edge.
Display: LCD vs. Mini-LED
The iPad Air features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, which is a high-quality LCD panel. It offers excellent color accuracy, True Tone support for adjusting white balance, and a sharp 2360×1640 resolution. It’s a brilliant screen for most tasks, from drawing to watching videos, but it lacks the perfect blacks and extreme contrast of an OLED display.
The OnePlus Pad fights back with a stunning 11.6-inch LCD of a different caliber. Its key innovation is a 7:5 screen ratio, which OnePlus dubs a “Read-fit” display. This makes it more square-shaped than the iPad’s 4:3 ratio, providing a more comfortable experience for reading documents, web browsing, and split-screen multitasking, as both halves feel more naturally proportioned. More importantly, it uses a Mini-LED backlighting system (marketed as an “Ultra HD Display”), allowing for superior brightness (up to 500 nits) and much higher contrast ratios with local dimming, delivering near-OLED picture quality without the risk of burn-in. It also features a higher 144Hz refresh rate compared to the iPad Air’s 60Hz, making every scroll, animation, and supported game feel incredibly smooth.
Verdict: The OnePlus Pad has a superior display. The combination of the more versatile 7:5 aspect ratio, the smoother 144Hz refresh rate, and the enhanced contrast of Mini-LED gives it a clear advantage for media consumption, reading, and general usability.
Performance and Software
The iPad Air is powered by Apple’s M1 chip, the same silicon found in MacBooks and the more expensive iPad Pro. This is a desktop-class processor that delivers staggering performance. It handles everything from complex video editing and 3D modeling to the most demanding games with absolute ease. It is future-proofed for years of software updates. It runs iPadOS, an operating system that boasts a mature, polished ecosystem of over a million optimized apps, superior creative and professional software like Procreate, LumaFusion, and Affinity Suite, and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem via Continuity, AirDrop, and Sidecar.
The OnePlus Pad is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip, a flagship-level processor for Android devices. Paired with ample RAM, it delivers buttery-smooth performance for everyday tasks, multitasking, and high-end gaming. However, it is not in the same raw performance tier as the M1. It runs OxygenOS based on Android 13. The Android tablet app ecosystem has improved dramatically, but it still lacks the depth and polish of iPadOS, especially for professional-grade applications. OnePlus has added useful features like a two-finger split-screen from the top and “Omni-bearing” connectivity for seamless sync with OnePlus phones, but the overall software experience, while clean, is less sophisticated than iPadOS.
Verdict: The iPad Air is the undisputed performance champion. If your workflow involves professional applications, heavy multitasking, or you simply want the most powerful and polished tablet experience, the iPad Air with the M1 chip and iPadOS is the winner.
Accessories and Ecosystem
This is a critical differentiator. The iPad Air supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, which magnetically attaches to the side of the tablet for pairing and charging. It offers pixel-perfect precision, low latency, and pressure sensitivity, making it the gold standard for digital artists, note-takers, and students. It also works with the Magic Keyboard, effectively transforming the iPad into a laptop replacement with a excellent typing experience and a trackpad.
The OnePlus Pad has its own stylus, the OnePlus Stylo, and a magnetic keyboard folio. The Stylo is a capable stylus for note-taking and sketching, and it conveniently charges by magnetically attaching to the top of the tablet. However, its latency and precision are not quite on par with the Apple Pencil. The keyboard folio provides a decent typing experience but lacks a trackpad, limiting its functionality as a true laptop substitute. The real strength here is if you are already invested in either ecosystem; the iPad works magically with your iPhone and Mac, while the OnePlus Pad offers neat integrations with OnePlus phones.
Verdict: The iPad Air’s accessory ecosystem is more mature, refined, and powerful. The Apple Pencil 2 and Magic Keyboard combination is significantly more compelling for creatives and professionals.
Battery Life and Charging
Both tablets offer excellent all-day battery life, easily lasting through a full day of mixed use involving web browsing, video streaming, and productivity tasks. You can expect 10-12 hours of screen-on time from both under normal conditions.
The key difference lies in charging speed. The iPad Air ships with a 20W power adapter and charges via a USB-C port at a relatively slow pace. The OnePlus Pad includes a much faster 67W SuperVOOC charger in the box. It can recharge its large battery from 0 to 100% in roughly 80-90 minutes, a significant advantage over the iPad Air’s multi-hour charging time. For users who are frequently on the go, this rapid charging capability is a major practical benefit.
Verdict: While both have great endurance, the OnePlus Pad is the clear winner in charging convenience thanks to its incredibly fast 67W wired charging.
Price and Value
The iPad Air starts at a higher price point for the base 64GB storage model. This base storage can feel limiting for anyone planning to store large files, apps, or media. Upgrading to a more comfortable 256GB storage tier increases the cost significantly, placing it closer to the iPad Pro.
The OnePlus Pad, in contrast, starts at a more aggressive price and typically offers more base storage (e.g., 128GB). When you factor in the superior display with a high refresh rate, the included fast charger, and the more ergonomic design, it presents a tremendous value proposition. You get more features for your money upfront.
Verdict: The OnePlus Pad offers superior value. It delivers a top-tier screen, fast performance, and rapid charging at a more accessible price point than the iPad Air.
The Final Choice: Who is Each Tablet For?
Choose the iPad Air if:
- You are a creative professional or serious hobbyist who needs the absolute best performance and app ecosystem (Procreate, LumaFusion, etc.).
- You are a student or note-taker who relies on the superior precision of the Apple Pencil 2.
- You want to use your tablet as a laptop replacement with the excellent Magic Keyboard.
- You are deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem (iPhone, Mac, AirPods) and value seamless integration.
- You prioritize long-term software support and resale value.
Choose the OnePlus Pad if:
- Your primary uses are media consumption, web browsing, reading, and light gaming, and you want the best possible display for these tasks.
- You value a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience for general navigation and are drawn to the more versatile 7:5 aspect ratio.
- You are budget-conscious but refuse to compromise on premium build quality and high-end display technology.
- You need a tablet that charges incredibly quickly.
- You are an Android user or are not locked into any specific ecosystem, and your accessory needs are more casual.