OnePlus has not had it easy over the past few weeks, from concerns regarding the future of the company owing to the merger with Oppo to the not so well received Nord CE 5G, which is also under the eye of critics world over. This might not be an easy phase for the company that, at a time was the primary choice for enthusiasts in India and around the world. A recent rumour has suggested that OnePlus seems to be on the horns of a dilemma, of whether or not to join the tablet market. As spotted by MySmartPrice, the company on Monday filed a trademark with the EUIPO for the OnePlus Pad naming scheme, hinting at the company’s first foray when it comes to tablets. The filing, which was published back on July 1, fails to shed light on what the OnePlus Pad could offer in areas such as features, design, specs, but the intent on trademarking the title suggests plans of extending the product portfolio beyond just smartphones and wearables, which is currently what the company is restricted to. Do note that previous rumours have hinted that OnePlus is not the only BBK brand that is working on a tablet, since in June it was revealed that Realme might be working on a Realme Pad and, rumours of Vivo and Oppo tablets have also been making the rounds in 2021.
Why Should You Care About the OnePlus Pad
Now, given as to how OnePlus and Oppo are now part of a much closer relationship and how some devices have been rebrands or very similar to Oppo handsets, it is but obvious for someone to think that the tablet could be a result of this merger and the end result might be offered by both companies with minor differences. Whilst the fans will probably be upset at this decision, since, up till this point, both companies have taken a fairly different strategy for the market, both in terms of what to offer and how to price it and, if the Oppofication, as some might term it does take effect, we could see rather uncompetitive pricing for the OnePlus Pad, but that is again a guess from us. More importantly, though, there is a reason to be excited about the OnePlus Pad. Whilst you might think that an Android tablet no longer makes sense, as iPad users, we can tell you how useful a tablet is in certain scenarios even if one owns a laptop. Whilst there are budget Android tablets or competitively priced tablets, the only good Android tablet is the S-series tablet from Samsung, which retails from around 30-40k INR all the way up to 60-70k INR. With the OnePlus Tab, if OnePlus can do something competitive and offer a half-decent product with good specifications, if not more, it could lead to the revival of the budget to mid-level tablet segment and, with the upcoming Realme Pad and certain other tablets from leading companies, we could see a smartphone market like scenario taking place in a year or two. Do note that the filing does not confirm the launch of the OnePlus tablet, with the filing probably being a move by OnePlus to claim the moniker so as to avoid issues in the future.