Nubia Pad Pro Review: Premium Features At An Affordable Price

Worth When Reviewed

$419

Finest Costs At present: Nubia Pad Professional

Nubia may not be as acquainted as fellow Chinese language manufacturers similar to Xiaomi, OnePlus or Huawei, however the firm has been making loads of respectable units for a number of years.

You will have heard of its gaming sub-brand – Redmagic – which has been placing out some wonderful smartphones and, extra just lately, tablets.

Nevertheless, Nubia now has its first pill beneath its personal title. However will the Pad Professional be ok to firmly put the corporate’s title on the map? Listed below are my ideas after testing it.

Design & Construct

• Unibody steel chassis
• Moderately light-weight
• No mud or water resistance

Nubia has saved issues easy with the Pad Professional, so that you get a unibody chassis in matt black end (silver can be obtainable), with squared off edges and gently rounded corners. This makes it snug to carry, particularly because the 523g weight doesn’t really feel heavy within the fingers.

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The 16:10 facet ratio makes this a panorama system, as holding it within the portrait orientation feels a bit awkward – it’s simply too tall. However, with many individuals utilizing their tablets for content material consumption or gentle office-style duties nowadays, the panorama format works very effectively for many actions.

Dimensions of 253.3 x 164.6 x 7.3 mm (9.97 x 6.48 x 0.29 in) are nearly an identical to the Redmagic Nova Gaming pill I reviewed from the corporate’s sub-brand earlier this yr. It’s not notably skinny, however doesn’t really feel cumbersome, both.

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That’s not completely stunning, as each units characteristic a ten.9-inch show, with slim bezels across the edge serving to to find out the general dimension.

On the facet of the Pad Professional, you’ll discover quad audio system that help multi-dimensional DTS:X Extremely audio, plus a USB-C 3.2 (Gen 1) port for recharging. Alongside the highest edge (when in portrait orientation), there’s the amount rocker button, plus a magnetic space for attaching the Nubia Pill stylus that may be bought individually for £69.90/$79.90.

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The underside edge has equally expansive connections for the Nubia Pad Professional Keyboard case (£89.90/$109.99) to connect it magnetically to the Pad Professional.

The ability button on the left facet is vivid pink, paying homage to the Sport House button on the Redmagic units, however there’s no sliding to be discovered right here, only a easy press. That being mentioned, Nubia has integrated an embedded fingerprint sensor into the button, one which labored shortly and reliably all through my time with the system.

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Sadly, there’s no official IP ranking for water or mud resistance. I can’t think about a rain bathe would trigger any injury, however simply don’t submerge it in water or cowl it with sand on the seashore.

Nubia has saved issues easy when it comes to what’s within the field, although you do get an influence brick alongside the system itself and a charging cable.

Display & Audio system

• 10.9-inch 144Hz IPS panel
• Not very vivid
• Quad audio system

Though the ten.9-inch panel within the Pad Professional is an IPS LCD and never the AMOLED ones we’ve seen in some rivals, it’s a vivid, colour-rich show that boasts a 2880 x 1800 decision (delivering 309ppi) and a quick refresh fee of 144Hz.

Motion pictures and different video content material all render very clearly, with loads of sharpness within the picture, whereas the 16:10 facet ratio accommodates apps and productiveness instruments properly. In case you do add the Nubia Pad Professional Keyboard case, you then’d have a usable laptop computer alternative (or a minimum of a journey model) that means that you can get some work performed when you’re out and about, then sit again and luxuriate in a movie or TV present in consolation.

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Gaming is a very nice expertise on the Nubia Pad Professional, because the quick refresh fee retains motion easy and constant. There’s additionally the 840Hz on the spot contact sampling fee that makes responses really feel speedy and correct, even throughout fast-paced motion inside video games.  

Brightness isn’t wonderful, as I measured the panel topping out at simply over 500 nits. Whereas that is advantageous to be used indoors, it is going to be a battle outdoors on a sunny day, particularly because the display (like most tablets) is sort of reflective when there’s a robust gentle supply round.

Audio is delivered through the quad audio system (two on both facet), and the standard is sweet. It may well get impressively loud with out distorting, and simply fills a small room. Tonally, there’s a leaning in direction of the upper frequencies, as is regular with skinny tablets, however the Pad Professional retains a lovely steadiness for motion pictures and video games. Nubia states that the system is DTS:X Extremely licensed, so the room-filling audio shouldn’t come as a shock.

There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, so that you’ll be restricted to Bluetooth audio system and headphones in order for you an exterior technique of listening. Fortunately, the Pad Professional comes geared up with Bluetooth 5.4, so connections are steady and sound high quality stays sturdy.

Specs & Efficiency

• 3.3GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
• LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0
• Strong efficiency

Nubia isn’t skimping on efficiency on the Pad Professional, with a 3.3GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset beneath the hood. Regardless that it’s now two generations outdated, it is a high-end octa-core processor that has loads of energy readily available.

In on a regular basis use, the Pad Professional is snappy and fluid. Apps open and run easily, with no noticeable lag or stuttering. It may well even deal with gaming, with titles like Diablo Immortal and Asphalt Legends: Unite blazing together with excessive body charges and fast responsive controls.

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I did discover that in a session of the latter that the temperature on the again of the Pad Professional did begin to rise fairly shortly. Nubia does make use of a six-layer cooling system within the pill, with conductive supplies redistributing the warmth, nevertheless it’s not fairly as much as the requirements of the liquid steel cooling system within the Redmagic Astra Gaming pill.

Nevertheless, that’s to be anticipated, because the Pad Professional isn’t marketed particularly as a gaming system.

The velocity of the processor is accompanied by quick LPDDR5X reminiscence and UFS 4.0 storage. My assessment system sports activities a 12GB/256GB configuration, however there are additionally 8GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB choices obtainable.

Nubia Pad Professional benchmarks

Right here’s how the Nubia Pad Professional carried out in our customary benchmark exams:

Cameras

• 20Mp selfie digital camera
• Single 13Mp rear lens
• Hit-and-miss efficiency

Cameras are sometimes the unloved a part of a pill, as producers have realised that most individuals received’t be utilizing them for severe images (and neither ought to they).

That’s mirrored right here – the Nubia Pad Professional has cameras that are enough at finest. The rear 13Mp shooter can get some good pictures if there’s plenty of gentle and your material is stationary, however something lower than optimum circumstances leads to usually unimpressive photographs.

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In reality, the selfie digital camera will get the larger megapixel rely, however the software program processing tends to over-sharpen and get color balances unsuitable. This typically leaves you with washed-out, uninspiring photographs.

They’re advantageous for video calls and the occasional selfie, however actually, you’ll nearly actually be higher off utilizing your cellphone. Video high quality is poor, with focus searching and artifacting a relentless presence in decrease gentle. The Nubia Pad Professional is sweet, however the cameras should not.

Listed below are some photographs that I captured with the Nubia Pad Professional:

Battery Life & Charging

• 10,100mAh battery
• 66W wired quick charging
• Strong efficiency, wonderful recharging

Nubia has fitted the Pad Professional with a big 10,100mAh cell, which delivers very stable battery life.

Even with quantity of use throughout a day, I had loads of cost left within the tank. Gaming does take a bit extra out of the Pad Professional, however even then, it’s a decent period of time earlier than it is advisable discover a charger.

Enjoying a one-hour session of Diablo Immortal, on a excessive brightness, noticed the battery drain by round 18%. If that’s constant throughout the board, you then’re taking a look at someplace within the area of 5 hours of gameplay on a single cost.

In our customary PCMark battery check, the Nubia Pad Professional returned a rating of 8 hours and 20 minutes, which is respectable however doesn’t fairly match as much as the likes of the OnePlus Pad 3 or Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE.

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Recharging is a swift affair due to the quick wired charging. Utilizing the included 66W charger, the Pad Professional went from 0% to 37% in quarter-hour, 68% in half an hour, with a full recharge coming in at 48 minutes, which is great. In relation to charging, the Nubia Pad Professional is among the finest in its class.

Standby time can be excellent, as I put the Pad Professional apart for a number of days and got here again to seek out that it had solely dropped round 15% in that point, though it was all the time turned on. Spectacular, and nice information should you’re the marginally forgetful kind like me.

Software program & Apps

• Nebula AIOS 1.0 over Android 15）
• 3 years of software program help
• No bloatware

The Pad Professional runs on Android 15, with the Nubula AIOS 1.0 interface on high. The latter is sort of a subdued pores and skin, so it doesn’t alter the ‘pure’ Android expertise an excessive amount of, which is an efficient factor.

There’s not a lot in the best way of customisation, which is completely different to the Redmagic OS, which gives loads of themes, wallpapers and different methods to make the system really feel your personal. That being mentioned, the simplicity of the Pad Professional will little doubt enchantment extra to individuals who simply need to use their pill for work, play and the occasional little bit of gaming.

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You do get the Sport House software program from Redmagic, although, which you’ll be able to entry by swiping in concurrently from the higher left and proper sides of the show whenever you’re in a sport. This offers you entry to loads of instruments that may customise sport efficiency, handle screenshots and loads of different goodies.

Fortunately, the Pad Professional is mercifully away from bloatware, so that you get a pleasant, clear expertise out of the field.

Software program help can typically be the Achilles heel of tablets, and the Nubia PR division has confirmed that the Pad Professional will obtain solely three years of safety and system updates. Hopefully, which means customers ought to see just a few main variations of Android throughout that point, however keep in mind that when the safety updates finish, it’s now not secure to make use of the system for any on-line actions.

Worth & Availability

The Nubia Pad Professional is available in just a few completely different configurations for the worldwide, UK and mainland European markets.

Right here’s how they line up:

• Nubia Pad Professional 8GB+256GB: $419/£359/€419
• Nubia Pad Professional 12GB+256GB: $489/£429/€489
• Nubia Pad Professional 16GB+512GB: $599/£499/€579

You should buy them instantly from the Nubia web site, as on the time of writing, the system isn’t obtainable from the widespread third-party retailers similar to Amazon. I couldn’t see a list for a devoted Nubia US web site, so you could must order from the Canadian one should you’re in America.

These costs put the Pad Professional within the mid-tier worth bracket, the place it’s also possible to go for the likes of the Xiaomi Pad 7, OnePlus Pad 3, or Samsung Galaxy S10 FE, which all cowl the identical floor and might be discovered for comparable costs should you store round.

For extra nice alternate options, see our full information to the perfect tablets you should buy.

I like to recommend keeping track of our Finest Pill Offers roundup to make certain that you don’t miss out on an ideal supply, plus you possibly can try our roundup of the Finest Tablets to see which different fashions are worthy of your consideration.

Do you have to purchase the Nubia Pad Professional?

The Nubia Pad Professional is a pleasant system to make use of. The highly effective efficiency makes it fluid and quick, plus there’s an ideal standby time for the battery, so you possibly can put it down for just a few days, come again, and it’ll nonetheless be good to go.

Admittedly, the cameras should not the perfect, and the underwhelming software program help is a major draw back. However in order for you a well-priced Android pill that will get the basics proper, the Pad Professional is

Specs

• 10.9-inch IPS show with 2880 x 1800 (16:10 facet ratio), 309ppi, 144Hz refresh fee
• OS Nebula AIOS 1.0 (Android 15）
• 3.3GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Octa-core processor
• 12GB RAM LPDDR5X
• 256GB UFS 4.0 storage
• 20Mp entrance digital camera
• 13Mp rear cameras
• Wi-Fi 6 (2×2 MIMO)
• Bluetooth 5.4
• USB-C 3.2 (Gen 1)
• 10100 mAh battery, 66W wired quick charging
• 253.3 x 164.6 x 7.3 mm (9.97 x 6.48 x 0.29 in)
• 523 g (1.15 lb)