A Chinese phone giant just launched an Android tablet that crushes the entry-level iPad for value – here’s how they compare

• The Nubia Pad Pro is launching outside of China
• The tablet comes with impressive specs for the price
• The starting configuration will set you back $420 / £360

We may well have just got a new contender for our comprehensive best tablets guide, because the Nubia Pad Pro is launching globally. It's the first Android tablet from the Chinese company, and it has specs to compete with the best iPads.

Head over to the official Nubia Pad Pro listing (via GSMArena), and you'll see the device comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, with 8GB, 12GB or 16GB of RAM, and either 256GB or 512GB of storage on board.

That chipset isn't the newest, but it's only a couple of years old, and still has plenty of power for day-to-day tablet tasks. Factor in the starting price of $420 / £360 (a launch in Australia hasn't been mentioned), and this seems like a pretty sweet deal.

The Nubia Pad Pro looks the part as well, nicely curved and finished based on the marketing images published so far: the tablet is a mere 7.3 mm thick, tips the scales at 523 grams, and boasts a 10.9-inch, 2880 x 1800 pixel, 144 Hz display.

Nubia vs Apple

While we haven't had a chance to review or even hold the Nubia Pad Pro yet, based on the specs and images it would appear to be a serious contender to Apple's entry-level iPad, which was refreshed again back in March.

That Apple tablet has a starting price of $349 / £329 / AU$599, so it's cheaper than the Nubia offering. However, the iPad also has a lower resolution screen and less RAM, and starts with less storage (128GB).

Fit out the iPad with 256GB of storage for all your photos, movies, and other files – which is what the Nubia Pad Pro starts with – and you're up to $449 / £429 / AU$799. That makes the Android option look very appealing indeed.

Of course you need to weigh up various other factors, including the other devices you have and the ecosystems you're already invested in, but this is a welcome new addition to the best Android tablets market – and you can currently grab some preorder deals as well.

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