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OnePlus made waves with its first foldable, the OnePlus Open, which included impressive hardware borrowed from parent company Oppo. But beyond hardware, the OnePlus Open got multitasking right. While competitors have used split-screen and pop-up views in the past, OnePlus developed new software called the OnePlus Canvas. With the OnePlus Canvas, it’s possible to intuitively swipe between multiple apps in full-screen mode with simple gestures. Now the game-changing software is coming to the OnePlus Pad, the company confirmed in a Reddit AMA, as spotted by @1NormalUsername on X (formerly Twitter). That would certainly put the OnePlus Pad up there with the best Android tablets available.
In the AMA, a Reddit user asked whether OnePlus would consider bringing the software to other devices. “We’ve gotten several requests to add the stunningly intuitive Open Canvas to the OnePlus Pad,” replied Mingyu Zheng, a social media manager for OnePlus. “Good news – we’re working on it!” There was no timeframe revealed for when the OnePlus Canvas feature might debut on a OnePlus tablet. However, OnePlus seems committed to the tablet form factor. It is reportedly working on a OnePlus Pad Go as a budget alternative to the OnePlus Pad.
What is the OnePlus Canvas?
The OnePlus Canvas is a multitasking system that behaves like desktop windows management. It’s possible to open apps in split-screen view, like on other foldables. Beyond that, the software stores active apps outside the viewable screen space. Swiping left or right, or up or down, could reveal more active applications. This is generally more useful than other multitasking views, which have a more finite amount of space that can be allocated to apps.
OnePlus designed the OnePlus Canvas for the OnePlus Open. It’s a folding phone with a 7.82-inch main screen, so this big display works great with the OnePlus Canvas multitasking software. However, it might make even more sense on the OnePlus Pad. That device is an Android tablet with a 11.6-inch display. There’s more power in the OnePlus Pad as well, which should result in better performance.
It’s always nice to see existing products get stunning feature additions after launch. Though it’s not clear when this new software might debut on the OnePlus Pad, the fact that it is in development is a good sign. People who own the OnePlus Pad could be pleasantly surprised with OnePlus Canvas. If it indeed comes to the tablet, it would put the OnePlus Pad right up there with Stage Manager on iPadOS. When the dust settles, OnePlus Canvas could be the best multitasking system on any tablet.