Nubia Pad Pro review: Premium features at an affordable price

Best Prices Today: Nubia Pad Pro

Nubia might not be as familiar as fellow Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, OnePlus or Huawei, but the company has been making plenty of decent devices for several years.

You may have heard of its gaming sub-brand – Redmagic – which has been putting out some excellent smartphones and, more recently, tablets.

However, Nubia now has its first tablet under its own name. But will the Pad Pro be good enough to firmly put the company’s name on the map? Here are my thoughts after testing it.

Design & Build

• Unibody metal chassis
• Reasonably lightweight
• No dust or water resistance

Nubia has kept things simple with the Pad Pro, so you get a unibody chassis in matt black finish (silver is also available), with squared off edges and gently rounded corners. This makes it comfortable to hold, especially as the 523g weight doesn’t feel heavy in the hands.

The 16:10 aspect ratio makes this a landscape device, as holding it in the portrait orientation feels a bit awkward – it’s just too tall. But, with many people using their tablets for content consumption or light office-style tasks these days, the landscape layout works very well for most activities.

Dimensions of 253.3 x 164.6 x 7.3 mm (9.97 x 6.48 x 0.29 in) are almost identical to the Redmagic Nova Gaming tablet I reviewed from the company’s sub-brand earlier this year. It’s not particularly thin, but doesn’t feel bulky, either.

That’s not entirely surprising, as both devices feature a 10.9-inch display, with slim bezels around the edge helping to determine the overall size.

On the side of the Pad Pro, you’ll find quad speakers that support multi-dimensional DTS:X Ultra audio, plus a USB-C 3.2 (Gen 1) port for recharging. Along the top edge (when in portrait orientation), there’s the volume rocker button, plus a magnetic area for attaching the Nubia Tablet stylus that can be purchased separately for £69.90/$79.90.

The bottom edge has similarly expansive connections for the Nubia Pad Pro Keyboard case (£89.90/$109.99) to attach it magnetically to the Pad Pro.

The power button on the left side is bright red, reminiscent of the Game Space button on the Redmagic devices, but there’s no sliding to be found here, just a simple press. That being said, Nubia has incorporated an embedded fingerprint sensor into the button, one which worked quickly and reliably throughout my time with the device.

Sadly, there’s no official IP rating for water or dust resistance. I can’t imagine a rain shower would cause any damage, but just don’t submerge it in water or cover it with sand at the beach.

Nubia has kept things simple in terms of what’s in the box, though you do get a power brick alongside the device itself and a charging cable.

Nubia has incorporated an embedded fingerprint sensor into the button, one which worked quickly and reliably throughout my time with the device

Screen & Speakers

• 10.9-inch 144Hz IPS panel
• Not very bright
• Quad speakers

Although the 10.9-inch panel in the Pad Pro is an IPS LCD and not the AMOLED ones we’ve seen in some rivals, it’s a bright, colour-rich display that boasts a 2880 x 1800 resolution (delivering 309ppi) and a fast refresh rate of 144Hz.

Movies and other video content all render very clearly, with plenty of sharpness in the image, while the 16:10 aspect ratio accommodates apps and productivity tools nicely. If you do add the Nubia Pad Pro Keyboard case, then you’d have a usable laptop replacement (or at least a travel version) that allows you to get some work done while you’re out and about, then sit back and enjoy a film or TV show in comfort.

Gaming is a really pleasant experience on the Nubia Pad Pro, as the fast refresh rate keeps action smooth and consistent. There’s also the 840Hz instant touch sampling rate that makes responses feel rapid and accurate, even during fast-paced action within games.  

Brightness isn’t amazing, as I measured the panel topping out at just over 500 nits. While this is fine for use indoors, it will be a struggle outside on a sunny day, especially as the screen (like most tablets) is quite reflective when there’s a strong light source around.

Gaming is a really pleasant experience on the Nubia Pad Pro

Audio is delivered via the quad speakers (two on either side), and the quality is good. It can get impressively loud without distorting, and easily fills a small room. Tonally, there’s a leaning towards the higher frequencies, as is normal with thin tablets, but the Pad Pro retains a pleasing balance for movies and games. Nubia states that the device is DTS:X Ultra certified, so the room-filling audio shouldn’t come as a surprise.

There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, so you’ll be limited to Bluetooth speakers and headphones if you want an external method of listening. Thankfully, the Pad Pro comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.4, so connections are stable and sound quality remains strong.

Specs & Performance

• 3.3GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
• LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0
• Solid performance

Nubia isn’t skimping on performance on the Pad Pro, with a 3.3GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset under the hood. Even though it’s now two generations out of date, this is a high-end octa-core processor that has plenty of power on hand.

In everyday use, the Pad Pro is snappy and fluid. Apps open and run smoothly, with no noticeable lag or stuttering. It can even handle gaming, with titles like Diablo Immortal and Asphalt Legends: Unite blazing along with high frame rates and quick responsive controls.

I did notice that during a session of the latter that the temperature on the back of the Pad Pro did start to rise quite quickly. Nubia does employ a six-layer cooling system in the tablet, with conductive materials redistributing the heat, but it’s not quite up to the standards of the liquid metal cooling system in the Redmagic Astra Gaming tablet.

In everyday use, the Pad Pro is snappy and fluid

However, that’s to be expected, as the Pad Pro isn’t marketed specifically as a gaming device.

The speed of the processor is accompanied by fast LPDDR5X memory and UFS 4.0 storage. My review device sports a 12GB/256GB configuration, but there are also 8GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB options available.

Nubia Pad Pro benchmarks

Here’s how the Nubia Pad Pro performed in our standard benchmark tests:

Cameras

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

Cameras are often the unloved part of a tablet, as manufacturers have realised that most people won’t be using them for serious photography (and neither should they).

That’s reflected here – the Nubia Pad Pro has cameras which are adequate at best. The rear 13Mp shooter can get some good shots if there’s lots of light and your subject matter is stationary, but anything less than optimum conditions results in generally unimpressive images.

In fact, the selfie camera gets the bigger megapixel count, but the software processing has a tendency to over-sharpen and get colour balances wrong. This often leaves you with washed-out, uninspiring images.

The Nubia Pad Pro has cameras which are adequate at best

They’re fine for video calls and the occasional selfie, but really, you’ll almost certainly be better off using your phone. Video quality is poor, with focus hunting and artifacting a constant presence in lower light. The Nubia Pad Pro is good, but the cameras are not.

Here are some images that I captured with the Nubia Pad Pro:

Battery Life & Charging

• 10,100mAh battery
• 66W wired fast charging
• Solid performance, excellent recharging

Nubia has fitted the Pad Pro with a large 10,100mAh cell, which delivers very solid battery life.

Even with a good amount of use across a day, I had plenty of charge left in the tank. Gaming does take a bit more out of the Pad Pro, but even then, it’s a respectable amount of time before you need to find a charger.

When it comes to charging, the Nubia Pad Pro is one of the best in its class

Playing a one-hour session of Diablo Immortal, on a high brightness, saw the battery drain by around 18%. If that’s consistent across the board, then you’re looking at somewhere in the region of 5 hours of gameplay on a single charge.

In our standard PCMark battery test, the Nubia Pad Pro returned a score of 8 hours and 20 minutes, which is decent but doesn’t quite match up to the likes of the OnePlus Pad 3 or Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE.

Recharging is a swift affair thanks to the fast wired charging. Using the included 66W charger, the Pad Pro went from 0% to 37% in 15 minutes, 68% in half an hour, with a full recharge coming in at 48 mins, which is excellent. When it comes to charging, the Nubia Pad Pro is one of the best in its class.

Standby time is also very good, as I put the Pad Pro aside for several days and came back to find that it had only dropped around 15% in that time, even though it was always turned on. Impressive, and great news if you’re the slightly forgetful type like me.

Software & Apps

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

The Pad Pro runs on Android 15, with the Nubula AIOS 1.0 interface on top. The latter is quite a subdued skin, so it doesn’t alter the ‘pure’ Android experience too much, which is a good thing.

There’s not much in the way of customisation, which is different to the Redmagic OS, which offers plenty of themes, wallpapers and other ways to make the device feel your own. That being said, the simplicity of the Pad Pro will no doubt appeal more to people who just want to use their tablet for work, play and the occasional bit of gaming.

You do get the Game Space software from Redmagic, though, which you can access by swiping in simultaneously from the upper left and right sides of the display when you’re in a game. This gives you access to plenty of tools that can customise game performance, manage screenshots and plenty of other goodies.

Thankfully, the Pad Pro is mercifully clear of bloatware, so you get a nice, clean experience out of the box.

Software support can often be the Achilles heel of tablets, and the Nubia PR department has confirmed that the Pad Pro will receive only three years of security and system updates. Hopefully, this means that users should see a few major versions of Android during that time, but remember that when the security updates end, it’s no longer safe to use the device for any online activities.

The Pad Pro is mercifully clear of bloatware, so you get a nice, clean experience out of the box

Price & Availability

The Nubia Pad Pro comes in a few different configurations for the global, UK and mainland European markets.

Here’s how they line up:

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

You can buy them directly from the Nubia website, as at the time of writing, the device isn’t available from the common third-party retailers such as Amazon. I couldn’t see a listing for a dedicated Nubia US site, so you may need to order from the Canadian one if you’re in America.

These prices put the Pad Pro in the mid-tier price bracket, where you can also opt for the likes of the Xiaomi Pad 7, OnePlus Pad 3, or Samsung Galaxy S10 FE, which all cover the same ground and can be found for comparable prices if you shop around.

For more great alternatives, see our full guide to the best tablets you can buy.

I recommend keeping an eye on our Best Tablet Deals roundup to be sure that you don’t miss out on a great offer, plus you can check out our roundup of the Best Tablets to see which other models are worthy of your attention.

Should you buy the Nubia Pad Pro?

The Nubia Pad Pro is a nice device to use. The powerful performance makes it fluid and fast, plus there’s a great standby time for the battery, so you can put it down for a few days, come back, and it will still be good to go.

Admittedly, the cameras are not the best, and the underwhelming software support is a significant downside. But if you want a well-priced Android tablet that gets the fundamentals right, the Pad Pro is

Specs

• 10.9-inch IPS display with 2880 x 1800 (16:10 aspect ratio), 309ppi, 144Hz refresh rate
• 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 front camera
• 13Mp rear cameras
• Wi-Fi 6 (2×2 MIMO)
• Bluetooth 5.4
• USB-C 3.2 (Gen 1)
• 10100 mAh battery, 66W wired fast charging
• 253.3 x 164.6 x 7.3 mm (9.97 x 6.48 x 0.29 in)
• 523 g (1.15 lb)

Best Prices Today: Nubia Pad Pro