Although the Find X9 Ultra was undoubtedly the star of the show at Oppo’s big launch event in China this week, there were plenty of other new devices unveiled, including tablets, smartwatches and more.
One in particular caught my eye: the Oppo Pad mini. Partly, that’s because Oppo showed it on a gargantuan screen next to the iPad mini – in a comparison that did Apple’s model no favours – to show how much narrower the bezel around the display is. But it’s also because a compact tablet by the brand has been a long time coming.
Fortunately, I was at the event in Chengdu and was able to see the Pad mini in the flesh.
Chris Martin / Foundy
Although I only had a short time with the device before being whisked off onto a coach, I have to say, it left quite an impression.
I review a lot of Android tablets, but there’s a good reason I didn’t take one with me on this trip – they’re all too big and heavy. When I’m already carrying multiple phones and a laptop, plus other bits and pieces, it’s just not suitable or efficient.
If I’d had an Oppo Pad mini, I’ve no doubt it would comfortably have made its way into my bag, to be pulled out at the airport, on the plane or even on coach journeys – primarily, so I could enjoy content on a decent-sized screen.
The Pad mini is just 5.4mm and 279g, so it’s really not all that much heavier or bigger than the bar of chocolate I took in my bag – those both beat the most recent iPad mini by a decent margin.
The tablet looks and feels premium, with its metal unibody design, seen here in Monet Purple and Space Grey. It’s also available in Mint Green. The optional stylus snaps to the side.
Chris Martin / Foundy
It’s loaded with premium hardware, with the screen the hero for me, starting with that narrow bezel (under 3mm). Sure, Apple has a point in that larger bezels make tablets easier to use in the hand, but that wouldn’t be my most frequent use case.
The AMOLED panel is 8.8-inch with a 144Hz refresh rate, 1600 nit peak brightness and 344 ppi pixel density. In real life, I can tell you that it looks stunning.
Chris Martin / Foundy
Elsewhere, you get a solid set of specs, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, 8000mAh battery and 67W wired charging.
With a shortage of compact Android tablets around to compete with the iPad mini, I was really pleased to see Oppo announce this at the event. It has a price of CNY 3,699 (around £400/$540).
However, there’s sad news as it’s not getting a launch in the UK, where I’m based. In fact, it may be a China-only device.
We’ll have to make do with the Oppo Pad 5 (launched in China last year) or we can wait for another mini from the likes of Xiaomi or Oppo. My fingers are crossed.
This article was written after a trip hosted by Oppo. The brand has not sought to influence our coverage, nor have they seen any articles in advance of publication.