I tried an Android tablet for less than 300 francs for two months and that’s what came out

The first meeting is a bit sobering: “Oppo Pad Air” appears in large letters on the packaging. The name is blatantly copied from a well-known California technology company.

A look at the price tag is gratifying: Oppo would like 279 francs for the almost 10.4-inch entry-level tablet. It is made for anyone who mainly uses tablets to watch videos, surf the web or play the occasional mobile game.

To anticipate the conclusion: If you’re looking for a cheap and technically solid Android tablet that doesn’t look cheap, you won’t be disappointed.

Design hui, performance okay

The name may not be very original, but the tablet, which is 6.9 millimeters thick and weighs only 440 grams, really deserves the name “Air”. Oppo’s Pad Air feels comfortable to hold, has a good grip even without a case, and is light enough to hold for long periods of time.

For just under 300 francs you get a solid design, 64 GB storage (expandable with a memory card) and a fast-responding but not particularly bright screen. The brightness is still good for indoor use, and the resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels is also more than adequate.

The Pad Air is smooth to operate, with the mid-range processor and 4 GB RAM designed for applications such as streaming, social media, simple mobile games and the like.

I’ve been using the Pad Air for reading news and editing photos for the past two months and I’m happy with its performance. The tablet reaches its limits in demanding 3D games: the graphic quality is greatly reduced here.

Technical specifications

More of a “Netflix machine” than a working tool

The elongated screen in 16:10 format takes some getting used to, but is ideal for watching movies and videos. If you are mainly looking for a medium-sized tablet as a playback device for Netflix, YouTube and Co. and want as few black bars as possible, then this aspect ratio is perfect. Conversely, Apple’s iPad format (4:3) or Microsoft’s Surface format (3:2) are more practical for surfing or working on the Internet.

The fact that Oppo does not see the Pad Air primarily as a working tool, but as a “Netflix machine”, is also evident from the fact that the relatively cheap tablet has four speakers and support for Dolby Atmos. Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video offer selected movies and series with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack (3D sound). Of course, you should not expect a sound miracle, but dialogues are clearly reproduced and the sound is satisfactory for a tablet under 300 francs.

By the way: Headphones must be connected via Bluetooth or USB-C port, there is no classic headphone connection.

If you want to get the Pad Air to watch movies and series, you would probably do well to order Oppo’s protective case with stand function for about 35 francs. Oppo does not (yet) offer other accessories such as a Bluetooth keyboard or a stylus. Stakeholders must therefore resort to third-party alternatives.

Solid battery life

Oppo indicates that the battery life when watching videos is up to 12 hours. In everyday life with mixed use, mainly web browsing, the battery lasts me about 10 hours. The solid battery life is partly paid for by the fact that the screen dims too much in low-light conditions for my taste (others would probably praise this as being easy on the eyes).

As mentioned, the Pad Air is primarily designed for use in landscape format. Conversely, holding the elongated tablet in portrait mode initially feels odd. I’ve gotten used to it now. In addition, there is the old problem that many Android apps are still not optimized for tablets and therefore do not make good use of the extra space compared to smartphones.

The fact that using the device in portrait format is probably not the inventor’s intention is reflected, among other things, in the fact that the front camera for unlocking the device is on top when the device is used in landscape format. This camera placement is especially useful for video calls. Too bad the image quality is extremely poor. In fact, the camera on the back is a total failure. I took two test shots with it and never touched it again.

A few words about the software

The Pad Air comes with Oppo’s ColorOS for Pad user interface, which is based on Android 12. Basically everything works like other Android tablets, but Oppo has taught Android 12 a few extra multitasking tricks. In addition to the usual split screen with two apps and floating windows, two instances of an application can also run on the same screen. In split screen mode, you can drag and drop files from one app to another.

In addition, the smartphone screen can be sent wirelessly to the tablet via WLAN, provided that both devices are running the latest Oppo software version. Text can be copied from the smartphone to the tablet or vice versa via the shared clipboard. In addition, for example, photos from the smartphone can be inserted into a PowerPoint presentation on the tablet by dragging and dropping them.

I doubt many Pad Air buyers have been waiting for these multitasking and screen sharing features. But Oppo will undoubtedly also bring tablets in the future with a focus on business users. With a Pad Pro at the latest, such features will attract more interest.

Conclusion

Even as an absolute tablet grouch, I have to admit: Oppo’s tablet premiere is nice. The Pad Air is elegant, technically solid and above all lighter than the vast majority of comparable tablets.

It’s fast enough for light work, simpler mobile games, and it’s great for Netflix, YouTube, and the like. However, the elongated aspect ratio (5:3) remains a matter of taste. It makes sense for movies or games, but less so for everything else. It is a pity that Oppo only offers us the basic version with 64 GB without mobile communication – after all, the memory can be expanded with a microSD card. All in all, frugal tablet users should be happy with the Pad Air. The price of 279 francs is reasonable for the offer.

Frankly, it must also be said that, apart from its low weight, it is nowhere above the competition. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, which costs the same price, is a bit heavier but also a bit faster and the pen is included. You can also get significantly more powerful tablets from Apple (iPad 2021) or Xiaomi (Pad 5) for around 50 francs, but they aren’t quite as light.

Other than that, I’m completely satisfied with Oppo’s slightly modified user interface for Android tablets. It is disappointing that Oppo only wants to provide the device with security updates for three years. It is also not very exciting that many Android apps are still not optimized for tablets. However, this shortcoming cannot be blamed on Oppo.

In conclusion, it remains to say that the Pad Air won’t convert me into a tablet user either. The two months with the tablet have made me realize once again that I don’t really need one. The test device is already on its way to Oppo, but my other half hinted that her birthday was coming soon…