Last year Chinese phone maker Vivo launched a premium Android tablet called the Vivo Pad that offered a lot of bang for the buck at the time. Now the company is back for round two, and the new Vivo Pad 2 looks like an even better deal… in most respects.
The new tablet has a bigger, higher-resolution display with a faster refresh rate, a faster processor, faster memory, a bigger battery, and support for more RAM and storage. But the starting price has actually dropped a little lower. Unfortunately not everything about the Vivo Pad 2 looks like an upgrade.
For example, the new model still has two rear cameras and a front-facing shooter. But instead of 13MP primary + 8MP ultrawide cameras on the back, the new model has 13MP primary + 2MP macro cameras. I don’t know many people who would consider that an upgrade… but odds are you’ve got a better camera on your phone anyway, so this might not be a dealbreaker.
The new model is also nearly 100 grams heavier (about 4 ounces). But that’s too be expected given that it has a beefier battery and a slightly larger screen.
One weird change is that the original Vivo Pad had an 11 inch, 2560 x 1600 pixel display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, while the new model moves to a 12.1 inch, 2880 x 1968 pixel screen with a 144 Hz refresh rate. What’s strange about that is that the new screen has an unusual 7:5 aspect ratio, while the old version was a 16:10 display.
On the one hand, the new aspect ratio could make the tablet more comfortable to use in portrait orientation. I’ve just not heard of many other devices with this aspect ratio. Moving to a 4:3 or 3:2 screen might have done more to ensure that apps, websites, and other content play well with the new screen.
Other changes include the move from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor to a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip and support for up to 12GB of LPDDR5 memory and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
The new Vivo Pad 2 has quad speakers, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, a microSD card reader, and support for WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC. It’s compatible with accessories including a keyboard cover and a pressure-sensitive Vivo Pad Pen 2, which attaches to side of the tablet magnetically for charging and storage.
The Vivo Pad 2 will ship in China with OriginOS 3, which is Vivo’s version of Android 13 with a custom user interface and some custom features including the company’s cross-device services for sharing content between phones and tablets or tablets and PCs.
Here’s a run-down of key specs for the new Vivo Pad 2 and last year’s Vivo Pad:
| Vivo Pad 2 | Vivo Pad | |
| Display | 12.1 inches 2880 x 1968 pixels 7:5 aspect ratio 144 Hz IPS LCD | 11 inches 2560 x 1600 pixels 16:10 aspect ratio 120 Hz IPS LCD |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 9000 1 x Cortex-X2 @ 3.05 GHz 3 x Cortex-A710 @ 2.85 GHz 4 x Cortex-A510 @ 1.8 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 1 x Kryo 585 prime (Cortex-A77) @ 3.2 GHz 3 x Kryo 585 gold (Cortex-A77) @ 2.42 GHz 4 x Kryo 585 silver (Cortex-A55) @ 1.8 GHz) |
| Graphics | Mali-G710 MP10 | Adreno 650 |
| RAM | 8GB or 12GB LPDDR5 | 8GB LPDDR4x |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB /512GB UFS 3.1 | 128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Battery | 10,000 mAh | 8,040 mAh |
| Charging | 44W | 44W |
| Cameras | 13MP primary 2MP macro 8MP front-facing | 13MP primary 8MP ultra-wide 8MP front-facing |
| Ports | USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C microSD card reader | |
| Wireless | WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.3 NFC | 3WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.2 NFC |
| Audio | Quad speakers | |
| Chassis | Aluminum | |
| Accessories | Vivo Pencil 2 Keyboard cover w/kickstand | Vivo Pencil Keyboard cover w/kickstand |
| Dimensions | 266 x 192 x 7mm | 253 x 165 x 7mm |
| Weight | 585 grams | 489 grams |
| Starting price (at launch) | 2,499 CNY | 2,599 CNY |
Prices for the new Vivo Pad 2 start at 2,499 CNY (about $365) in China for an 8GB/128GB model, with top-tier models featuring 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage going for 3,399 (about $495).
There’s no word on if or when this tablet will be available outside of China.
via GSM Arena and NotebookCheck
sqrt(2):1, or roughly 7:5, is the aspect ratio of A4 paper. In my view that is the best aspect ratio. I look out for it but the only other example I know of was a Pixel Chromebook a few years ago.
The upcoming OnePlus Pad is also 7:5 (2800×2000).
A very similar unit but not identical. I wonder if a trend is developing. 7:5 is particularly useful in a tablet as when you rotate it from portrait to landscape you can fit two whole (but reduced) pages without cropping or squashing, if that makes sense.