OnePlus Pad 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Which flagship Android tablet is best?

OnePlus's latest Android tablet firmly enters flagship territory while staying true to what made prior OnePlus Pad models successful. That makes the new OnePlus Pad 3 a natural competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.

While they're both great Android tablets, they also come with a lot of differences. The biggest one is cost: the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra costs a whopping $500 more than the Pad 3 at full price.

The question is, does the OnePlus Pad 3 offer a premium experience comparable to that of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra? The short answer is probably yes, unless you need the gargantuan screen on Samsung's tablet or DeX. For those considering whether to save with the Pad 3 or spend on the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, this complete comparison is for you.

OnePlus Pad 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Design and display

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The OnePlus Pad 2 was a curvy tablet with unique features, like a circular camera housing centered on the device's rear. With the new Pad 3, that's all changed. The tablet now features a boxy, rectangular design language similar to the Samsung Galaxy Tab lineup.

That includes flat edges, a rear camera positioned in the back corner, and uniform bezels. In fact, our reviewer said, "the more I looked at the latest OnePlus tablet, the more I realized how much it reminded me of the iPad Pro and Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra." In a way, the OnePlus Pad 3 feels more premium, but it's also becoming just like many of the other tablets on the market today.

OnePlus has made a significant change to the Pad 3's display, as it now measures 13.2 inches. However, the size is the only aspect changed about the OnePlus Pad 3's display, as it remains an IPS LCD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 900 nits peak brightness rating. For some, this will be a disappointment. However, LCDs do have advantages in certain areas and are friendly for PWM-sensitive people.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra ends up feeling more like a laptop than a tablet due to its even larger form factor. While the OnePlus Pad 3 is one of the biggest Android tablets on the market, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra's 14.6-inch screen is just that much bigger. It also uses AMOLED display technology, which could be preferred if you're not a fan of LCD.

It's also worth noting that the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra comes with an S Pen in the box, while the Stylo 2 for the OnePlus Pad 3 costs another $100.

It's impossible to understate the size difference between the OnePlus Pad 3 and the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. The former measures 289.61 x 209.66 x 5.97mm, while the latter measures 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.4mm. Samsung's tablet is thinner, but has a larger footprint overall — and that's compared to the OnePlus Pad 3, which is a big tablet in its own right.

That will make the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra a better laptop replacement, but less portable and versatile than the OnePlus Pad 3.

OnePlus Pad 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Hardware and specs

OnePlus did what Samsung probably should've done by putting Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset inside the Pad 3. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is a computing breakthrough for Android and has brought significant year-over-year performance gains to devices powered by it. Compared to the MediaTek-powered Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, the OnePlus Pad 3 might have the edge in raw performance.

Our testing shows the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and its MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus perform similarly to the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, but that may not be good enough. The latter device is powered by the two-year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which isn't on the same level as the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite. Even as some configurations of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra have 16GB of RAM (the base model has the same 12GB as the Pad 3), that won't be enough to beat Qualcomm's newest processor.

Samsung does have the edge in storage configurations and upgradeability. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra can be configured with either 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage out of the box. It can also be upgraded after the fact, thanks to a microSD slot included, which the OnePlus Pad 3 lacks. OnePlus' tablet is only offered in one 256GB configuration.

Both tablets have Wi-Fi 7, but the OnePlus Pad 3 supports Bluetooth 5.4 compared to Bluetooth 5.3 for the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. The OnePlus Pad 3 is missing a fingerprint sensor, though.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has four cameras: a 12MP wide and 12MP ultrawide on the front, and a 13MP wide and 8MP ultrawide on the back. The OnePlus Pad 3 has an 8MP selfie camera and a 13MP rear camera.

OnePlus Pad 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Software and AI

Software is usually the thing that separates Samsung phones and tablets from smaller competitors, like OnePlus. That is certainly the case here. OnePlus improved its software support guarantee this year, offering three years of Android OS upgrades for the Pad 3. It starts with Android 15, so it should see Android upgrades at least through Android 18. On top of that, you'll get six total years of security patches.

Samsung crushes that with seven years of Android OS upgrades and security patches for the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. It did launch with Android 14, so it has already received one of those upgrades to the Android 15-based One UI 7. Still, it is better support than OnePlus offers for the Pad 3. You'll have to decide whether the extra cost of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is worth the extended software support window.

Finally, it's worth considering whether you need a lot of AI tools on your tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has a full suite of Galaxy AI features, plus Google's Gemini offerings. OnePlus does have its own AI tools, but they're not as expansive as Samsung's at the moment.

OnePlus Pad 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Which should you buy?

Put simply, the OnePlus Pad 3 is the better value compared to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. That's not to say Samsung doesn't add things to justify the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra's asking price — an OLED screen, the biggest display size in an Android tablet, and DeX support are all key additions. It's just unlikely that not having these things on the OnePlus Pad 3 will be a dealbreaker for most tablet users.

When you consider the cost savings, the $700 OnePlus Pad 3 feels like the easy recommendation for people wanting a powerful Android tablet. You can create a full kit with the OnePlus Pad 3, a keyboard case, and a stylus for less than the cost of just the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.

Still, if you want the biggest and best, and are willing to pay for it, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is a great option.