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Oppo Pad SE Review: Budget tablet that gets the job done
Oppo’s Pad SE gets the essentials right: a comfortable 11-inch 90Hz display, long battery life and decent speakers at a sensible price.
Oppo’s Pad SE is aimed at shoppers who want a large-screen Android tablet without spending a fortune. On paper it promises an 11-inch 90Hz screen, a large 9,340mAh battery, and enough grunt for everyday tasks, and in daily use it generally delivers. After a week with the Pad SE (streaming Netflix, browsing, and playing Asphalt), it emerges as a solid mid-range option: good for media consumption and light productivity, but limited if you want gaming performance, HDR viewing, or a productivity workhorse.
Design and build
The Pad SE feels well put together for its price. The chassis is slim (about 7.39mm) and weighs roughly 530g, so it’s comfortable to hold for extended viewing. Oppo’s metal finish gives it a more premium impression than many cheap plastic rivals. Buttons, ports and the USB-C socket are sensibly placed; there’s no bundled keyboard or stylus in the box, so this is primarily a consumption device.
Display and media experience
The 11-inch 1920×1200 LCD runs at 90Hz and peaks at around 500 nits, which makes UI animation and scrolling feel smoother than a 60Hz panel. Colours are generally accurate for the class, but the panel lacks the punch and HDR capability of higher-end tablets; dark scenes in Netflix look flatter than on premium slates. During our Netflix sessions playback was smooth and native streaming apps behaved reliably, but don’t expect the same cinematic contrast you’d get from a tablet with an OLED or HDR-certified screen. The quad-speaker setup is surprisingly loud and provides decent stereo separation for movies and shows.
Performance and gaming
Under the hood the Pad SE uses a MediaTek / MediaTek-class chipset (widely reported as the Helio G100 in many markets) with LPDDR4X RAM (configurations include 4GB/6GB/8GB) and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. That combination is fine for web browsing, video playback and light multitasking; the Android 15 build with ColourOS for Pad handles split-screen and multi-window work reliably. However, the SoC shows its limitations in heavy tasks. Asphalt was playable but not silky: frame-rates dipped under high load, textures took longer to stream in, and the experience lacked the responsiveness of more capable tablets. Casual games are fine; anything GPU-heavy will expose the Pad SE’s mid-range nature.
Battery life and charging
Battery life is a strong suit. The sizeable 9,340mAh cell easily lasted a full day of mixed use - streaming, browsing and some gaming, and Oppo’s power management stretches endurance further in light use. Charging is handled via USB-C with 33W charging support; that’s adequate but not blazingly fast, so expect a couple of hours for a full charge. The long battery life makes the Pad SE well suited to travel and long video sessions.
Cameras and calling
Both front and rear cameras are simple 5MP modules, aimed at video calls and document scanning rather than photography. Video calling on Zoom or Google Meet works fine, and the front camera is adequate for homely selfies and video calls, but don’t buy this tablet for photography.
Software and day-to-day use
ColourOS for Pad on Android 15 brings tablet-focused features: split view, a floating window mode and children’s safety tools. Oppo has added useful extras such as O+ Connect for cross-device sharing. Updates and long-term support are less certain than Apple’s iPadOS, so bear that in mind if you want years of OS updates.
Who should buy it?
The Pad SE is a good buy if you want a large, capable tablet for streaming, reading, schoolwork and light productivity without paying flagship prices. It’s not for heavy gamers, creators who need HDR and colour accuracy, or users who require a full keyboard/stylus workflow. Compared with slightly more expensive rivals it offers excellent battery life and sound, but those rivals may deliver superior displays and stronger SoCs.
Verdict
Oppo’s Pad SE gets the essentials right: a comfortable 11-inch 90Hz display, long battery life and decent speakers at a sensible price. But the mid-range chipset, modest cameras and absence of HDR keep it from competing with premium tablets. For families and casual users it’s a practical, value-minded choice, just know its limits before you expect pro-level performance.
