OnePlus Pad 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra Comparison

Today, we compare the most powerful Android tablet with the most expensive one. 

The new OnePlus Pad 3 against the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. The OnePlus features the super-fast Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and at $699, it’s only 2/3rd of the price of the Samsung. But doesn’t Samsung have more premium features?

Well, in this in-depth comparison you learn which tablet is better for whom.

Design: First impressions

We start with the design. Visually, the OnePlus Pad 3 is very pretty. It has a rounded design, with soft edges, rounded and small screen bezels and an elegant back, not to mention the large 13 inch display. By itself, the tablet is beautiful. 

But the Galaxy S10 Ultra is something else entirely. Holding the tablet feels like holding a sheet of glass; The screen bezels are impossibly thin, and so is the tablet at 5.4mm. And despite the 14.6”’ size, it’s only a bit heavier than the OnePlus at 720g.

Both have a USB 3.2 port with display out and only the Samsung has a microSD slot.

Display Comparison

The Samsung tablet has a massive AMOLED display with a very long 16:10 aspect ratio, similar to a laptop screen. This makes it especially suited for watching Youtube, movies or TV shows. The display is bright at a 930 nits peak and has an excellent anti-reflection coating that helps with readability in bright environments.

It’s among the best displays you can find on a tablet.

The OnePlus Pad 3 sticks with the tried and tested LCD display. However, it’s a rather good panel with an even higher resolution than the Samsung’s. The peak brightness is similar at 900 nits, but you’ll miss the anti-reflective coating of the Galaxy Tab, especially when trying to use the tablet outside in sunny weather. The colours are vivid, contrast is good but obviously not as good as the S10 Ultra’s AMOLED display.

The Pad 3 has a squarer 7:5 aspect ratio. We find this setup more comfortable for working since you end up with just as much height despite the slightly smaller display. The Samsung feels much clumsier to use in comparison. However, there’s no question that the Tab S10 Ultra is the superior entertainment tablet.

By the way, the Galaxy has a 120hz refresh rate, while the OnePlus can do up to 144hz. 

Speakers

Just as you would expect, Samsung packs the Tab S10 Ultra with world class speakers. These have plenty of bass, get super loud without distortion and have a spacious sound.

The OnePlus Pad 3 actually has 8 stereo speakers, while the Samsung has only 4. 

However, the sound quality is shallow when compared side-to-side with the Samsung, and the speakers also don’t get quite as loud. For music or movie immersion, we would take the Samsung.

Read: Lenovo Tab Plus Review: The Best Tablet For Music Lovers?

Performance

Where the OnePlus really outshines the Samsung is in performance and gaming. The OnePlus Pad 3 has the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the currently fastest Android chip, 12GB of RAM and at least 256GB of storage.

The Galaxy Tab has the slightly slower Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ chip and the same amount of base RAM and storage.

The OnePlus Pad 3 is a shocking 50% faster in Geekbench CPU single core than the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, and 20% faster in multi-core. The GPU performance is also 40% better.

3D Mark shows the same trend; the OnePlus is consistently around 20% faster in GPU tests, and even matches last year’s iPad Air M2. These benchmark scores should translate to much better gaming performance as well.

Gaming Comparison

You’re not going to find any Android game that either of these tablets won’t play, but there are slight differences. Because the Galaxy Tab is using a Mediatek Dimensity chipset, many games and apps aren’t as optimised for it as the OnePlus Pad’s Snapdragon chip with Adreno graphics.

In Fortnite, for example, the S10 Ultra is limited to 60FPS with max settings, while the OnePlus can do 90FPS.

It’s not that the Galaxy isn’t powerful enough for 90FPS gaming; midrange tablets like the Xiaomi Pad 7 can achieve 60 FPS with the same settings. But games aren’t as optimised for MediaTek chips. That’s a huge shame for tablet gamers. 

We would definitely recommend the OnePlus Pad 3 for serious gamers, but both tablets feel a bit too large to game on without using a controller. If you’re looking for a tablet specifically for gaming, we suggest you check out our Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 review. It’s a fantastic small gaming tablet.

Battery life

Thanks to its OLED display, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra takes the win in battery life tests. Both tablets have huge batteries, the Galaxy with 11200mAh and the OnePlus with 12140mAh.  But the OnePlus manages 9.65 hours in our YouTube HD playback test, while the Galaxy impresses with 13 hours. Both tablets were set to their maximum brightness. 

In practice, you won’t feel as big of a difference between the two. They both have long enough battery life for a day or two of frequent use, but the Samsung will have the advantage if you’re mostly watching videos.

One nice bonus is that the OnePlus charges at up to 80 Watts while the Galaxy can only do 45. 

Software: Long support on both devices

Samsung’s traditionally been very good at keeping their tablets up to date. The Tab S10 lineup is expected to receive security patches and large Android version updates until 2031, for example.

However, OnePlus has also stepped their game up with 6 years of promised support, also ending in 2031. So both companies are about on par here. But the OnePlus might get less version updates.

What OnePlus doesn’t have is Samsung’s suite of in-house apps. Although we find many redundant, Samsung Notes stands out as one of the best Android notetaking apps. It’s also only available on Samsung tablets. OnePlus’ notes app is less impressive and often buggy in comparison.

Samsung also has DeX, an excellent desktop mode that really gives a laptop-like experience. OnePlus doesn’t offer a desktop mode at all.

Stylus Comparison

It’s impossible to talk about Samsung Notes without talking about Samsung’s excellent S-Pens and pen features. You actually receive the S-Pen for free when buying the Galaxy S10 Ultra, whereas OnePlus charges $99 for their less capable stylus.

The S-Pen is accurate, feels great in the hand, has a soft tip and supports cool features like air gestures. It’s just as good in third party note and drawing apps like OneNote or Sketchbook. The S Pen magnetically attaches to the back of the tablet firmly and charges automatically as well, although basic writing functions work without any charge at all.

The OnePlus Stylo 2 is the optional stylus for the Pad 3. It works great in the integrated notes app but has a couple bugs in OneNote. The Stylo also charges magnetically, albeit at the side of the tablet, but the connection is not as firm as the Galaxy Tab’s and tends to come off easily in a backpack.

Honestly, both pens will do the job if you’re a student looking to take notes, but the S Pen takes the win due to the tighter software integration.

Keyboard Covers

Both tablets have an optional keyboard cover with trackpads, but Samsung charges a whopping $380 for theirs while OnePlus’ is cheaper at $170.

The quality of the Samsung keyboard is excellent. The cover comes with 2 pieces: a rear plate and the keyboard itself. The pieces can be used independently. The keyboard attaches super firmly to the bottom of the tablet, while the back cover uses magnets to fix itself. It also has a convenient flap to access the S-Pen. A kickstand can be accessed and adjusted to pretty much every angle you’d like.

OnePlus goes with a similar two-piece design. The keyboard used 3 pogo pins to attach to the bottom. The connection is secure, but leaves a little bit of flex. The back cover uses a similar magnetic connection to attach behind the tablet, but the magnets are way too weak. The cover occasionally falls off when you try to adjust the tablet viewing angle. The range of motion of the kickstand is also not as wide as the Samsung’s.

The actual typing experience is surprisingly pleasant on the OnePlus. The keyboard itself is firm, but keys have a good degree of travel and actuation. Samsung’s keyboard feels much more mushy and overall doesn’t impress for its price. Although it’s very much subjective, we definitely appreciate the typing feeling of the OnePlus Pad 3’s keyboard more.

Both keyboards have decent trackpads, but the OnePlus’ feels just a bit too sensitive. We also noticed that scrolling with two fingers doesn’t work in Google Docs for some reason. Samsung does better here. 

An important detail

Here’s something that might be divisive. Only the Galaxy S10 Ultra has a fingerprint scanner. The OnePlus relies entirely on Facial recognition for biometrics and unlocking, which is neither very safe nor very convenient. Often, we have to manually input our pin because it’s either too dark or our face isn’t in frame. The S10 doesn’t have this issue. 

OnePlus Pad 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra Comparison: Final Verdict

Honestly, both of these tablets will be good for anything you throw at them. Out of the two, the Samsung Tab has better software, better accessories and is better for media and work. 

The OnePlus, on the other hand, has incredible performance and a pretty design.

We think that the decision comes down to budget. In Germany, where we’re based, you can get the OnePlus Pad 3 for 600 Euros, while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra costs around 950€.

If you care about saving money at all, the OnePlus is the better deal, and for gamers it’s more suited anyways. But for the ultimate Netflix and YouTube experience, you won’t find anything better than the S10 Ultra. 

Overview: Which one should you buy? 

Gaming: OnePlus Pad 3

Work/Study: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra

Media/Entertainment: Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra

Budget conscious: OnePlus Pad 3