iQOO Pad 3 Review: Gaming Performance Beast for the Masses

iQOO Pad 3 has 50,000+ reviews on JD.com with a 4.5/5 rating at ¥2,699 ($373). Users appreciate the flagship Dimensity 9300+ processor, the extremely fast 120W wired charging, and the smooth 12.1-inch 2.8K 144Hz display. The main complaints are OriginOS software quirks specific to the tablet form factor and the unremarkable camera setup. Conclusion: ✅ Worth Buying — the best price-to-performance gaming tablet on the Chinese market.

Introduction

iQOO, Vivo’s sub-brand focused on performance and gaming, has made a name for itself with phones like the iQOO Neo and iQOO 13 series. The iQOO Pad 3 extends this philosophy to tablets: maximum performance, high refresh rate display, and aggressive pricing. At ¥2,699 ($373), it undercuts the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro by ¥600 while offering competitive raw gaming performance.

The Dimensity 9300+ is MediaTek’s latest flagship SoC, and in the spacious chassis of the Pad 3, it can stretch its legs without the thermal constraints of a phone body. Combined with the 12.1-inch 2.8K 144Hz display and 120W charging, the Pad 3 is arguably the best gaming tablet available in China today.

Specifications

Spec	iQOO Pad 3	Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro	OnePlus Pad 2	Lenovo Legion Tab
SoC	Dimensity 9300+	Snapdragon 8s Gen 3	Dimensity 9300	Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Display	12.1” 2.8K LCD 144Hz	12.4” 3K LCD 144Hz	11.6” 2.8K LCD 144Hz	8.8” 2.5K LCD 165Hz
RAM/Storage	8/256GB, 12/512GB	8/256GB, 12/512GB	8/256GB, 12/512GB	12/256GB, 16/512GB
Battery	10000mAh	10000mAh	9510mAh	6550mAh
Charging	120W wired	120W wired	67W wired	68W wired
OS	OriginOS 5 (Android 15)	HyperOS 2 (Android 15)	OxygenOS 15	ZUI 16
Weight	590g	585g	585g	350g
JD Rating	4.5/5	4.6/5	4.5/5	4.6/5
Price	¥2,699 ($373)	¥3,299 ($456)	¥2,599 ($359)	¥3,199 ($442)

Design and Build Quality

The iQOO Pad 3 adopts a square-edged metal chassis reminiscent of an iPad Pro, with a distinctive two-tone camera island on the back housing a 13MP main sensor and a 2MP macro lens. The tablet is 6.9mm thin and weighs 590g — dimensions that are competitive for its screen size. The back panel has a subtle matte finish that resists fingerprints well.

The 12.1-inch 2.8K LCD panel is excellent, with 600 nits peak brightness and full DCI-P3 coverage. The 144Hz refresh rate makes gaming and scrolling incredibly smooth, and the display supports HDR10 and HLG for streaming content. The aspect ratio is 7:5 (or 2800×1968), which is slightly squarer than typical 16:10, offering more vertical space in portrait mode — great for reading and web browsing.

“Bought this mainly for playing Honor of Kings and it’s flawless. 120fps stable at max graphics. The 120W charging means I never worry about battery. Build quality is premium.” — JD.com user ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance

The Dimensity 9300+ is a monster. Its all-large-core design (1× Cortex-X4 at 3.4GHz + 3× Cortex-X4 at 2.85GHz + 4× Cortex-A720 at 2.0GHz) delivers AnTuTu v10 scores exceeding 2.2 million — the highest in this comparison group. In Geekbench 6, single-core reaches 2,210 and multi-core hits 7,540. The Immortalis-G720 GPU delivers sustained gaming performance that rivals the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Legion Tab.

Gaming benchmarks confirm the Pad 3’s dominance. Genshin Impact runs at 60fps steady at max settings. PUBG Mobile supports 120fps at HDR graphics. The larger chassis allows for better thermal dissipation than phones — after 30 minutes of Genshin Impact, peak temperature measured 41.2°C, which is warm but manageable. The 10000mAh battery delivers 6+ hours of heavy gaming or 13 hours of video playback. The 120W charger fills from 0 to 100% in 40 minutes — truly fast for a tablet.

“This thing is an absolute beast for gaming. Genshin Impact runs at max settings without a single stutter. The screen is huge and smooth. My only small gripe is OriginOS has some weird tablet-specific UI bugs.” — JD.com user ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

User Reviews by Theme

Theme 1: Gaming Performance

Overwhelmingly positive. Users consistently confirm that the Dimensity 9300+ delivers class-leading gaming performance. Thermal management gets special praise.

“Been gaming on this for a month now. Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Wuthering Waves — all at max settings, smooth as butter. It barely gets warm even after long sessions.” — JD.com user ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

💡 Summary: The best gaming performance available in a Chinese tablet at this price.

Theme 2: Display and Multimedia

The 144Hz 2.8K display earns strong marks. Some users wish it were OLED, but the LCD’s brightness and color accuracy are praised.

“144Hz is incredibly smooth. Watching HDR videos on the big screen is fantastic. Colors pop and the resolution makes text razor-sharp. OLED would be nice but the price would double.” — JD.com user ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Theme 3: Charging Speed

A major selling point — users consistently mention the 120W charging as a standout feature that competitors can’t match at this price.

“The charging speed is insane. I plug it in when I take a shower and it’s at 80% when I get out. This alone makes it better than the OnePlus Pad 2 for me.” — JD.com user ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Theme 4: Common Complaints

OriginOS on a tablet still has rougher edges than HyperOS or OxygenOS on tablets. Some users report game controller mapping issues and occasional launcher crashes.

“OriginOS feels great on iQOO phones but on the tablet it’s clearly not as polished. Some apps open in portrait phone mode and the split-screen gestures are inconsistent.” — JD.com user ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Purchase Recommendations

✅ Worth Buying: Mobile gamers who want the best performance-per-yuan tablet. The Dimensity 9300+ destroys any game you throw at it.

💰 Premium Pick: If you need a more polished tablet software experience with better productivity features, the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro (¥3,299) offers HyperOS with more tablet-optimized apps.

⚠️ Budget Warning: If gaming isn’t your priority and you mainly stream video, the Lenovo Xiaoxin Pad Pro 13 saves ¥800 and offers a larger screen.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
Dimensity 9300+ delivers best-in-class gaming performance	OriginOS tablet-mode still needs polish
120W charging — full charge in 40 minutes	Camera quality is unremarkable
Beautiful 12.1” 2.8K 144Hz LCD display	LCD, not OLED — black levels could be better
Excellent thermal management in the tablet chassis	OriginOS occasional launcher bugs
Competitive ¥2,699 pricing for flagship SoC	No cellular version available
6+ hours of heavy gaming battery life	No 3.5mm headphone jack
4 years of OS updates promised	No expandable storage
Good accessory ecosystem (keyboard, pen available)	Tablet-specific app optimization trails iPad

FAQ

Q1: Can the iQOO Pad 3 run PC games? No, it’s an Android tablet. For PC gaming, you’d need a cloud gaming service. The tablet does support game controller pairing (Xbox, PlayStation) for compatible Android games.

Q2: Does the iQOO Pad 3 support video output? Yes, the USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port supports DisplayPort Alt Mode for 4K video output at 60Hz.

Q3: How long will the Dimensity 9300+ stay competitive for gaming? At current performance levels, the 9300+ should handle all Android games at maximum settings for at least 2-3 years, and remain capable for 4-5 years.

Q4: Is the keyboard case included in the price? No, accessories are sold separately. The iQOO Smart Keyboard costs ¥449 and the iQOO Pencil 2 costs ¥349.

Q5: Does the Pad 3 support Vivo/iQOO ecosystem features? Yes, it integrates with Vivo and iQOO phones for file sharing, clipboard sync, call handoff, and screen mirroring through the Orange Cube ecosystem.