The thing about mid-range tablets is… most of them don’t really need to reinvent anything. They just need to get the basics right.
And that’s kind of what the OnePlus Pad Go 2 does. It doesn’t try to be flashy or experimental. Instead, it quietly fixes a lot of the small annoyances from the previous model.
In India, the pricing starts at ₹26,999 for the 8GB, 128GB Wi-Fi version, goes up to ₹29,999 if you want 256GB of storage, and tops out at ₹32,999 for the 5G variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. And at those prices, the Pad Go 2 feels like one of the more sensible Android tablets you can buy right now.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 design
I like the design here... the camera’s now pushed into the corner, the logo’s properly centred, and thankfully, that old dual-tone back is gone. It’s a single-colour finish now, and it just looks cleaner. Less trying, more confident.
This is the Lavender Drift colour, and yeah, it sounds loud, but it really isn’t. In person, it’s pretty subtle. It catches light nicely without screaming for attention. If you’re not into colours, the black version is there, and honestly, it gives very strong iPad energy.
What I didn’t expect was how easy this tablet is to hold. It’s big, no doubt, but at just under 600 grams and around 6.8mm thick, it never felt awkward. I could sit and read or watch videos for a long time without feeling like I needed to keep shifting my grip. The matte finish helps too. It doesn’t feel slippery and it doesn’t turn into a fingerprint disaster.
Button and port placement is simple and makes sense. The power button sits up top, volume buttons are on the right, and the selfie camera is on the side bezel, which is way better if you’re using the tablet horizontally for video calls.
You’ve got four speaker grilles around the body, and they get loud enough for movies and YouTube. Charging happens over USB-C at the bottom. No headphone jack here, and there’s no pogo pins or magnetic connector either, since OnePlus isn’t offering a keyboard accessory. The stylus, if you’re using one, charges separately over USB-C.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 display
Okay, let’s talk about the screen, because that’s really the main reason this tablet works. It’s a big one - 12.1 inch LCD and 2.8K resolution.
And yeah, on paper that sounds very spec-heavy, but in real use, it’s just… nice to look at. Colours look good, text is sharp, and when you’re watching Netflix or YouTube, Dolby Vision actually does something. It’s not just a badge.
Indoors, brightness is completely fine. Never had an issue. Step outside, though, and you do notice the glossy screen. In direct sunlight, it’s not great. But honestly, most tablets struggle there, so I wasn’t shocked.
The aspect ratio is something I didn’t think I’d care about, but I kind of do. It’s 7:5, which sounds boring, but reading feels better, documents fit more on screen, and multitasking doesn’t feel as squished as it usually does on Android tablets.
The 120Hz refresh rate helps too. Scrolling feels smoother, switching apps feels lighter, and after a while, you just get used to that fluid feel.
There’s no fingerprint scanner here, which feels odd at first. But face unlock is quick enough that after a day or two, I genuinely stopped thinking about it.
This isn’t some massive redesign or anything. It feels more like OnePlus looked at the older version and quietly fixed what needed fixing - better screen, better flow, fewer rough edges.
And those are the kinds of upgrades you only really notice once you start using the tablet properly.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 audio
You’ve got quad speakers on this thing, placed on both sides. This means no matter how you’re holding it, the sound isn’t getting blocked. OnePlus also does this thing where the tablet figures out its orientation and shifts the audio accordingly. You don’t really notice it happening, which is kind of the point.
For watching videos, it’s honestly pretty good. It gets loud, dialogue is clear, and vocals come through nicely. Up to around 70 or 80 percent volume, everything sounds clean. That’s sort of the sweet spot. Movies, YouTube, even random reels, all sound fine.
Bass is where you feel the compromise. It’s there, but it doesn’t really punch.
Another letdown is there’s no Dolby Atmos this time, which is a bit odd. That said, if you’re using wireless headphones, you do get SBC, AAC, and LDAC support, so audio quality over Bluetooth isn’t really an issue.
End of the day, this isn’t trying to be an audio powerhouse. But for casual stuff, watching videos, online classes, or just throwing something on in the background, it does the job without getting in the way.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 connectivity
I was actually really excited to see OnePlus finally bring 5G to the Pad Go lineup, so yeah, I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get the 5G model to test.
There is a 5G version of the Pad Go 2 though, and with a SIM inside, you can use it completely independently. Calls, messages, browsing, all without depending on Wi-Fi, which is a big deal for a tablet like this.
Just to be clear, the unit I have is the Wi-Fi one, and the 5G variant is only available in the Shadow Black colour right now.
What I did end up using a lot instead was OnePlus’ phone integration. If you’ve got a OnePlus phone nearby, the tablet can automatically share your phone’s 5G connection.
Apart from that, connectivity is solid overall - Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4. It just stays connected, which is honestly what matters.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 accesories
I ended up using the stylus more than I thought I would.
It’s called the Pad Go 2 Stylo, and it sticks to the side of the optional folio case when you’re not using it.
It connects over Bluetooth 5.4, charges via USB-C, and in real use, the battery life is solid. I was easily getting over a week out of it, which lines up with around 20 hours of actual usage.
There’s a button near the top, and at first I ignored it. Then I didn’t.
You can switch tools in supported apps with it, and there’s this lock-screen note thing where you can just start writing without properly unlocking the tablet. That’s actually useful when you’re trying to jot something down quickly.
Pressure sensitivity is fine. Nothing crazy, but responsive enough. For notes, light sketches, or marking up PDFs, it felt reliable. If you’re a professional artist, this probably isn’t your main tool, but that’s not really who this tablet is for anyway.
I also used the folio case quite a bit. It wraps around the tablet nicely and makes it easier to hold, especially when you’re reading or just scrolling. It does add some weight, which you’ll notice at first, but I stopped thinking about it after a while. The cover folds into a stand too, but only in landscape, which is fine because that’s how I used the tablet most of the time anyway.
One thing to clear up though. Neither the stylus nor the folio case comes in the box. You have to buy them separately.
The Stylo is priced at ₹3,999 and the folio case goes for ₹1,499. That said, OnePlus is running a limited-time offer where the Stylo comes free with the Pad Go 2, so if you’re planning to use it, that’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 software & performance
The Pad Go 2 is running OxygenOS 16 on Android 16, and honestly, it feels like OxygenOS should. Clean, smooth, and not doing anything annoying in the background.
On a screen this big, multitasking actually makes sense. Split screen works well, floating windows are useful, and Open Canvas is one of those things you don’t use all the time, but when you do, it just works. It’s especially nice when you’re switching between notes and a browser.
There’s also a bunch of AI stuff sprinkled in. Not everywhere, and not all the time, but it’s there when you need it. Things like summaries, translations, voice transcription, eye care features. In the Notes app, there’s an AI voice transcriber that can turn whatever you’re saying into text, and even read things back to you. I also tried AI Recorder and AI Speak, and for classes or meetings, they’re actually pretty handy.
As for performance, this is running the Dimensity 7300 Ultra with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, and for daily use, it’s completely fine. Apps open quickly, scrolling stays smooth, and nothing feels laggy in normal use.
It’s also a noticeable step up from the older Pad Go, which was using the Helio G99. You can feel that extra headroom, especially when multitasking or jumping between apps. It just feels less strained overall.
I played a few casual games like Bubble Pop and Candy Crush, and they ran without any issues. No heating, no random performance drops, nothing like that.
This isn’t a performance monster by any means. But for studying, streaming, note-taking, and everyday stuff, it feels comfortable and reliable. And for this kind of tablet, that’s really what matters.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 cameras & battery
So cameras first, because on a tablet, expectations are already… realistic.
You’ve got 8-megapixel cameras on both the front and the back, and honestly, they’re fine. They do what they’re supposed to do. Video calls look clear enough, you don’t look like a potato, and that’s really the bar for tablet cameras.
Where things get a bit more interesting is the camera app itself. OnePlus has packed in a whole AI suite here, and there’s a lot going on. The most impressive bit is the AI editor. You can genuinely change how a photo looks after you’ve taken it.
Stuff like AI relight, AI recompose, AI eraser, AI perfect shot, detail boost… it’s a long list. You won’t use all of it every day, but it’s nice to have, especially if you’re editing notes, screenshots, or quick photos.
Video tops out at 1080p, 30fps from both cameras, with HDR support. Nothing fancy, but again, for classes, calls, or quick recordings, it gets the job done. There’s also a document scanner feature, which I think students will really appreciate. It’s reliable and surprisingly useful once you start using it.
Now, battery life.This is where the Pad Go 2 really shines.
There’s a massive 10,050mAh battery inside, and it shows. I wasn’t thinking about charging this every day. Even with fairly heavy use, it easily stretched across multiple days. There weren’t any weird drops either, no single app suddenly draining the battery faster than expected.
Charging is solid too. You get a 33W charger in the box, but the tablet supports up to 45W SUPERVOOC. With the faster charger, it takes roughly about an hour and a half to fully top up. It also supports reverse charging, which is a nice bonus. No wireless charging here, but honestly, on a tablet, that’s not something I missed.
Overall, battery life is one of the biggest strengths of this tablet. It’s the kind of thing you stop worrying about, and that’s always a good sign.
OnePlus Pad Go 2 verdict
After spending time with the OnePlus Pad Go 2, it’s pretty clear what OnePlus was going for.
This isn’t a tablet that’s trying to impress you with specs or flashy features. It’s built around the things that actually matter on a tablet: a large, good-quality display, excellent battery life, clean software, and performance that stays smooth for everyday use.
Cameras are here, they work for video calls and documents, and that’s about as much attention as they deserve on a device like this. They’re not the reason you buy this tablet, and OnePlus clearly knows that.
If you’re looking for a no-nonsense Android tablet that focuses on the right things and doesn’t try too hard to be something it’s not, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 fits that brief really well.
One thing I do wish OnePlus had handled a bit differently is the 5G option.
It’s a welcome addition, no doubt. Having proper 5G on a tablet actually makes sense, especially for students and people who move around a lot. But it’s only available on the top-end variant, and that feels like a bit of a miss. It would’ve made a lot more sense to offer 5G on the second price tier as well, because that’s where most people are likely to land.
And if OnePlus really wanted to make this even more attractive, bundling the stylus with one of the higher variants would’ve been a strong move. The stylus works well, it fits the way this tablet is meant to be used, and having it included would’ve pushed the value up significantly.
As it stands, the Pad Go 2 is still a very sensible tablet. But a slightly smarter 5G and accessory strategy could’ve made it an even easier recommendation.
