Tag Archives: Tablets

OnePlus Pad Go 2 Battery Lasts From Morning Coffee to Bedtime

Posted on by

Tablets have settled into a role somewhere between couch companion and light laptop stand-in, mostly used for streaming, reading, browsing, and occasional work. Android tablets have been uneven for years, with some brands throwing hardware at the problem while others barely try. OnePlus has been quietly building a more coherent story, and the Pad Go 2 is its latest attempt to make a large screen feel natural.

The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is a 12.1-inch Android tablet with a tall 7:5 display, a MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Ultra chip, and OxygenOS 16. It is not trying to be a halo device. Instead, it’s aiming for the sweet spot where a big, sharp screen, smooth performance, and long battery life matter more than headline-grabbing specs or ultra-thin bezels that sacrifice durability and comfort for millimeters.

Designer: OnePlus

The 12.1-inch LCD runs 2,800 × 1,980 resolution at 120 Hz, with 98 percent DCI-P3 coverage and up to 900 nits in high-brightness mode. The 7:5 aspect ratio gives more vertical space for web pages, documents, and split-screen apps than a 16:10 panel while still feeling natural for video. The extra vertical real estate makes reading and scrolling more comfortable, and the 120 Hz refresh means UI animations feel smooth without jitter.

The Dimensity 7300-Ultra, 8 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 128 GB of UFS 3.1 storage make the tablet feel snappy for streaming, browsing, and light gaming. The 4 nm SoC and fast memory mean apps open quickly, multitasking feels smooth, and OxygenOS animations take advantage of the 120 Hz panel without stutter. This is not a flagship chip, but it is over-specced enough for a mid-range tablet that the experience feels polished.

The 10,050 mAh battery handles long streaming sessions, reading, and mixed use without needing a charger nearby. The 33 W SUPERVOOC charging means topping up during a break is useful, rather than the slow trickle many budget tablets deliver. The goal is a tablet you can pick up in the morning and still be using on the couch at night, without babysitting the battery percentage or planning your day around outlets.

The quad-speaker setup, Bluetooth codec support from SBC through aptX HD and LDAC, and Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.4 handle the supporting roles. The 8 MP front and rear cameras are there for video calls and quick scans rather than photography, and face unlock handles biometric login without a fingerprint reader cluttering the frame or adding cost to the bill of materials.

OxygenOS 16 is more than a phone skin stretched out, with split-screen multitasking, floating windows, and better scaling for the 7:5 display. It plays nicely with OnePlus phones for clipboard sharing, where supported, and the overall feel is closer to a lightweight desktop than a blown-up phone UI when you dock a keyboard or prop it on a stand for a few hours.

The OnePlus Pad Go 2 sits as a large-screen Android option that prioritizes display quality, smoothness, and battery over chasing ultra-high-end features. It makes the most sense for people who want a comfortable reading and streaming device that can also handle some work, and who like the idea of OxygenOS bringing OnePlus phone polish to a bigger canvas without flagship pricing or complexity they do not need for watching shows and scrolling feeds.

The post OnePlus Pad Go 2 Battery Lasts From Morning Coffee to Bedtime first appeared on Yanko Design.

TCL Note A1 Tablet Feels Like E-Ink Paper but Shows Full Color and Video

Posted on by

People bounce between paper notebooks, e-ink readers, and glossy tablets, each good at one thing and bad at others. E-ink is gentle but slow and monochrome, LCD is fast and colourful but tiring for long reading, and paper is great until you need to search or backup. TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is an attempt to merge those worlds into a single, paper-leaning tablet that does not make you choose between comfort and capability.

TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is an 11.5-inch eNote tablet that blends a full-colour LCD with a paper-like surface. The 3A Crystal Shield Glass brings anti-glare, anti-reflection, and anti-fingerprint coatings, plus TÜV Rheinland certifications for eye comfort, flicker-free operation, and low reflection. The idea is a screen you can stare at for hours of reading and writing without feeling like you are looking into a lightbox, which is exactly what most tablets become after the first hour.

Designer: TCL

The tablet is built around handwriting, with a stylus that has dual tips, an eraser, and haptic feedback from an X-axis linear motor. Each stroke is meant to feel smooth and controlled, closer to pen on paper than plastic on glass. TCL’s pitch is that every note and sketch feels natural and expressive, making it a place where you actually want to write instead of just tapping keys or hunting for the right toolbar icon.

Note A1 has an octa-microphone array and tools for audio-to-text transcription, real-time translation, and AI summaries. In meetings or lectures, it can record, transcribe, and condense discussions so you can focus on listening instead of frantic note-taking. Writing helpers handle rewriting, grammar, translation, and summarising drafts, turning the tablet into a quiet collaborator rather than a blank page waiting for you to figure everything out alone.

The infinite canvas feature lets you zoom, expand, and sketch without hitting page edges, and the split-screen mode lets you read on one side while taking notes on the other. That combination makes it easier to absorb and organise information at the same time, whether you are annotating a PDF, outlining a report, or sketching over reference images without juggling windows or losing your place.

Note A1 supports syncing via Wi-Fi and cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, plus wireless screen casting for presentations. The aluminium body is 5.5 mm thick and around 500 g, which keeps it light enough to carry all day. It feels more like a slim notebook than a chunky laptop, but with enough solidity to survive bags and desks without worrying about scratches or dents.

Note A1 NXTPAPER is aimed at people who read and write a lot, sit through meetings or lectures, and want a single device that feels kind to their eyes and helpful with their words. A paper-leaning, AI-assisted slate that treats focus and handwriting as first-class citizens offers a different path from the usual entertainment tablet, especially when long-form thinking matters more than another hour of streaming.

The post TCL Note A1 Tablet Feels Like E-Ink Paper but Shows Full Color and Video first appeared on Yanko Design.

Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Strong display for the money

  • Complete accessory ecosystem

  • Big batteries

CONS:


  • Neither tablet is light enough for comfortable one-handed use

  • Fully kitted-out X1 with Floating Keyboard and Focus Pen gets expensive fast

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Poco Pad X1 and M1 are not perfect, but together they deliver more screen, battery, and versatility than almost any other budget tablet pair right now.

Poco built its name on phones that punch above their price, and now it wants to do the same on your coffee table. With Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, the brand is not just throwing out a couple of cheap tablets. It is trying to turn its budget DNA into a fuller ecosystem that covers gaming, work, and everyday media.

You can feel that ambition in how these two models are drawn. The Poco Pad X1 is a slightly more compact, high refresh performance slate, tuned for games and quick multitasking on an 11.2-inch 3.2K display. The Poco Pad M1 steps up to a 12.1-inch 2.5K panel and the largest battery Poco has ever shipped in a global device, aiming to be the big screen that carries you through movies, sketching sessions, and long days away from a charger.

Designer: Poco

If you have been eyeing an affordable Android tablet for gaming, streaming, or light work, should you reach for the sharper, faster Poco Pad X1, or the larger, more relaxed Poco Pad M1? In this review, we will live with both, compare their strengths, and help you decide which one actually fits your desk, your bag, and your budget.

Aesthetics

Poco Pad X1

Poco is not trying to reinvent tablet hardware with Poco Pad X1 or Poco Pad M1. Both follow a familiar rectangle with rounded corners, flat sides, and a camera module that sits quietly in one corner. On Poco Pad X1, the focus is clearly on framing its 11.2-inch display as efficiently as possible. Poco Pad M1 takes the same basic formula and scales it up with a 12.1-inch panel.

Color choices on the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 are simple. They both come in Grey and Blue. Grey leans more gunmetal and understated with a contrasting yellow accent around the camera module, while Blue reads a little more casual and friendly, but neither option is loud or experimental. Both tablets use a metal unibody design for the main shell, with separate parts for the camera island and buttons, and a big Poco logo stamped in the center for instant brand recognition. The Poco Pad X1 uses a square camera island, while the Poco Pad M1 switches to a softer oval, which gives each model a slightly different signature when you flip them over.

Poco Pad M1

Taken together, the two tablets look exactly like what they are meant to be. They are straightforward, modern Android slabs that fade into the background and let their screens and specs do the talking. For budget-friendly hardware, that quiet, functional design approach feels like the right call.

Ergonomics

In the hand, the main ergonomic difference between Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 is simply size and weight, but neither is a true one-handed tablet for long stretches. The Poco Pad X1, with its 11.2-inch footprint and 500 g weight, is the more compact of the two. It is easier to manage on a sofa or in bed than the larger Poco Pad M1, but you will still want a second hand or some support if you are holding it for a long time. Even though the Poco Pad X1 is relatively slim and light for an aluminum unibody tablet with an 8,850 mAh battery, with dimensions of 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18 mm, it does not quietly disappear in one hand the way a smaller 8 or 9-inch device might.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad M1 stretches that template out to a 12.1-inch diagonal with dimensions of 279.8 x 181.65 x 7.5 mm and a weight of about 610 g, which puts it clearly into big tablet territory. It is still slim, but the larger footprint makes it even less suited to long one-handed use, especially if you are moving around. Instead, it feels more like a tablet you rest on a table, prop up with a cover, or pair with its official keyboard, where the extra screen real estate really pays off for split-screen apps, video, and drawing.

The accessory ecosystem around the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 makes them versatile, but in slightly different ways. Poco Pad M1 is compatible with the optional Poco Pad M1 Keyboard, Poco Smart Pen, and Poco Pad M1 Cover, a trio that turns it into a very capable small-screen workstation. The cover folds into a stand and adds a built-in holder for the pen, which makes it easy to move between bag, desk, and sofa without worrying about where the stylus went. The keyboard is lightweight and easy to carry, but the keys feel a bit plasticky in use, which slightly undercuts the otherwise solid metal body of the tablet.

Poco Pad X1

Poco Pad X1 has its own dedicated set of accessories. It supports the Poco Pad X1 Floating Keyboard, the Poco Pad X1 Keyboard, the Poco Focus Pen, and the Poco Pad X1 Cover, which together give it a surprisingly flexible setup for both work and play. The cover folds like origami and doubles as a stand, letting you enjoy the tablet vertically or horizontally, and for horizontal use, you can choose between two different viewing heights.

The Floating Keyboard is the standout here. It adds some weight and only offers a modest tilt range, but the key feel is excellent for this class, and the trackpad is responsive and accurate enough that you quickly forget you are on a tablet accessory. Clipped together, the Poco Pad X1 and the Floating Keyboard behave much more like a compact laptop than a budget slate with an afterthought keyboard, which makes it far easier to treat this smaller tablet as a real writing and work machine when you need it.
 

Performance

Living with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 quickly shows how differently they lean, even though they share a lot of DNA. The Poco Pad X1 is the sharper and faster option, with an 11.2-inch 3.2K display at 3,200 x 2,136 px, around 345 ppi, and refresh up to 144 Hz in supported apps. It can hit about 800 nits peak brightness, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, and uses a 3:2 aspect ratio that feels very natural for reading, web browsing, and document work, helped by TÜV eye care, DC dimming, and adaptive colors to keep things comfortable.

Poco Pad M1

The Poco Pad M1, on the other hand, trades a bit of sharpness and speed for sheer size and flexibility. Its 12.1-inch 2.5K panel runs at 2,560 x 1,600px with around 249 ppi and up to 120 Hz refresh, plus 500 nits typical and 600 nits in high brightness mode. You still get Dolby Vision, DC dimming, and TÜV certifications for low blue light, flicker-free behavior, and circadian friendliness, along with wet touch support that keeps it usable with damp fingers.

Poco Pad X1

Both tablets use quad speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res support, so you get surprisingly full sound from either. Crucially, the Poco Pad M1 also adds a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microSD slot for up to 2 TB of expandable storage, which makes it a much easier media hoarder and a better fit for wired headphones and speakers. The X1 relies on its internal storage and wireless audio instead, which suits its more performance-driven, travel-friendly role.

Poco Pad X1

Poco Pad M1

Performance and gaming clearly favor the Poco Pad X1. It uses the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 with 8 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage, and combined with the 144 Hz panel, it feels like a handheld console that also happens to be good at multitasking and productivity. The Poco Pad M1 steps down to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, which is still more than enough for apps and casual gaming, but clearly tuned more for streaming, browsing, and note-taking than for chasing every last frame. In practice, the Poco Pad X1 is the one you reach for when you care about smooth, high refresh gameplay, while the Pad M1 is the one you leave on the coffee table for everyone to use.

Poco Pad M1

Battery life follows the same logic. The Poco Pad X1 pairs its 8,850 mAh battery with 45 W turbo charging, which Poco says can go from zero to full in about 94 minutes, and my experience matches that claim in day-to-day use. The Poco Pad M1 leans into a 12,000 mAh pack, billed as the largest battery in a global Poco device, with up to 105.36 hours of music playback, around 83 days of standby, 33 W charging, and up to 27 W wired reverse charging so it can top up your other devices.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad X1

On the software side, both run Xiaomi HyperOS with Xiaomi Interconnectivity and Google’s AI hooks, so you get shared clipboard, call and network sync, Circle to Search, and Gemini support whichever size you choose. As for cameras, Poco Pad X1 pairs a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera, while Poco Pad M1 sticks to 8 MP sensors on both sides. The results are perfectly fine for video calls, document scans, and the odd quick snap, but nothing special, which is exactly what you would expect from tablets at this price bracket.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad X1

Sustainability

Poco is not making a big environmental branding play with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, but there are a few practical touches that matter if you plan to keep a tablet for several years. The most important one is long-term software support. Both Pad X1 and Pad M1 are slated to receive four years of security updates, which gives you a clearer runway for safe everyday use. For budget tablets, that commitment is still not guaranteed across the market, so it is good to see Poco spell it out.

Poco Pad M1


 
That longer support window pairs well with the hardware choices. The aluminum unibody shells on both models feel sturdy enough to survive several upgrade cycles, and the generous storage options, plus microSD expansion on the Poco Pad M1, reduce the pressure to replace them early just to fit more apps or media. It is not a full sustainability story with recycled materials and carbon tracking, but if your definition of sustainable starts with buying something that will not feel obsolete or unsafe in two years, these tablets are at least pointed in the right direction.

Value

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 both land in the affordable bracket, but they scale very differently once you add accessories. The Poco Pad X1 with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage is $399 USD, which feels fair for the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 and high-end 3.2K 144 hertz display. Its accessories are priced like mini laptop gear, with the Floating Keyboard at $199 USD, the X1 Keyboard at $129 USD, the X1 Cover at $49 USD, and the Poco Focus Pen at $99 USD. A fully loaded X1 setup quickly pushes past $600 USD, but in return, you get a compact tablet that can genuinely stand in for a small laptop and drawing pad.

Poco Pad X1

The Poco Pad M1 starts cheaper at $329 USD for 8 GB and 256 GB, and its add-ons stay firmly in value territory. The M1 Keyboard is $99 USD, the M1 Cover is $29 USD, and the Poco Smart Pen is $69 USD, so even a complete kit undercuts an equivalently kitted X1 by a healthy margin. Factor in the microSD slot and 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, and M1 clearly aims to be the better deal for big screen media, note-taking, and family use, while X1 makes more sense if you are willing to pay extra for performance, storage, and that excellent Floating Keyboard experience.

Verdict

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 end up serving two somewhat different roles. If you prioritize performance, the Poco Pad X1 is the clear choice. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, 3.2K 144 Hz display, 512 GB storage, and excellent Floating Keyboard make it feel like a serious little work and gaming machine, even if the full setup gets expensive and you give up the headphone jack and SD slot. If you care more about big-screen comfort and value, the Poco Pad M1 quietly wins. The 12.1-inch 2.5K screen, quad speakers, 3.5 mm jack, microSD expansion, huge battery, and cheaper accessories make it a better fit for big-screen media and everyday productivity.

Poco Pad X1

Whichever way you lean, you are getting more tablet than the price suggests. For context, Apple’s base iPad costs $449 with only 64 GB of storage and a 60 Hz screen. The iPad still has a faster processor and a tighter app ecosystem, but Poco gives you bigger batteries, sharper displays, and a lot more storage for less money. Pick the Poco Pad X1 if you want compact power and a great keyboard experience. Pick the Poco Pad M1 if you want maximum screen, battery, and flexibility for the money. Either way, you end up with a tablet that feels more considered than most of what you will find at this price.

The post Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad first appeared on Yanko Design.

Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Strong display for the money

  • Complete accessory ecosystem

  • Big batteries

CONS:


  • Neither tablet is light enough for comfortable one-handed use

  • Fully kitted-out X1 with Floating Keyboard and Focus Pen gets expensive fast

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Poco Pad X1 and M1 are not perfect, but together they deliver more screen, battery, and versatility than almost any other budget tablet pair right now.

Poco built its name on phones that punch above their price, and now it wants to do the same on your coffee table. With Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, the brand is not just throwing out a couple of cheap tablets. It is trying to turn its budget DNA into a fuller ecosystem that covers gaming, work, and everyday media.

You can feel that ambition in how these two models are drawn. The Poco Pad X1 is a slightly more compact, high refresh performance slate, tuned for games and quick multitasking on an 11.2-inch 3.2K display. The Poco Pad M1 steps up to a 12.1-inch 2.5K panel and the largest battery Poco has ever shipped in a global device, aiming to be the big screen that carries you through movies, sketching sessions, and long days away from a charger.

Designer: Poco

If you have been eyeing an affordable Android tablet for gaming, streaming, or light work, should you reach for the sharper, faster Poco Pad X1, or the larger, more relaxed Poco Pad M1? In this review, we will live with both, compare their strengths, and help you decide which one actually fits your desk, your bag, and your budget.

Aesthetics

Poco Pad X1

Poco is not trying to reinvent tablet hardware with Poco Pad X1 or Poco Pad M1. Both follow a familiar rectangle with rounded corners, flat sides, and a camera module that sits quietly in one corner. On Poco Pad X1, the focus is clearly on framing its 11.2-inch display as efficiently as possible. Poco Pad M1 takes the same basic formula and scales it up with a 12.1-inch panel.

Color choices on the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 are simple. They both come in Grey and Blue. Grey leans more gunmetal and understated with a contrasting yellow accent around the camera module, while Blue reads a little more casual and friendly, but neither option is loud or experimental. Both tablets use a metal unibody design for the main shell, with separate parts for the camera island and buttons, and a big Poco logo stamped in the center for instant brand recognition. The Poco Pad X1 uses a square camera island, while the Poco Pad M1 switches to a softer oval, which gives each model a slightly different signature when you flip them over.

Poco Pad M1

Taken together, the two tablets look exactly like what they are meant to be. They are straightforward, modern Android slabs that fade into the background and let their screens and specs do the talking. For budget-friendly hardware, that quiet, functional design approach feels like the right call.

Ergonomics

In the hand, the main ergonomic difference between Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 is simply size and weight, but neither is a true one-handed tablet for long stretches. The Poco Pad X1, with its 11.2-inch footprint and 500 g weight, is the more compact of the two. It is easier to manage on a sofa or in bed than the larger Poco Pad M1, but you will still want a second hand or some support if you are holding it for a long time. Even though the Poco Pad X1 is relatively slim and light for an aluminum unibody tablet with an 8,850 mAh battery, with dimensions of 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18 mm, it does not quietly disappear in one hand the way a smaller 8 or 9-inch device might.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad M1 stretches that template out to a 12.1-inch diagonal with dimensions of 279.8 x 181.65 x 7.5 mm and a weight of about 610 g, which puts it clearly into big tablet territory. It is still slim, but the larger footprint makes it even less suited to long one-handed use, especially if you are moving around. Instead, it feels more like a tablet you rest on a table, prop up with a cover, or pair with its official keyboard, where the extra screen real estate really pays off for split-screen apps, video, and drawing.

The accessory ecosystem around the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 makes them versatile, but in slightly different ways. Poco Pad M1 is compatible with the optional Poco Pad M1 Keyboard, Poco Smart Pen, and Poco Pad M1 Cover, a trio that turns it into a very capable small-screen workstation. The cover folds into a stand and adds a built-in holder for the pen, which makes it easy to move between bag, desk, and sofa without worrying about where the stylus went. The keyboard is lightweight and easy to carry, but the keys feel a bit plasticky in use, which slightly undercuts the otherwise solid metal body of the tablet.

Poco Pad X1

Poco Pad X1 has its own dedicated set of accessories. It supports the Poco Pad X1 Floating Keyboard, the Poco Pad X1 Keyboard, the Poco Focus Pen, and the Poco Pad X1 Cover, which together give it a surprisingly flexible setup for both work and play. The cover folds like origami and doubles as a stand, letting you enjoy the tablet vertically or horizontally, and for horizontal use, you can choose between two different viewing heights.

The Floating Keyboard is the standout here. It adds some weight and only offers a modest tilt range, but the key feel is excellent for this class, and the trackpad is responsive and accurate enough that you quickly forget you are on a tablet accessory. Clipped together, the Poco Pad X1 and the Floating Keyboard behave much more like a compact laptop than a budget slate with an afterthought keyboard, which makes it far easier to treat this smaller tablet as a real writing and work machine when you need it.
 

Performance

Living with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 quickly shows how differently they lean, even though they share a lot of DNA. The Poco Pad X1 is the sharper and faster option, with an 11.2-inch 3.2K display at 3,200 x 2,136 px, around 345 ppi, and refresh up to 144 Hz in supported apps. It can hit about 800 nits peak brightness, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, and uses a 3:2 aspect ratio that feels very natural for reading, web browsing, and document work, helped by TÜV eye care, DC dimming, and adaptive colors to keep things comfortable.

Poco Pad M1

The Poco Pad M1, on the other hand, trades a bit of sharpness and speed for sheer size and flexibility. Its 12.1-inch 2.5K panel runs at 2,560 x 1,600px with around 249 ppi and up to 120 Hz refresh, plus 500 nits typical and 600 nits in high brightness mode. You still get Dolby Vision, DC dimming, and TÜV certifications for low blue light, flicker-free behavior, and circadian friendliness, along with wet touch support that keeps it usable with damp fingers.

Poco Pad X1

Both tablets use quad speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res support, so you get surprisingly full sound from either. Crucially, the Poco Pad M1 also adds a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microSD slot for up to 2 TB of expandable storage, which makes it a much easier media hoarder and a better fit for wired headphones and speakers. The X1 relies on its internal storage and wireless audio instead, which suits its more performance-driven, travel-friendly role.

Poco Pad X1

Poco Pad M1

Performance and gaming clearly favor the Poco Pad X1. It uses the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 with 8 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage, and combined with the 144 Hz panel, it feels like a handheld console that also happens to be good at multitasking and productivity. The Poco Pad M1 steps down to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, which is still more than enough for apps and casual gaming, but clearly tuned more for streaming, browsing, and note-taking than for chasing every last frame. In practice, the Poco Pad X1 is the one you reach for when you care about smooth, high refresh gameplay, while the Pad M1 is the one you leave on the coffee table for everyone to use.

Poco Pad M1

Battery life follows the same logic. The Poco Pad X1 pairs its 8,850 mAh battery with 45 W turbo charging, which Poco says can go from zero to full in about 94 minutes, and my experience matches that claim in day-to-day use. The Poco Pad M1 leans into a 12,000 mAh pack, billed as the largest battery in a global Poco device, with up to 105.36 hours of music playback, around 83 days of standby, 33 W charging, and up to 27 W wired reverse charging so it can top up your other devices.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad X1

On the software side, both run Xiaomi HyperOS with Xiaomi Interconnectivity and Google’s AI hooks, so you get shared clipboard, call and network sync, Circle to Search, and Gemini support whichever size you choose. As for cameras, Poco Pad X1 pairs a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera, while Poco Pad M1 sticks to 8 MP sensors on both sides. The results are perfectly fine for video calls, document scans, and the odd quick snap, but nothing special, which is exactly what you would expect from tablets at this price bracket.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad X1

Sustainability

Poco is not making a big environmental branding play with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, but there are a few practical touches that matter if you plan to keep a tablet for several years. The most important one is long-term software support. Both Pad X1 and Pad M1 are slated to receive four years of security updates, which gives you a clearer runway for safe everyday use. For budget tablets, that commitment is still not guaranteed across the market, so it is good to see Poco spell it out.

Poco Pad M1


 
That longer support window pairs well with the hardware choices. The aluminum unibody shells on both models feel sturdy enough to survive several upgrade cycles, and the generous storage options, plus microSD expansion on the Poco Pad M1, reduce the pressure to replace them early just to fit more apps or media. It is not a full sustainability story with recycled materials and carbon tracking, but if your definition of sustainable starts with buying something that will not feel obsolete or unsafe in two years, these tablets are at least pointed in the right direction.

Value

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 both land in the affordable bracket, but they scale very differently once you add accessories. The Poco Pad X1 with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage is $399 USD, which feels fair for the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 and high-end 3.2K 144 hertz display. Its accessories are priced like mini laptop gear, with the Floating Keyboard at $199 USD, the X1 Keyboard at $129 USD, the X1 Cover at $49 USD, and the Poco Focus Pen at $99 USD. A fully loaded X1 setup quickly pushes past $600 USD, but in return, you get a compact tablet that can genuinely stand in for a small laptop and drawing pad.

Poco Pad X1

The Poco Pad M1 starts cheaper at $329 USD for 8 GB and 256 GB, and its add-ons stay firmly in value territory. The M1 Keyboard is $99 USD, the M1 Cover is $29 USD, and the Poco Smart Pen is $69 USD, so even a complete kit undercuts an equivalently kitted X1 by a healthy margin. Factor in the microSD slot and 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, and M1 clearly aims to be the better deal for big screen media, note-taking, and family use, while X1 makes more sense if you are willing to pay extra for performance, storage, and that excellent Floating Keyboard experience.

Verdict

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 end up serving two somewhat different roles. If you prioritize performance, the Poco Pad X1 is the clear choice. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, 3.2K 144 Hz display, 512 GB storage, and excellent Floating Keyboard make it feel like a serious little work and gaming machine, even if the full setup gets expensive and you give up the headphone jack and SD slot. If you care more about big-screen comfort and value, the Poco Pad M1 quietly wins. The 12.1-inch 2.5K screen, quad speakers, 3.5 mm jack, microSD expansion, huge battery, and cheaper accessories make it a better fit for big-screen media and everyday productivity.

Poco Pad X1

Whichever way you lean, you are getting more tablet than the price suggests. For context, Apple’s base iPad costs $449 with only 64 GB of storage and a 60 Hz screen. The iPad still has a faster processor and a tighter app ecosystem, but Poco gives you bigger batteries, sharper displays, and a lot more storage for less money. Pick the Poco Pad X1 if you want compact power and a great keyboard experience. Pick the Poco Pad M1 if you want maximum screen, battery, and flexibility for the money. Either way, you end up with a tablet that feels more considered than most of what you will find at this price.

The post Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad first appeared on Yanko Design.

Huawei’s Dubai Trio: A Foldable That Disappears, Earbuds That Double Down, and a Router Disguised as a Mountain

Posted on by

Five years into the foldable smartphone experiment, thinness remains the singular obsession. Huawei just crossed a threshold that reframes the conversation. The Mate X7, unveiled today at the company’s Dubai global launch alongside the FreeClip 2 earbuds and a Wi-Fi 7 mesh router, measures 4.5mm when unfolded. That figure matters less as specification than as experience: the fold becomes incidental to use rather than the defining characteristic of handling.

The Mate X7: Engineering the Fold Away

Huawei traces its foldable lineage to 2019, positioning itself as the category’s original commercializer. Six generations later, the design philosophy has crystallized into something specific and unambiguous: make the fold invisible to daily interaction. Quad-curved edges. A 4.5mm unfolded profile. Under 10mm closed. These dimensions place the Mate X7 closer to conventional smartphone territory than any previous book-style foldable has achieved. The engineering ambition centers not on what the fold enables, but on eliminating what the fold disrupts.

Where previous generations housed cameras in circular modules, the Time-Space Portal introduces flat edges to the protrusion. Huawei weaves between 900 and 1,700 threads into the finish, creating a textile-like visual texture that catches light across micro-patterns. This thread-woven treatment ships exclusively in China. Global variants arrive in standard colorways. The material strategy treats the camera bump as design opportunity rather than engineering compromise, an approach that signals continued investment in tactile differentiation where competitors minimize and apologize.

Both displays run at 2.4K resolution. Adaptive refresh spans 1Hz to 120Hz. The outer screen peaks at 3,000 nits while the inner reaches 2,500 nits, and high-frequency PWM dimming addresses the eye strain concerns that have plagued OLED panels since their adoption. These specifications alone would be unremarkable in any conventional flagship. Achieving them across two flexible panels within a 4.5mm envelope represents the actual engineering story, the quiet difficulty hidden beneath familiar numbers.

Durability targets the foldable’s historical weakness with measurable aggression. Drop resistance improved 100% over the previous generation according to Huawei’s internal testing. Impact resistance matched that improvement. The outer glass uses second-generation crystal armor technology. The inner screen employs a three-layer composite structure including a non-Newtonian fluid layer, material that increases rigidity under sudden impact pressure while remaining flexible during normal operation. Hinge redesign contributes over 100% improvement in bend resistance. IP59 certification covers high-temperature and water-jet resistance when open, with IP8 rating when the device closes.

Camera architecture compresses flagship-grade optics into 26% less volume than equivalent modules. A 50MP main sensor pairs with variable mechanical aperture reaching f/1.49. The 50MP telephoto deploys a vertical periscope structure, a first for the foldable category, achieving 3.5x optical zoom within constrained depth. Light intake improved 127% through these spatial optimizations. Second-generation ultrachroma sensors handle color science while LOPIC technology extends dynamic range for stills and video alike.

Battery capacity reaches 5,300mAh for global markets. The Chinese variant ships at 5,600mAh, the difference attributed to European import regulations that cap certain cell chemistries. Wired charging supports 66W. Wireless reaches 50W. Thermal management relies on an 18% larger vapor chamber paired with graphene-based loop dissipation. Additional antennas distributed around the device edges address connectivity challenges arising when folding reorients internal components relative to cell towers and Wi-Fi access points.

Wi-Fi 7 Mesh: Infrastructure as Object

Router design typically optimizes for invisibility. Mesh systems tuck behind furniture or blend into wall-mounted anonymity. Huawei inverts this assumption entirely. The main unit mimics a mountain range enclosed within a transparent dome. Extender units feature indirect lighting resembling whisky glasses set on a shelf. Touch controls on each surface adjust lighting modes and network settings. The design explicitly treats network infrastructure as decorative object rather than functional necessity demanding concealment.

Technical specifications support the visual ambition without contradiction. Wi-Fi 7 operates with six antennas, three at 2.4GHz frequency. 4K SQAM and Multilink Operation enable simultaneous connections across frequency bands for devices supporting the standard. The main router includes active cooling via internal fan for sustained high-throughput scenarios. Up to two extenders pair with each base unit.

This approach acknowledges domestic reality: mesh routers occupy visible positions in living spaces. Huawei treats that visibility as opportunity for intentional form rather than problem requiring solution.

FreeClip 2: Iteration on a Proven Form

Three million first-generation FreeClip units shipped, establishing category viability that justifies continued investment. Open-ear designs occupy a specific niche: awareness of surroundings traded against audio immersion. The sequel addresses the original’s primary limitations through incremental refinement. Weight dropped 9% to 4.1 grams per earbud. Case dimensions shrank 11% while narrowing 17%. The redesigned Seabridge improves comfort across extended wear sessions where the previous generation began to fatigue.

Dual 11mm diaphragms share a single magnetic circuit, an engineering choice that doubles bass output compared to the previous generation while reducing acoustic ball size by 11%. The architecture trades spatial efficiency for low-frequency presence that open-ear designs historically lacked. Battery life extends to 9 hours per earbud and 38 hours total with case, improvements of one and two hours respectively. IP57 certifies the earbuds while the case carries IP54.

For deeper examination of the FreeClip 2’s material execution and acoustic performance, my full review covers the dual-diaphragm engineering and comfort improvements in detail.

Automatic left/right detection, swipe volume controls, and head gesture support complete the interaction model. Huawei Audio Connect supports iOS and Samsung devices, with no Google Play availability announced. Color options span Denim Blue, Feather Sand White, Modern Black, and Rose Gold.

Market Position

Global launch proceeds December 11, 2025 from Dubai. Pricing remains unannounced. Product configuration suggests premium positioning matching or exceeding the previous generation’s placement.

For the foldable category broadly, the Mate X7’s dimensional achievements demonstrate that thinness progression continues regardless of engineering complexity. The mesh router and FreeClip 2 complete an ecosystem play: smartphone, audio, and home networking under unified design language. Huawei signals capability breadth alongside flagship ambition, using Dubai as statement of global market re-entry after years of constraint.

The post Huawei’s Dubai Trio: A Foldable That Disappears, Earbuds That Double Down, and a Router Disguised as a Mountain first appeared on Yanko Design.

ugee UT3 Has 3 Screen Personalities: Sketchbook, Reader, or Tablet

Posted on by

The usual creative setup involves too many screens. A pen display for sketching, an iPad or laptop for apps and browsing, maybe a Kindle for long-form reading without wrecking your eyes. Switching between them breaks flow, and most devices still treat drawing, reading, and general use as separate jobs that require separate hardware. The ugee Trio Pad UT3 tries to collapse those roles into one 14.25-inch slab with three distinct screen personalities.

The UT3 is an Android drawing pad with a 2K resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio display that behaves like a full-color tablet, a paper-like sketch surface, or an Ink Mode reader. It includes a U-Pencil stylus with 4,096-level pressure sensitivity, runs Android 14, and ships with a MediaTek Helio G99 processor and 8 GB of RAM. The interesting part is the dedicated U-Key that flips screen modes in hardware.

Designer: ugee

The U-Key is a small button on the top edge that cycles the screen through Regular, Paper, and Ink modes seamlessly. That matters when you are sketching, need to read a brief, then jump back into color work. The key turns the UT3 into a sketchbook, reader, or tablet on demand, changing how it sits in a workflow instead of forcing you to pick one identity and stick with it all day.

Ink Mode is the pseudo-E-Ink personality, a high-contrast, black-and-white profile that strips away color and visual noise. It makes the UT3 useful for reading scripts, briefs, or tutorials, and for parking reference text beside your workstation. It is still an IPS panel, not true E-Ink, but the monochrome look, combined with TÜV Rheinland eye-comfort tuning, makes it feel closer to a dedicated reader than a glowing app screen.

Paper Mode pairs a muted color profile with the fully laminated panel and NanoMatte coating to create a paper-like drawing surface. The NanoMatte reduces glare and adds a slight tooth that helps line work feel more controlled and less slippery. The laminated stack brings your stylus tip closer to the pixel underneath, reducing parallax, and the 13 g U-Pencil with 20 ms response time handles inking, shading, and quick gesture sketches without lag.

The Android tablet side means you can run full drawing apps, reference tools, and streaming services directly on the device. The 10,000 mAh battery with 27 W fast charging supports around 13 hours of writing or drawing, and the 256 GB of storage plus microSD expansion handles large file libraries. You can sketch, watch, and read without tethering to a PC, then use the U-Key to keep the screen aligned with the task.

A day in the studio could start with the UT3 in Ink Mode for morning reading, flip into Paper Mode for sketching, then jump into full-color Regular mode for painting and video. The hardware mode switch makes that feel natural, turning one slab into three different tools. For artists and designers tired of juggling devices or forced to choose between a drawing tablet and a reading screen, that kind of shape-shifting display might be the most practical feature on the list.

The post ugee UT3 Has 3 Screen Personalities: Sketchbook, Reader, or Tablet first appeared on Yanko Design.

Apple Cyber Monday deals: Pick up the iPad A16 for its lowest price yet before it sells out

Posted on by

Apple's entry-level iPad A16 is the perfect couch computer, and you can get one on sale for $274 for Cyber Monday. The model comes in a variety of colors and is the most affordable option in the company's lineup at its normal $349 price, and even more so now for 21 percent off.

The 11-inch iPad uses the A16 chip, the same processor found in the iPhone 15, delivering fast and reliable performance for most tasks. Whether you’re watching videos, editing documents or using creative apps, it feels responsive and capable. The A16 chip also helps future-proof the device, ensuring it stays compatible with new iPadOS updates for years.

The tablet’s 11-inch Liquid Retina display (2360 x 1640) offers sharp detail and vivid color at up to 500 nits of brightness. While it doesn’t have the ultra-bright XDR panel of the iPad Pro, it’s more than crisp enough for streaming or sketching with the Apple Pencil. The design follows Apple’s familiar flat-edge style, with slim bezels and an aluminum build that keeps it light and durable.

The iPad includes a 12MP rear camera and a 12MP front-facing Center Stage camera, which automatically adjusts to keep you in frame during video calls. The front camera is positioned along the longer landscape edge, which gives a more natural angle for calls or recordings. You also get Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C for charging and data transfer, plus Touch ID built into the top button. Battery life runs up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi, which is consistent with Apple’s other models.

Accessory support covers the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and the first-generation Apple Pencil with the USB-C adapter, along with the Magic Keyboard Folio. It doesn’t work with the Apple Pencil Pro, but for casual drawing, note-taking or quick document markup, these accessories add plenty of flexibility.

The A16 iPad sits at the entry point of Apple’s lineup, but it shares a lot of what makes its pricier siblings appealing. You get a polished display, dependable performance and the familiarity of iPadOS without the premium cost. It’s an ideal choice for students, casual users or anyone who wants a reliable tablet for daily use.

If you’re still deciding which model fits you best, check out our guide to the best iPads to compare the A16 against the Air and Pro models. At $274, this iPad deal offers excellent value for Apple’s newest entry-level tablet. Also on sale for Cyber Monday is the 11-inch iPad Air M3, which is down to $449.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apple-cyber-monday-deals-pick-up-the-ipad-a16-for-its-lowest-price-yet-before-it-sells-out-175939691.html?src=rss

The best iPad for 2025: How to pick the best Apple tablet for you

Posted on by

Figuring out the best iPad for you can be a little tricky. Apple now sells three different 11-inch tablets and two 13-inch models, each with key differences in pricing, specs and accessory support. The iPad mini is still doing its thing as well. To help you out, we’ve tested every iPad in Apple’s current lineup and broken down which ones best fit certain needs, whether you want a laptop replacement or just a big screen for streaming TV.

iPad mini (2024) review photos
The top edge of the iPad mini.
Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

Much like we do for our guide to the best tablets overall, we spend several days with each iPad to see how they feel and perform with different tasks: watching videos, web browsing, playing both casual and graphically intense games, editing 4K photos and video, running multiple apps side-by-side, making FaceTime calls and the like. To better measure performance specifically, we use benchmarking tests like Geekbench 6, 3DMark and GFXBench Metal, plus we measure how long it takes for each tablet to boot up and open various apps. We also check how well each tablet holds up long-term, whether it’s with a review unit provided by Apple or an iPad model that’s owned by a member of the Engadget staff.

To help compare the color performance and brightness of the displays, we play the same videos on different iPads, side-by-side, at equal brightness levels. We use each tablet in direct sunlight outdoors to see how well they hold up to glare, and we play a handful of the same musical tracks to evaluate speaker performance. For battery life, we keep track of how long each tablet generally lasts before it needs a recharge, but we also play a 1080p movie on a loop at roughly 70 percent brightness with power-sapping background processes off. We also test each device with an Apple Pencil and note how responsive the stylus feels. Finally, we carefully pore over spec sheets and software updates to keep track of which features are available on certain iPads but not others.

A pink 11-inch Apple iPad rests on top of a silver 13-inch iPad Air. Both tablets are face down on a gray carpet with beige and white streaks.
The iPad (A16) on top of an 13-inch iPad Air.
Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Apple released the latest update to its iPad operating system, iPadOS 26, in September. The update is a fairly significant overhaul, one that brings iPadOS closer to macOS than ever before. New features include the ability to open more windows simultaneously and resize or tile them more freely; a Mac-style Menu bar; a dedicated Preview app; an upgraded Files app; an improved ability to export or download large files in the background; an Exposé view that shows all open windows; a pointier cursor and the option to add folders to the Dock. It also uses the new “liquid glass” design language that Apple is rolling out across all of its platforms in 2025.

That said, it completely removed the “slide over” and “split view” modes found in previous versions of iPadOS, which can make quickly viewing multiple apps at once a little more cumbersome. (Though the former will now return in an upcoming update.) Notably, most of these features are available across Apple’s tablet lineup, from the iPad Pro to the entry-level iPad. You can find the full list of compatible devices at the bottom of Apple’s overview page.

If history is any indication, expect Apple to update your iPad to the latest version of iPadOS for at least five years, if not longer. The current iPadOS 26 update, for example, is available on iPad Pro models dating back to 2018 and other iPads dating back to 2019. How long your iPad’s hardware will last depends on which model you buy and how well you maintain it. (If you’re particularly clumsy, consider an iPad case.) A more powerful iPad Pro will feel fast for a longer time than an entry-level iPad, but each model should remain at least serviceable until Apple stops updating it, at minimum.

Compared to the standard iPad, the iPad Air runs on a stronger M3 chip (instead of the A16 Bionic) and has 2GB more RAM (8GB total). Both come with 128GB of storage by default. The Air is also available in two sizes, 11 and 13 inches, whereas the 11th-gen iPad doesn't offer the larger screen option. The M-series SoC gives the Air better long-term performance prospects, plus access to certain iPadOS features such as Apple Intelligence. Its display supports a wider P3 color gamut, has an antireflective coating and is fully laminated. The latter means there’s no “air gap” between the display and the glass covering it, so it feels more like you’re directly touching what’s on screen instead of interacting with an image below the glass. The Air also works with the newer Pencil Pro stylus and more comfortable Magic Keyboards, and its USB-C port supports faster data transfer speeds. It technically supports faster Wi-Fi 6E, too, while the lower-cost iPad uses Wi-Fi 6.

Starting at $349, the 11th-gen iPad is $250 less expensive than the iPad Air. It has a similarly elegant design with flat edges, thin bezels, USB-C port, and a Touch ID reader. Battery life is rated at the same 10 hours, and both devices have their front-facing camera on their long edge, which is a more natural position for video calls. The cheaper iPad works with the first-gen and USB-C Apple Pencils – which are more convoluted to charge – and a unique keyboard accessory called the Magic Keyboard Folio.

A pink Apple iPad (A16) rests on the flat arm rest of a light brown leather chair, with its bottom edge facing the camera, showing off the device's thin profile along with its speaker grilles and USB-C port.
Jeff Dunn for Engadget

The operating system, duh. But to give a few more specifics: Android devices are available from more manufacturers and cover a wider price range. You won’t see an $80 iPad anytime soon. Android is also more malleable in that you can easily sideload apps from places beyond Google’s official app store and more extensively customize the look of the OS (though the former may no longer be an option in the coming months). Several Android tablets still have features like a headphone jack or a microSD slot for adding storage, too, though those are getting rarer.

But we tend to recommend Apple tablets to those who have no allegiance either way. iPad apps are still a bit more likely to be designed specifically for larger screens, rather than looking like blown-up phone software, and Apple is just about peerless when it comes to long-term software support. Every new iPad hits a certain baseline of hardware quality and performance — none of them feel cheap, and all of them are fast enough for most needs. Plus, you’ll get the most out of an iPad if you use other Apple devices.

This is a loaded question, since laptop workflows differ from person to person. If you mostly use a notebook for browsing the web, watching videos or writing emails and word docs, then sure, you can get along just fine with an iPad and the right iPad accessories. It’ll be easier to carry around, the battery life is great and having the touchscreen and stylus support is handy (though many Windows users have that regardless). Even beyond the basics, plenty of media editors, graphic designers and digital artists have shown they can get things done on an iPad.

Broadly speaking, though, a laptop OS tends to be more flexible when it comes to file management, multitasking, coding or other “heavy” tasks. The recent iPadOS 26 update does close the gap a bit, though it’s still not quite as fluid. Safari on the iPad isn’t fully on par with desktop browsers either. So the answer really depends on you.

As we note in our screenshot how-to guide, you can take a screenshot on your iPad by pressing the top button and either volume button at the same time. If you have an older iPad with a Home button, simultaneously press the top button and the Home button instead.

Late October 2025: The new M5-based iPad Pro replaces the previous-generation iPad Pro as our top pick for power users.

Early October 2025: We’ve made a few edits to reflect the full release of iPadOS 26 and made sure our recommendations are still accurate.

August 2025: We've taken another sweep to ensure our picks are still accurate and added a few more notes to our FAQ section.

June 2025: We’ve made a few minor edits to reflect the announcement of Apple’s latest iPadOS update, which we detail above.

May 2025: We’ve lightly edited this guide to ensure all details and links are still correct. We’re also keeping an eye on how the Trump administration’s tariff policy affects the pricing and stock of the iPad lineup (and every other tech category). All of our picks are still available at normal prices today, but we’ll update this guide if that changes.

March 2025: We've reviewed the iPad (A16) and named it our new budget pick, removing the discontinued 10th-gen iPad in the process. 

March 2025: The recently-launched iPad Air M3 has replaced its predecessor as our top overall recommendation. We’ve also made a note regarding the new iPad (A16), which we plan to test in the near future and expect to become our new budget pick. We’ve made a handful of edits elsewhere in the guide to reflect Apple’s latest hardware.

January 2025: We’ve lightly edited this guide for clarity. Our recommendations remain the same.

October 2024: We've updated our guide to include the new iPad mini 7.

June 2024: We’ve touched up this guide to reflect some of the new iPadOS features Apple announced at WWDC, though our picks remain the same.

Nathan Ingraham contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/best-ipads-how-to-pick-the-best-apple-tablet-for-you-150054066.html?src=rss