The Oppo Pad 5 Matte Display features a 12.1″ IPS LCD that’s optimized for reading and note taking. It has a 2,800 x 1,980px resolution, runs at a 120Hz refresh rate and renders 12-bit color. As the name suggests, it has a matte display instead of glossy. TUV for a 97% reduction in panel reflections and a 70% reduction in harmful blue Rhineland certified.
You can check out our unboxing post to know more about the slate and its key selling points. Here we’ll focus on performance – just how good is the Dimensity 7300 Ultra? Note that we’re testing the mid-range variant with 8GB of RAM (LPDDR5X) and 256GB of storage (UFS 3.1). The base model has a 8/128GB configuration and the top model is 12/256GB.
Anti-glare screen is a bit dull, but fights all reflections
Before we go any further, we should add some context – specifically pricing. In Malaysia, the 8/256GB Wi-Fi model is priced at MYR 2,100, while in Singapore it is priced at SGD 570. Here are some of the competitions we have selected.
The Xiaomi Pad 7, a MYR 1,500 / SGD 500 tablet, has an 11.2″ IPS LCD (144Hz, 3,200 x 2,136px) and a Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3. The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is SGD 370 for an 8/128GB slate that has a 12.1″ IPS LCD (120Hz, 2,800px). x 1,980px) display and the same dimensions as the Oppo 7300 Ultra. The Poco Pad M1 is MYR 1,000 / SGD 350 for the 8/256GB model – it combines a 12.1” IPS LCD (120Hz, 2,560 x 1,600px) with a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4.
It’s clear that the Oppo Pad 5 Matte Display has spent a large portion of its budget on the matte display of the same name, which has left it with a relatively weak chipset.
The Dimensity 7300 Ultra is a 6nm chip (TSMC N6) with 4x Cortex-A78 cores (2.8GHz) and 4x Cortex-A55 cores. This puts it in the middle of the pack in terms of single and multi-core performance. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 has a clear edge in single-core thanks to its Cortex-X4 Prime core (2.8GHz), but its multi-core score is also good. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 doesn’t have an X4 core, but it does have four Cortex-A720 cores and four Cortex-A520, which are a newer generation than the Dimensity 7300 CPU cores.
Overall performance is right in the middle of the pack. The tablet has one of the highest resolution displays, which affects its performance – of course, a sharp display is important for a good reading and writing experience. Storage speed also makes a difference – the Oppo has UFS 3.1, which is the same as the OnePlus Pad Go 2 and Infinix XPad GT. The Xiaomi Pad 7 has a faster UFS 4.0, while the Redmi Pad 2 and Poco Pad M1 have a slower UFS 2.2 storage.
The Mali-G615 MC2 GPU is quite modern, but its low core count holds it back. So, the oldie-but-golden Snapdragon 888 inside the Infinix tablet also edges it out. Oppo excels with Helio-class GPUs, but struggles against tablets with mid-range Snapdragon 7-series chips. The Xiaomi Pad 7 in particular is in a different performance class.
The Oppo Pad 5 Matte Display is definitely not the tablet to get for gaming, video editing or other heavy workloads. It’s better suited for school or office work where the bulk of the time you spend with the tablet is spent reading, reviewing, and taking notes.
That said, its mediocre performance leaves room for some competitors. For example, Xiaomi sells the Pad 7 with a bright display by default. However, in some regions there is a Nano Textured version (aka Soft Light Edition), which reduces screen reflectivity by up to 65% and removes 99% of interfering light. This version of course costs extra, but the Oppo Pad 5 Matte Display is already quite expensive.