How I made my Android tablet better than a Windows laptop

3 hours ago 3

Roughly two years ago, I argued how almost every company making Android devices wants an ecosystem like Apple, but they just can’t have it! Two years later, I still feel the same, even though brands have landscaped their ecosystems to present better cross-device connectivity (an essence of ecosystems).

However, brands haven’t been able to overcome the detachment between Android and Windows yet, which has especially alienated productivity-oriented devices like big and powerful Android tablets from realizing their full potential.

At the same time, the openness of Windows and Android encourages a community of developers who create custom solutions that brands overlook. For this article, I am looking at one such solution that helps me put the OnePlus Pad 2, a flagship Android tablet, at the center of my productivity setup. Simultaneously, it fixes what joint forces at Google and Microsoft can’t. The end result is something that doesn’t just make my Android tablet as good as a Windows laptop, but better.

Why I went for a custom solution

OnePlus Pad 2 used as a wireless Windows monitor, kept in front of a Keychron K2V2 mechanical keyboard and Logitech MX Master 3S on a table.

For years now, numerous attempts have been made to use Android tablets for work. As someone who has reviewed gadgets for almost a decade, I have personally tried a plethora of such stopgap setups, but have never attained peace. This is especially because Android apps appear mobile-like, even on enormous screens such as that of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.

Despite manufacturers’ efforts to make tablet experiences more productive, Google has never fully committed to Android tablets. Over the past decade, it has been rocking between tablets and Chromebooks without being able to settle on one. The latest headlines say it’s going to cancel the second-gen Pixel Tablet. I feel validated in advising folks not to buy the Pixel tablet.

On the other hand, brands like Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi have been shouldering the responsibility of keeping the segment alive and thriving. I settled for OnePlus (directly opposing the brand’s motto) based on the excellent value its recent tablets have offered. Undeniably, they lag behind Samsung in certain features, but offer a much more attractive package overall.

With a little tinkering, I have elevated my OnePlus Pad 2 to the level of a true laptop, one that is actually suitable for my usage. But before I sing OnePlus’ praises, let me tell you what my setup looks like and where the Android tablet fits.

The setup I used

Lenovo Legion 9 laptop attached to an LG 4K monitor and OnePlus Pad 2 used as an external monitor, kept on a desk alongside a Keychron K2V2 mechanical keyboard and a Logitech MX Master 3S mouse.

My setup includes a Lenovo gaming laptop hooked up to a 27-inch 4K monitor through a cable. Two large screens, including the laptop’s 16-inch panel, provide more than enough real estate for viewing.

I don’t need a third screen, but my heart insists on having one. I have connected the OnePlus Pad 2 wirelessly to the laptop, which mostly remains tucked below my larger monitor. There are plenty of reasons why I chose the OnePlus Pad 2 instead of a regular monitor, and I’ll be walking you through them one by one.

While my larger monitor is the primary means of using the PC and interacting with the internet, I like the addition of a smaller window beneath it. It’s not an unpopular setup, as many people use their laptops under a larger screen, but I can’t do that consciously.

Firstly, the orientation would force me to position the monitor at a height that’s unkind to my neck. As someone who has recently embarked on the dreaded episode of life people candidly call their 30s, I prefer treating my body so that I don’t continue to dread the next 40 years of my existence.

Secondly, I have fully transitioned into an organism that squirms when forced to use anything but a mechanical keyboard. So, going back to using a laptop’s keyboard — no matter how plush — feels like a downgrade I am not willing to make without suitable incentives (or threats).

On the other hand, a smaller screen is much more convenient, even when I don’t need to look at it actively. I can use it to monitor a work chat while focusing on something else. I can practically use it as a “lap-top” distant from my bulky gaming laptop situation.

For a seamless wireless connection to use my tablet as a monitor with Windows, I tried a host of different apps and settled on “SuperDisplay.” It offers virtually zero latency with wireless connections, even when my router sits on a floor above my home office. You even get the option to connect via USB, which offers better quality and no lag. This means I can get lag-free output on the OnePlus 2 when I am sitting at the desk or unplug and stay connected wirelessly when I want to stand up and walk away from my desk.

The app that makes it all possible

OnePlus Pad 2 as a touchscreen monitor for windows with pen input on Microsoft Paint.

SuperDisplay isn’t a free app (though you get a three-day trial), but it fits well with my utility. A lifetime subscription costs just $15, which is much better than paying monthly or yearly.

What I love about the app is that it supports pressure sensitivity, which can be incredible for digital artists. I’m not much of an artist myself, but I spend some time trying to fiddle around with different brushes in Microsoft Paint to ward off moments of boredom or search for some inspiration when I cannot get myself started on crucial projects.

The app also brings touch support to my Windows setup since neither my gaming laptop nor my screen has those. Pointing anywhere on the screen with a stylus is way more convenient than dragging your cursor, especially when there’s a possibility you might have to spend the initial couple of seconds trying to find the mouse cursor on the vast landscape divided among three screens.

OnePlus Pad 2 used as a wireless Windows monitor, kept in front of a Keychron K2V2 mechanical keyboard on a table.

To run SuperDisplay, you don’t need a particular tablet, though one with sufficient resources is advisable. It also works with any PC, but projecting to an external screen will strain the RAM and GPU, so ensure there’s sufficient power for lag-free casting.

Now that I have introduced you to my setup, let me tell you why I chose the OnePlus Pad 2 for this workflow specifically.

Why I use the OnePlus Pad 2 specifically

Handwriting to text on Windows using stylo pencil with the OnePlus Pad 2.

The OnePlus Pad 2 is a workhorse. It is fairly capable for a tablet and rocks the best processor from (the early days of) 2024. It also flaunts a bright and vivid display, an enormous battery that charges faster than that of any competitor, and comes with the optional stylus and keyboard accessories that award it with the most compelling features you would expect from an Android tablet. To top it all off, the OnePlus Pad 2 is priced at just $550. On some good sales days, such as the upcoming Black Friday, you’ll even find it floating under $450.

The Pad 2’s Stylo pencil almost mimics the Apple Pencil in terms of features and fluidity, and the latter even applies when I use it as a stylus with Windows. Frankly, I’m not a fan of the glossy screen because it makes the pencil slide too quickly, but an easy fix was to get a matte screen protector for fairly cheap. There are plenty of options under $15 on Amazon, and the matte surface adds a slight resistance to strokes, making it feel like other digital notebooks such as the Remarkable tablets or Kindle Scribe.

Besides all its hardware features, what really drove me to use the OnePlus Pad 2 was its ability to run multiple apps side by side in a super-efficient way. You might know about it, but in case you don’t, OnePlus tablets (and now phones running OxygenOS 15) have a feature called Open Canvas — named after the first device it was launched with, the OnePlus Open. The feature essentially allows you to open up to three apps in full-screen molde simultaneously and lets you swipe into the app you want to use momentarily. This is a great way to run multiscreen setups without actually compromising on the display size.

Open Canvas on OnePlus Pad 2 that is also being used as a Windows monitor.

In this case, specifically, I use SuperDisplay to run other apps parallel, mostly the Notes app by OnePlus. This lets me see my Windows screen and also jot down notes side by side. But that’s not all I do with it.

Doing the unusual with my favorite tablet

Forza Horizon 5 on OnePlus Pad 2 used as secondary monitor for windows.

The advantage of hooking the OnePlus Pad 2 to a gaming machine is being able to game on it. Although wireless connections add some latency, connecting the Pad 2 over USB completely drops it. I can easily play Forza Horizon 5 for hours at Extreme graphics and still expect good frame rates (which depend on the PC).

However, on the tablet, I see no lag unless I have pushed the graphics to Ultimate settings. With Extreme settings on an RTX 4090 laptop, I get 80 to 100 frames per second (fps), and the same reflects on the tablet’s screen as well.

High refresh rate on OnePlus Pad 2 used as secondary Windows monitor.

When I’m not gaming, the tablet lets me use the screen at high refresh rates, even with wireless connectivity. Since the OnePlus Pad 2 sports a 120Hz refresh rate display, it can work at that refresh rate when connected with SuperDisplay. As someone who obsesses over high refresh rate screens — yet still accepts 60Hz on his big screens — I think this is a boon.

Since I have been harping about productivity, you must also be wondering how the tablet plays a role. Let me give you a glimpse. The remarkable app used here also lets me extend any keyboard or mouse connected to the tablet for input on Windows. That means I can use a keyboard and mouse and expect it to work whether it is connected to the PC or the tablet.

Using OnePlus Pad 2 as a secondary Windows laptop.

More importantly, I can use OnePlus’ own keyboard folio, which is Bluetooth-operated and it even works when detached from the tablet to recreate a smaller, more compact laptop from the bigger, bulkier one (for a moment, forget what I said about my mechanical keyboard obsession earlier). So long as I am on the same Wi-Fi network (bless you, mesh networks!), I can be anywhere, not necessarily close to my PC, and get the same work done.

In winter, I really look forward to enjoying my days outside in a warm, sunlit space while fetching the processing power from my PC while it is hooked to a power outlet somewhere inside the house. Or I can go back to sitting on a couch when the sun sets and snuggle inside a blanket without having to exasperate myself and curse Google for its incompetence at building apps that can be used more efficiently on screens larger than 6 inches.

Making the best of modern Android tablets

Using OnePlus Pad 2 to cast Windows in a laptop form.

The Android tablet market has never really emerged from its identity crisis, especially in terms of utility as productivity devices, all due to Google’s lack of effort. This is especially vexing when you see the iPad’s progress despite Apple’s hesitation in making it look like a MacBook replacement. The pace of technological advancement cannot be ignored either, especially since PC operating systems are moving toward ARM-based chipsets.

Considering these factors, the limitations of flagship Android tablets can make you want to go absolutely ballistic at times. Developers of apps like SuperDisplay have my heartfelt gratitude because they plug gaps that big technology companies such as Google and Microsoft can’t do themselves — not even while having the combined motive of defeating Apple and its ecosystems.

Despite the criticism at the beginning of this piece, I still feel flagship Android tablets have great value. They are excellent for entertainment and offer iPad Pro-like features for a slightly lower price. The OnePlus Pad 2 absolutely wins with its exceptional value, and for all the reasons I gave above, it earns a dedicated spot within my desk setup, which would now feel incomplete without this tablet.

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