Fans who are excited to finally be getting their hands on the OnePlus Pad are now able to preorder the tablet … sort of.
Preorders for the OnePlus Pad went live today. However, it’s not a preorder in the traditional sense where someone would pay full price for an item upfront and then receive it when it launches for no extra charge. Instead, fans are able to put down a $99 down payment to reserve their spot in “line” for the tablet when it releases later this year.
Currently, there is no set price or launch date for the OnePlus Pad aside from the May 8 “early shipping” date listed on the OnePlus website. OnePlus says that it’ll be revealing the full price for the tablet on April 25, but that just makes the deposit system a little more curious. Obviously, the company has its reasons; however, it’s odd that OnePlus would ask for fans to pay to reserve their spot in line for an item that they aren’t fully informed about yet.
Luckily, the deposit is refundable. If the OnePlus Pad turns out to cost too much or be otherwise undesirable for someone who preordered it, those who’ve paid their deposit will still be able to get their money back. As a way of thanking those placing preorders, OnePlus is offering a free gift in the form of a detachable keyboard case to come bundled with the tablet.
If you preorder the OnePlus Pad, you’ll be able to pay for the rest of the tablet starting on April 25, the day of the official, finalized price reveal. It seems like you’ll have until May 8 to pay off the rest of the tablet since that’s when they’ll start shipping out to early adopters. That said, OnePlus’s website isn’t very clear on that front. If you are planning on preordering it, it’s probably worth paying for the rest of it as soon as possible, just in case. That way, you won’t miss out on shipments.
The OnePlus Pad is OnePlus’s first foray into the world of tablets, so it’ll be exciting to see how it fairs against the rest of the industry. As an Android-based tablet, it’ll have some fierce competition later this year once the Pixel Tablet eventually releases.