Close on the heels of Oppo and OnePlus preparing to take tentative first steps into the Android tablets market, another Chinese brand is working on one. And, leaked specifications of the Vivo Pad indicate that they're in it for the long haul.
The usually reliable leaker Digital Chat Station claims on Weibo that the Vivo Pad, which first came to our notice back in July of 2021, could arrive with a robust chipset and a 120Hz display unit with bezels that are so thin that it could just about hold a punch-hole selfie camera slot.
The leaker was quoted by 91Mobiles to suggest that the Vivo Pad is already frequenting the certification listings - an indicator that the device might add to the wave of Chinese-made Android tablets slated for launch in 2022. Given the thrust on online learning, the tablet battle appears all set to go beyond Apple's iPad series and Samsung's Galaxy Tabs.
Vivo Pad - design and specifications (expected)
The company, which registered the Vivo Pad trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office last year, could join other BBK Electronics-owned brands in the tablet segment where the Realme Pad arrived last year. And we hear reports that a successor to Realme's maiden tablet is already in the works.
For several years now, Samsung has held cornered a lion's share of the Android-based tablet market with only the Xiaomi tabs offering any threat. With the Korean tech giant scheduled to arrive with its Galaxy S8 series of premium tablets in 2022, the Chinese invasion in the lower end of this market is understandable.
None of the proposed tablets from Chinese phone makers, more specifically from the BBK Electronics family, seems to be targeting the top-end of the market. Leaked specifications of the upcoming Vivo Pad suggests a Qualcomm's Snapdragon 870 chipset, which is an upgrade over Realme's offering but nowhere compares to what we are hearing about Samsung's premium offering.
Having said so, these devices could chip away at Samsung's affordable tabs, such as the ones in their Galaxy A-series, one of which went on sale in India recently. The leaker claimed that Vivo's upcoming tablet could get a 120Hz display though there was no information on whether the display will be an LCD panel or an OLED.
There were conflicting reports on the battery capacity with the latest leak claiming a 7,860mAh power pack as against an earlier one suggesting an 8,040mAh battery on the basis of a TUV Rheinland certification listing. However, both claim that the Vivo Tab would support 44W wired fast charging.
A slew of tablets from BBK Electronics
These specifications compare favorably with what we know thus far about the Oppo Pad, a competing brand within the same larger family. Geekbench listings suggested the same Snapdragon 870 chipset, an LCD display with 120Hz refresh rate with a 13MP main camera and an 8MP selfie snapper.
Given that Oppo and OnePlus share design and specifications of their devices post their merger, we can speculate a similar spec sheet for the OnePlus pad as well.
As for Realme's second generation Realme Pad, the Geekbench listing once again suggests an octa-core Unisoc chipset coupled with 3GB RAM with 32GB online storage for the base variant. All three tablets seem to be going with the Android 11 out-of-the-box software for now.
Looks like 2022 would be the year of the Chinese invasion into the affordable tablet market. The strategy seems to be identical to the one they employed to get a footing in the Android smartphone space - start with affordable devices and lure users with premium features.
Samsung better watch out as the Chinese phone makers seem to have them in their sights. For the second time in a row.
