What you need to know
- OnePlus' first tablet generally held its own when put through the wringer.
- However, Zack Nelson's bend test has left a small gap between the OnePlus Pad's screen and frame in the middle area.
- Nelson's durability test also proves that the tablet has aluminum frames.
If you're going to spend $479 on OnePlus' first tablet, you're going to want to protect it with a sturdy case. But as per a popular YouTuber's new torture test, the OnePlus Pad can stand up well to everyday wear and tear, and it doesn't appear to bend easily under pressure.
Zack Nelson, who runs the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, has put the OnePlus Pad through the wringer, which involves torturing it with sharp objects, fire, and force. Surprisingly, the durability test reveals that it takes a lot of pressure to bend the tablet.
First up is the screen's scratch resistance. As expected, scratches appear at level 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, with deeper grooves appearing at level 7.
The YouTuber then whips out his trusty box cutter. Nelson begins scraping the blade down the sides of the tablet, revealing a metal frame. The aluminum on the sides failing to withstand some box cutter torture is unsurprising, but it's good to see the power button and volume rockers don't easily fall off their places.
However, the OnePlus Stylo snaps in half pretty easily, so you may want to protect the accessory. The rear metal panel and camera lenses also fare reasonably well against scratching from the box cutter, which Nelson uses to demonstrate his artistic prowess and turn the tablet into an artwork canvas.
Nelson then applied pressure to the OnePlus Pad with his hands, and when bent from the back and front, the slate does not flex much. However, there was a small gap between the display and the frame, as shown below. More importantly, the device did not break or stop working, demonstrating that the tablet is far superior to OnePlus' other products.
Some of our favorite Android tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, also survived the same torture test, unlike Apple's 2022 iPad. Here's hoping that OnePlus' future smartphones can also hold out against Nelson's torture test someday, where the OnePlus 10 Pro and OnePlus 10T failed.
The OnePlus Pad is the way to go if you want more than just a content-consumption device. The OnePlus Pad is intended for portable productivity, thanks to its 144Hz display and optional keyboard and stylus.
