The gaming experience offered by this device is unparalleled, but its capabilities extend far beyond that.

September has witnessed a flurry of new device launches, with leading flagship smartphones making their grand entrances. Just before the National Day holiday, iQOO also hosted a product launch event to introduce the iQOO 16 series.

This time around, iQOO has also unveiled a flagship compact tablet—the iQOO Pad Ultra. It boasts the current top-tier chipset in the Android realm, delivering exceptional portability while being finely tuned for both gaming and office applications.

Leitech (ID: leitech) has had the privilege of testing this tablet in advance and has been using it for quite some time. Next, we will delve into the real-world experience of this tablet by examining its performance in various usage scenarios.

Flagship Performance Meets Portability: A Gamer's Dream Companion

Many users opt for iPad mini series products primarily for mobile gaming. The compact 7-8 inch tablet offers a significantly larger screen display area compared to smartphones, yet it remains lightweight and easy to handle with both hands.

Upon initially picking up the iQOO Pad Ultra, its featherlight feel left a lasting impression. It measures a mere 5.74mm in thickness, thinner than most smartphones on the market.

(Image source: Leitech)

Weighing in at just 298 grams, the tablet is only slightly heavier than conventional large foldable smartphones.

(Image source: Leitech)

Despite its 8.8-inch screen size, which is larger than typical compact tablets, the iQOO Pad Ultra still feels compact in hand, thanks to its ultra-narrow bezels.

(Image source: Leitech)

The sleek design of the iQOO Pad Ultra meets our expectations for a compact tablet's comfort. However, for a tablet to effortlessly run large games, performance remains paramount. It is powered by Qualcomm's latest-generation Snapdragon 8 Super supreme chipset, featuring a significant GPU performance boost, making it the cream of the crop in the current Android lineup.

Moreover, iQOO has gone the extra mile by equipping this compact tablet with fan cooling, addressing concerns about heat dissipation and performance in ultra-thin devices.

(Image source: Leitech)

We put the tablet through its paces with several large mobile games, including Genshin Impact and Peacekeeper Elite.

In Genshin Impact, we cranked up both graphics and frame rate settings to the max. The gameplay was incredibly smooth, with nearly full frame rates throughout. Interestingly, upon launching Genshin Impact, the system automatically switched to game mode, and a distinct fan noise became audible.

(Image source: Leitech)

For such demanding games, maximizing fan cooling helps unleash the hardware's full gaming potential, preventing chip overheating from causing frequency drops and stuttering.

(Image source: Leitech)

When playing Peacekeeper Elite, we also set all graphics parameters to the highest, and the gameplay remained just as fluid. This game was once a performance benchmark but is no longer the most demanding. Even at 120 frames per second, the iQOO Pad Ultra handled it with ease. Moreover, after a round of gameplay, the device barely felt warm.

(Image source: Leitech)

Notably, as a tablet, the iQOO Pad Ultra is rarely equipped with a vibration motor, yet it supports "4D Vibration" in games like Peacekeeper Elite and Genshin Impact, elevating the overall gaming experience to new heights.

Another intriguing design element of the iQOO Pad Ultra is the breathing light on the rear camera module, allowing users to customize colors and flashing patterns, creating an RGB lighting ambiance reminiscent of gaming devices and enhancing the tablet's gaming appeal.

(Image source: Leitech)

As a brand inherently geared towards gaming, iQOO's smartphones and tablets have always been tailored for gaming scenarios.

Regarding the iQOO Pad Ultra, it's evident that its gaming-focused solutions are comprehensive: the flagship chipset and fan cooling deliver top-tier gaming performance, ensuring a seamless experience in high-load games; the ultra-thin body and compact screen provide an excellent grip and gameplay feel; the ambient lighting and software support enhance the overall user experience.

Office Applications and Remote Control: How Productive Can a Compact Tablet Be?

Nowadays, nearly all tablet products emphasize productivity attributes, with major brands attempting to use them as differentiating selling points. However, from my personal experience with compact tablets, they are not ideal for office tasks requiring a mouse and keyboard like laptops, as their product logic and screen sizes differ. In our view, compact tablets are better suited as emergency office solutions, offering greater convenience than smartphones for editing documents and images.

iQOO has put considerable effort into optimizing the Pad Ultra for office scenarios. Firstly, it supports specially optimized office applications. In addition to the familiar WPS, it can also run engineering drawing software ZWCAD.

Of course, its compatibility with CAD is achieved through the "PC Application Engine," enabling Android devices to run some PC software.

Regarding WPS, it is essentially identical to the PC version, offering smooth document editing and modification with a familiar operation logic. However, using a mouse and keyboard would be more efficient, as finger tapping remains less convenient.

(Image source: Leitech)

As for CAD software, since it is a ported version of the PC drawing software, the densely packed array of options and tools on the UI interface appears somewhat cramped on an 8-inch screen. Therefore, while viewing CAD drawings on a compact tablet is feasible, actually using it for drawing is not as satisfactory an experience.

(Image source: Leitech)

Additionally, we found the remote control function on this tablet quite practical. Specifically, after installing software on the PC, the tablet can remotely control the computer, compatible with both Windows devices and Macs. In actual use, the remote control is relatively smooth, with acceptable latency.

(Image source: Leitech)

In daily office scenarios, many people encounter situations where they need to urgently edit a document or access a file stored on their office computer while on a business trip.

With the remote control function, even when away from the office, users can conveniently access their office computer and remotely utilize all its capabilities, which is more efficient than directly using a smartphone or tablet for tasks originally intended for a PC.

While remote control functions could previously be achieved through third-party software, they often came with fees or subpar experiences. Now, iQOO has integrated this function into the system, significantly lowering the usage barrier for users and improving the overall experience.

Overall, the productivity-related functions on the iQOO Pad Ultra are a welcome addition. It is unrealistic for a compact tablet to compete with a PC in terms of productivity, but as a supplement to mobile office scenarios, it can still be quite effective.

Conclusion: A Clearly Positioned King Among Compact Tablets

After using it for several days, it is evident that the iQOO Pad Ultra is a meticulously crafted flagship tablet. Currently, there are many tablets in the Android camp, but few high-quality compact options. Most of the time, when we think of representative compact tablets, the iPad mini series comes to mind.

Unlike most mediocre offerings on the market, iQOO has invested significant effort into this compact tablet.

Firstly, it is equipped with the top-tier flagship chipset, not just a mid-range one, and features fan cooling; secondly, it has undergone substantial design efforts to achieve extreme portability. In terms of both design and hardware configuration, the iQOO Pad Ultra far surpasses the iPad mini 7.

(Image source: Leitech)

Additionally, this tablet packs a battery with a capacity exceeding 9000mAh into such a compact size, offering impressive battery life. After playing Peacekeeper Elite for two hours, it only consumed 26% of the battery, translating to over seven hours of gaming battery life.

Of course, during use, we also noticed some minor drawbacks of the tablet, such as average camera quality and lack of adaptation for some software. However, overall, for a compact tablet focused on performance and portability, it excels in gaming experience and stands out in design among similar products, forming a differentiated competitive advantage.

For users who prioritize gaming experience and value lightweight portability, it will be an excellent choice.

Source: Leitech

Images in this article are from the 123RF licensed image library. Source: Leitech