This Android tablet is the best I've tested all year - and it's not by Samsung or Google

5 days ago 7

ZDNET's key takeaways

The Nubia Pad Pro is available on the official site for $419 -- $599 (depending on the configuration)
The Nubia Pad Pro is a powerhouse of a tablet, elegantly designed with a massive battery for long life
You can't purchase this tablet on Amazon yet.

Many pundits and reviewers wrote off Android tablets years ago, and yet companies are still producing them. I've tested many Android tablets, especially those in the mid-range, and have most often found them to be rather unimpressive.

Also: I did not expect this $300 Android tablet to be as impressive as it is

Then Nubia sent me their Pad Pro, and it reminded me why Android tablets are still a thing. At first blush, the tablet was well-designed and executed, but it wasn't until I used it for a few weeks that I realized how impressive it was.

The specs

CPU: Snapdragon® 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform
Display: 10.9-inch 2880 x 1800 at 144 Hz refresh, 16:10 aspect ratio, 1.07 billion colors, P3 color gamut, 309 ppi, 840 Hz instant-touch sampling rate
Connectivity:Wi-Fi 6 (2×2 MIMO), 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be, Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C
Camera: Rear: 13 MP; Front: 20 MP
Battery: 10,100mAh
Dimensions: 253.34 mm x 164.56 mm x 7.3 mm
Weight: 523g

MyOS hits the sweet spot

The look and feel of the Nubia Pad Pro are quite nice. With square edges and rounded corners, and a weight that won't tire your hands or fingers, this tablet feels good in the hands.

What really struck me, however, was the UI. The tablet ships with Android 15, but on top of that is MyOS 15.0.7, and MyOS is what really shines. I've used plenty of Android tablets, some of which ship with stock Android and others that overlay various takes on the Android UI.

Also: Why I recommend this Lenovo tablet over competing models that cost twice the price

In my opinion, Nubia has really hit the sweet spot with MyOS. Not only is the UI beautiful, but it's also highly functional and efficient to use. What Nubia has done is what most Android tablet manufacturers should do -- create an elegant UI that shines on the Android OS and makes the hardware work flawlessly.

It might sound like hyperbole, but it's what Nubia has accomplished with the Pad Pro, and I'm all for it. I've not seen such smooth animations on Android, which makes the Nubia Pad Pro feel as much like it's running iPadOS, without actually running Apple's tablet OS.

Performance results compared

As far as performance goes, I ran Geekbench 6 and compared it to my Pixel 9 Pro phone. Although it's like comparing apples to oranges, the Pixel 9 Pro is the most powerful Android device I own, so it makes for a good baseline. Here are the results:

Nubia Pad Pro CPU test: Single-core score of 2279, and multi-core score of 7065
Pixel 9 Pro CPU test: Single-core score of 1955, and multi-core score of 4593
Nubia Pad Pro GPU test: 15,317
Pixel 9 Pro GPU test: 8,353

Also: This Android tablet brings a $1,700 iPad Pro feature to the $400 price range - and it's just as good

OK, wow. The Nubia Pad Pro blows away the Pixel 9 Pro. Let's compare it to an actual tablet. The tablet in question is a Doogee T30 Max, and the results are as follows:

CPU test: Single-core score of 722, and multi-core score of 1943
GPU test: 1,273

Clearly, the Nubia Pad Pro is ahead of the curve, and considering the tablet sells for $489, it's a steal.

Battery life blew me away

Beyond the elegant design and powerful performance, there's one other feature that really blew me away… battery life.

When I first received the Nubia Pad Pro, I gave it a full charge and have been using it on and off for about two weeks. Right now, the battery stands at 52%. I've not been using it as much as my phone, and I haven't installed a collection of apps that constantly run in the background, so the comparison between the tablet and my phone isn't exactly fair.

However, the Nubia Pad Pro has a 10,100mAh battery that charges at 66 W, so my experience is probably pretty accurate.

Also: How to clear your Android phone cache (and why it makes such a big difference)

In power-save mode, with the current battery status at 52%, I could eke out another 88 hours of use. The tablet includes a feature to prevent it from charging beyond 80% to prevent overcharging (which shortens the life of the battery). In addition, in its current state the OS reports that I have 59 hours and 45 minutes remaining.

How impressive is that?

The Nubia Pad Pro is hands down the best Android tablet I've tested this year on every conceivable level, and it's going to take something pretty special to dethrone it.

ZDNET buying advice

If you're looking for an Android tablet that is equal parts form and function, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better option at this price. The Nubia Pad Pro performs incredibly well, looks beautiful and costs a lot less than an equivalent iPad.

I cannot recommend this Android tablet enough, so if you're in the market, pick one up from the official Nubia store now. You can get them in black or silver with the following spec combinations:

12GB RAM/256GB storage: $489
8GB RAM/256GB storage: $419
16GB RAM/512GB storage: $599

Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.

Read Entire Article