Nubia Takes On iPad With New Pad Pro Rocking Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 And 144Hz Display
Nubia, a Chinese company usually known for smartphones, has officially thrown its hat into the premium tablet ring with the unveiling of the Nubia Pad Pro. Announced today, the device—rocking a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, DDR5X RAM, and 10.9-inch 144Hz display—will top out at $600, potentially placing it in competition with established players like Samsung, Apple, and even OnePlus.
Specs-wise, the Pad Pro makes a strong statement with the 'older' but still potent Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, paired with LPDDR5X memory and UFS 4.0 flash storage. Visuals comes from a 10.9-inch 2.8K true-color 2880×1800 144Hz TFT display, while audio comes courtesy of DTS X Ultra spatial sound.
The unibody chassis is made of aluminum alloy, which helps keep weight down (523 grams) and the profile thin (7.3 millimeters). A 13-megapixel rear camera and 20MP selfie lens, plus 10,100mAh battery (with 66 watts fast charging) round out some of the main features.
Comparing the Nubia to some of its closest rivals:
The Nubia Pad Pro is available now for preorder for $420 (8GB RAM / 256GB storage), $490 (12GB / 256GB), and $600 (16GB / 512GB). The Android-based MyOS 15.0 tablet can be had in Black or Silver colorways.
Comparing the Nubia to some of its closest rivals:
- Samsung: The Pad Pro, with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, offers comparable raw processing power to these models at a fraction of the cost, even against the slightly less expensive S10 FE+ models (currently $449.99). However, Samsung's mature One UI ecosystem and included S Pen are possible advantages.
- Apple: The iPad Air ($499), with its M3 chip, strikes a balance between performance and price, appealing to a broader audience including artists and general users. Even the entry-level iPad (A16 chipset) and the iPad mini (A17 Pro) offer strong performance within iPadOS, which includes features like Stage Manager and new Apple Intelligence capabilities. Apple's tablets are highly integrated with accessories like the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.
- OnePlus: Launched recently, Pad 3 ($699.99) features a 13.2-inch 3.4K 144Hz LCD, along with a significantly more powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite. Battery capacity is higher, too—12,140mAh with 80W charging. The OnePlus Pad 3 also offers an improved Open Canvas feature for multitasking and a dedicated AI button on its Smart Keyboard accessory.
