Move over, iPad; there's a new multitasking king on the block

My everyday workflow revolves around browser-based services, and a long-lasting tablet like the iPad is the perfect on-the-go device for me. In fact, I’ve documented my adventures with the iPad as my primary computer a few times in the past. However, as a compulsive multi-tasker, I keep coming back to my desktop. I swear by my 43-inch television-as-a-monitor multitasking setup, so you can see why a tablet just wouldn’t cut it for a full workday. However, OnePlus has a solution that changed my opinion.

I’ve been checking out the brand new OnePlus Pad 2, and I believe that the company’s Open Canvas system is the biggest step forward for multitasking on tablets so far. And yes, it’s better than Apple’s Stage Manager. But more on that later. First, let’s take a quick look at how Open Canvas multitasking works on the OnePlus Pad 2.

Open Canvas is the OnePlus Pad 2’s secret weapon

Eagle-eyed readers would remember that Open Canvas isn’t really new. It debuted on the OnePlus Open, and my colleague Ryan called it the best approach to multitasking on any foldable in his review. Turns out, what works on a foldable shines on a tablet.

I’ve been using the OnePlus Open as my primary phone since it launched last year, and Open Canvas is one of my favorite features. However, I rarely use more than two apps simultaneously due to screen size limitations. Size isn’t everything, but 7.8 inches isn’t quite big enough to display three apps simultaneously. The OnePlus Pad 2, with its enormous 12-inch screen, makes it a cinch to have three usable apps onscreen at any given point in time. Here’s how it works.

Once you’ve launched your primary app, you can either use the standard Android method of heading to the multi-tasking menu and tapping the split screen option or use a gesture shortcut. As long as the tablet is in horizontal mode, a two-finger swipe down the middle will split the app down and let you launch another.

For your next app, just swipe from the top right corner to pull out the OnePlus Smart Sidebar. This floating toolbox lets you access any app on your phone. Simply hold down the icon and drag it on the screen; it’ll open up a third split on the large 12-inch display of the OnePlus Pad 2.

By default, the three-way split highlights two apps and shows the third app overflowing off-screen. A quick four-finger pinch, however, reveals all the apps simultaneously. On the OnePlus Open, this three-app layout was just too small to be readable. On the other hand, the OnePlus Pad 2’s capacious real estate makes it a very workable solution.

As a bedroom guitarist, I use my tablet to pull up tabs all the time. However, I hate having to jump between the metronome app and Spotify or YouTube for backing tracks. Open Canvas makes it possible to have all three open simultaneously. Me? I like having the tabs and metronome on-screen and Spotify just a tap away. You can even lock specific app combos to come back to them easily. Brilliant!

While Open Canvas itself is locked to a maximum of three apps, there’s one more trick up its sleeve. You can load up a fourth app as a floating window. It’s not quite as usable as full-blown multitasking, but it serves in a pinch. For me, that means loading up a YouTube tutorial showing a skilled guitarist demoing how to nail a complicated lick. But the possibilities are endless.

That said, I hope OnePlus opens up the Canvas multitasking system to more than three apps — the 12-inch display of the OnePlus Pad 2 is large enough to show four apps easily. Perhaps even more if displayed in a smartphone-like vertical window. In fact, I wouldn’t mind an infinite canvas of apps either, even if it meant being locked to three being visible at a time. But I digress.

OnePlus Pad 2 vs iPad Air: Who did multitasking better?

Since my primary tablet of choice is the iPad Air, I have a lot of experience with multitasking in that ecosystem. So, it made sense to pit the OnePlus Pad 2 against my iPad Air. Out of the box, the iPad’s multitasking is pretty basic and offers little more than a variety of two-way splits, with a hidden third app on the side. However, there’s also Stage Manager — Apple’s attempt at shoehorning desktop class multitasking on a tablet — to consider.

When I wrote about Stage Manager two years ago, I called it a good start with a lot to learn. Unfortunately, Stage Manager hasn’t moved an inch since. I’m running the latest iPadOS 18 beta and have observed no improvements. It’s still just a two-way split with the added advantage of slightly relaxed limitations on how you want to split the windows. Apple’s focus on animations and theatrics means that there’s ample wasted screen real estate, and a quick try later, I was back to the regular interface. The feature is a pain to deal with and would explain why Apple hasn’t brought it up even once in its WWDC sessions since.

In contrast, OnePlus’ multitasking experience is much more functional and fluid, and it makes the most of every inch of screen estate available.

Open Canvas is incredible but not perfect

I could end this story by saying that OnePlus has built the best multitasking system on a tablet. And it has. But its limitations need to be called out as well. For one, limiting it to three apps seems like an arbitrary restriction that has no place on a high-end tablet. Having more flexible window resizing would be a great addition as well. However, the most egregious issue is the lack of education on how to activate the feature. If I hadn’t used it already on my OnePlus Open, I simply wouldn’t have discovered it. I’m sure the feature will, sadly, go fairly undiscovered by the majority of OnePlus Pad 2 users.

That said, it’s clear that OnePlus has the right ideas when it comes to truly maximizing productivity on a foldable or tablet. I hope this feature gets cribbed liberally across the Android (and Apple) ecosystems. It’s too good not to be. Good job, OnePlus!