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For Android users who’ve always looked at the iPad with envy, the OnePlus Pad 4 is shaping up to be a very convincing antidote—and it is not hard to see why. OnePlus is pitching its next flagship tablet as a big-screen, keyboard-friendly, ultra-slim machine that can handle work, streaming, and gaming without feeling like an oversized afterthought.

And with an official release set for April 30, 2026, it will not be sitting in teaser territory for much longer.

How the OnePlus Pad 4 is playing it big

Looking at the specs sheet, the OnePlus Pad 4 sounds exactly like the kind of Android tablet loyalists have been waiting for. It packs a 13.2-inch 3.4K display with a 144Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 512GB of internal storage. OnePlus is also promising a huge 13,380mAh battery, which is the biggest battery it has ever put in a tablet. Pair that with 80W fast charging, and you get shorter downtime.

Too many Android tablets still feel like they are either built to undercut the iPad on price or just exist as oversized companion screens. So it’s great to see another solid premium offering outside of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S series.

The iPad alternative to Android users may actually want.

When opting for an Android alternative to Apple iPads, design is an easy trade-off to make it a cheaper option. But both hardware and software here play a part in keeping the Pad 4 viable as a flagship entry. The slim metal unibody ensures a premium feel, while productivity is seeing improvements with better multitasking, a more PC-like workflow, cross-device connectivity, and OnePlus AI tools.

Adding on to this is the OnePlus Stylo Pro and the smart keyboard, which is clearly building the tablet as more than just a slab for watching Netflix.

The biggest question is still the price

The pricing details will obviously be a big deciding factor here. If the pricing makes sense, the OnePlus Pad 4 can be the iPad fix for Android loyalists. Seeing the healthy 12GB LPDDR5X RAM offering, a price hike over the OnePlus Pad 3 ($699 on launch) is almost guaranteed, and it could kickstart the “just buy an iPad” conversation all over again. Since OnePlus has only confirmed the launch details and not the full pricing yet, that part still hangs over the whole story.

Still, seeing what OnePlus has already revealed, the Pad 4 looks like one of the strongest Android tablet launches of the year. At least if the pricing does not get out of hand.

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OnePlus Pad 4 is a solid iPad antidote for Android loyalists, and it’s about to land in stores

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Why the Apple Watch’s 20-minute calibration test is worth your time – especially if you’re data curious

Apple Watch Ultra 3 — Nina Raemont/ZDNET

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

Your Apple Watch workout data might not be accurate.
Calibrating your watch improves accuracy.
Here’s how and why you should calibrate.

People wear smartwatches, such as the Apple Watch, to get iPhone-like functions on their wrists and to stay on top of their exercise and sleep data. By recording workouts or tracking daily activity with a smartwatch, you can get a clearer picture of your movement patterns and a more detailed idea of how many calories you’re burning each day.

The device can accurately measure a wide range of activity metrics, including pace, heart rate, calories burned, distance covered, and more. I regularly use the watch as I weight train, run, walk, cycle, practice yoga, and dance to monitor my heart rate zones and my exertion levels, and recover well before my next intense workout split.

Also: I walked 3,000 steps with my Apple Watch, Google Pixel, and Oura Ring – this tracker was most accurate

While Apple has invested millions of dollars in research and development to make its health trackers as accurate as possible, there is one way to capture even more accurate data when you exercise with the Apple Watch. It’s a simple feature change that’s hidden in your Apple Watch settings.

I’ll tell you how to improve your Apple Watch’s workout accuracy by enabling this feature and explain why it matters.

Why you should calibrate your Apple Watch

By calibrating your Apple Watch, metrics like distance, pace, and calories burned become personalized to you, effectively improving data accuracy. Calibrating your Apple Watch is the techy equivalent of getting your clothes tailored: once calibrated, both will fit you a little better.

Also: I’ve tested every Apple Watch model – here’s why the Series 11 is my top pick

This tailoring is especially helpful for your Apple Watch when you’re exercising in an area with limited GPS. Let’s say you’re recording a long run in a park with poor signal quality. With a calibrated Apple Watch, the device can more accurately track your stride, even with a bad signal.

This capability also improves distance, pace, and calorie measurements, according to Apple, so it’s especially helpful if you also track your intake.

How to calibrate your Apple Watch

Calibrating your Apple Watch is as simple as opening the app and recording a 20-minute walking or running workout, with a few minor tweaks.

First, you’ll need to enable the right location and privacy settings on your iPhone. This step ensures streamlined communication between your Apple Watch and iPhone.

Go to your iPhone’s Settings app. Click into Privacy & Security, and select Location Services. Make sure Location Services is enabled. Then, scroll down on that same page and select System Services. Then enable Motion Calibration and Distance.

Steps for calibrating Apple Watch — Screenshot by Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Now it’s time to get calibrating. Go to a flat outdoor area with a good GPS signal. If you’re using an iPhone (which you presumably are if you’re wearing an Apple Watch), you can see GPS signal strength by opening Google Maps, selecting “My Location” in the bottom-right, and checking whether a blue dot appears. This blue dot indicates a strong GPS signal.

Also: Are AI health coach subscriptions a scam? My verdict after testing Fitbit’s for a month

Now, open the Apple Watch Workout app and select Outdoor Walk or Outdoor Run (whichever exercise you’d like to do for 20 minutes). Walk or run at your average pace for 20 minutes. If you regularly walk and run, you’ll need to calibrate your Apple Watch twice: walk for 20 minutes and run for 20 minutes.

“Whenever you walk or run outside using the above steps, your Apple Watch continues to calibrate the accelerometer by learning your stride length at different speeds,” Apple explained in a blog post. The device continually learns about your exercise data as you calibrate the smartwatch to your workouts.

How to reset your Apple Watch fitness data

Resetting your Apple Watch fitness data can help recalibrate and clear inaccuracies in your tracking. To reset this data, open your Watch app on your iPhone. Select Privacy, and then select Reset Fitness Calibration Data.

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