Apple’s iPad may be the commonly-used catch-all term for tablet computers these days, but there is a huge range of alternative devices to the famous iPad that all run Android instead. Available in a wider range of shapes and sizes, there is an Android tablet out there for every budget, and one has just been announced that includes a welcome addition not often seen in the market.

OnePlus surprised Android fans on Monday by announcing the imminent arrival of the OnePlus Pad 3, a tablet it says has “a focus on performance and productivity” and will come to the UK on June 5, 2025. The price is still unannounced.

“The OnePlus Pad 3 merges supercharged hardware with market leading software to create the best tablet experience of 2025”, OnePlus said in a press release.

Sometimes when companies say such things it’s hyperbole, but OnePlus may have the spec sheet to back it up with the Pad 3. It confirmed that the tablet will be one of the first ever to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, Qualcomm’s current most powerful mobile processor.

That’s the same chip inside the OnePlus 13, Samsung Galaxy S25, Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Honor Magic 7 Pro, as well as other recent flagship Android phones.

But Android manufacturers rarely use Qualcomm’s top-end processor in their tablets, so to see the latest silicone in OnePlus’s newest effort is exciting. The company used the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in its OnePlus Pad 2 from last year, so this is the second year running we’ve seen top-end chips in OnePlus tablets.

”In just two short years we have built a strong reputation for bringing the most powerful and productive tablets to the market,” said Celina Shi, Chief Marketing Officer, OnePlus Europe. “The OnePlus Pad 3 continues this legacy with a cutting-edge chipset and intelligent software features – like Open Canvas – to help elevate productivity, creativity and entertainment. We’re confident that the OnePlus Pad 3 will be the best Android tablet of 2025!”

We don’t have full specs yet for the Pad 3, but if it’s anything like its predecessor I’ll be pleased. I’ve used the OnePlus Pad 2 extensively and it’s very good indeed, with a lovely bright 12.1-inch LCD screen, superb stereo speakers, a thin 6.5mm design, smooth OxygenOS software and up to 256GB storage and 12GB RAM.

OnePlus will hopefully make some smart updates to tempt buyers into investing in the Pad 3. If it’s compatible with OnePlus’s stylus, and if there’s a keyboard accessory like with the Pad 2, the Pad 3 could prove to be a genuine laptop replacement. It’s hard to replace a Windows or Mac laptop with a tablet, but for my money, Android is much better at it than iPadOS.

As confirmed in the above quote, the Pad 3 will run Open Canvas, which is good news. This is OnePlus’s clever software that lets you recreate the feeling of working and switching between open windows without cluttering the whole screen. It hides the edges of the open apps and leaves the app you’re in on most of the screen, but keeps the apps running in the background, allowing for quick switching.

It’s much more intuitive than Android tablet rival Samsung’s method, and it wipes the floor with Apple’s clunky Stage Manager windowing system for iPads.

Few other details were revealed, other than that UK and European buyers will be able to get the OnePlus Pad 3 in Storm Blue colourway, and that you’ll be able to remotely control a Mac computer and easier share files with “new apps and functionality”.

Before the launch on June 5, OnePlus is letting customers reserve the OnePlus Pad 3 for £1. This will open up some ‘Bonus Drop’ offers such as a £50 discount coupon and a gift code to get a free OnePlus SUPERVOOC 80W Dual Ports GaN Power Adapter Kit worth £49.99 when buying the Pad 3.

If you have an Android phone in your pocket, beware. It appears that this massively popular platform is, once again, in the sights of cyber crooks, and not listening to the latest advice could leave your device full of highly irritating adverts that are impossible to remove. This new alert has been raised by the team at Malwarebytes, who say over 130 Android apps have been released across the globe with the so-called “Kaleidoscope” bug hidden inside.

Once installed on a phone, the attack then bombards you with unskippable adverts. What makes this new threat more worrying is the way crooks are targeting the Android operating system.

With Google getting better at blocking dodgy applications from its Play Store, hackers are now turning to new methods in a bid to fool people.

According to Malwarebytes, this latest scam dishes out lookalike applications via third-party app stores.

Although they look the same as the real thing – and even share the same app ID – they actually come laced with that Kaleidoscope threat. This is then used to display sponsored messages without the advertisers realising anything is wrong. It’s a lose, lose for companies and consumers as firms are paying for the adverts to be shown and the phone owner gets a screen full of annoying messages. 

As Malwarebytes explains, “Advertisers believe they are paying for ads shown in the “legitimate” app, while users who download versions from third-party app stores are bombarded with the same ads—but they can’t skip them. Because both apps use the same app ID, advertisers never know the difference.”

It’s thought that the annoying apps have been installed millions of times and it’s easy to see why some are getting caught out.

In a bid to stop anyone else becoming a victim of this attack, Malwarebytes has issued some important advice – don’t ignore these 5 top tips.

To keep your devices free from ad fraud related malware:

• Get your apps from the Google Play store whenever you can.

• Be careful about the permissions you allow a new app. Does it really need those permissions for what it’s supposed to do? In this case the “Display over other apps” should raise a red flag.

• Dubious ad sites often request permission to display notifications. Allowing this will increase the number of ads as they push them to the device’s notification bar.

• Use up-to-date and active security software on your Android.

Wireless earbuds have become an essential daily item ever since smartphone makers thought it would be a good idea to remove headphone jacks from our phones. AirPods may still rule the roost and hang out of millions of ears up and down the UK, but Apple also makes the Beats line of impressive earbuds, and right now some of my favourites are on sale for less than £50.

The Beats Solo Buds, the latest earbud model to be released, are currently £49 from Amazon, a 39 percent discount on the £79.99 RRP. That’s a superb price for a pair of buds that punch well above their weight, as I’ve discovered after testing them since their launch in June 2024.

I test and review a lot of wireless earbuds, so I am lucky enough to have several pairs in rotation at any given moment, but I don’t always settle on the priciest ones for an extended period of time. I’m always on the lookout for a great affordable pair to recommend to people, and the Beats Studio Buds fall into this category.

Available in purple, black, grey or red (I love the red pair’s transparent case), the buds boast a stupendous 18 hours of battery life and great sound quality for the price. Of course, the Solo Buds don’t sound as good as AirPods Pro or the Beats Studio Buds+, but those alternatives cost £229 and £179 respectively. Remember, £49!

You get four silicone tip sizes in the box so you should be able to find a good fit (I did even with pesky small ear canals) that ensures a seal that blocks out sound and keeps the tunes coming.

View the Beats Solo Buds deal on Amazon

Although these are Apple-made buds, Beats has done well to cater for Android users too, so these pair easily with either iPhone or Android, with easy pairing. Mics on each bud mean I’ve used these for calls and video calls easily, and the case is absolutely tiny so disappears nicely in my pocket.

The case, unusually, does not have a battery in it, hence it can be so small. But it means when you put the buds in the case, they aren’t recharging – you have to plug in a USB-C charger while they’re in there to get some charge, but the 18 hour battery life makes up for this, as it trounces much of the competition

The one thing they lack is any kind of active noise cancellation (ANC), so you’re relying solely on the fit to get the best sound rather than ANC to cancel out outside noise. I think £49 is a fair price considering the strengths of the Solo Buds and this trade-off.

What the buds do have though is a noise-learning algorithm that Beats says listens to the noise around you and effectively blocks it out so you can still be heard when you’re on calls.

You can also charge the buds in their case directly from your phone with a USB-C cable, a very handy way to quickly grab an hour’s power from a five minute charge.