OnePlus might soon unveil a serious contender to the iPad Mini. Compact tablets are back in fashion, and it seems OnePlus is jumping on the bandwagon. A new leak from the Chinese tipster Smart Pikachu hints that the company is working on an 8-inch tablet featuring a 3K display, a 165Hz refresh rate, and the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset. 
This screams ‘gaming-first’ design, but things are not as simple as they seem.
Earlier, another leak pointed to a device, the OnePlus Pad Mini, also rumored to be 8 inches in size and powered by a Snapdragon flagship chip. However, this model was described as a compact productivity powerhouse, not a gaming tablet. So, are these two leaks referring to the same device?
Both rumors suggest an 8-inch display, a significant departure from the 13.2-inch OnePlus Pad 3. Additionally, both are said to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 (or Gen 2) chipset. The ‘gaming tablet’ leak points to a 3K display with a 165Hz refresh rate, which could attract not only gamers but also creative professionals and power users.
With similar specs and form factors, it’s possible OnePlus is developing a single high-end tablet that can cater to both gamers and productivity-focused users. Accessories, software features, and marketing strategies may make all the difference in how it’s positioned.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chip looks promising. Early Geekbench 6 scores show it hitting over 4,000 in single-core and 11,000 in multi-core performance. This would make it a significant upgrade over the current Snapdragon 8 Elite. With custom Oryon cores and a 4.6GHz clock speed, paired with an Adreno 840 GPU, this tablet could outpace many Android flagships and give the iPad Mini with its A17 Pro chip a run for its money.
As for the launch, OnePlus hasn’t confirmed anything yet. However, given that the Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 is expected to launch in late September, an early 2026 debut for the tablet seems likely. Whether it’s called the OnePlus Pad Mini, OnePlus Gaming Tablet, or something else, one thing is clear: compact Android tablets are about to become a lot more exciting.