When I began my tech writing journey in the 2010s, tablets weren’t taken seriously by a section of consumers. We, as young tech journalists back then, were often given tablets for review, and the general perception was that tablets were neither as powerful as laptops nor as convenient as smartphones. Even the iPad, although the gold standard in tablets, had its fair share of flaws and was never considered a Mac replacement. Cut to 2026, and I would be lying if I said tablets, as a product category, still surprise me. There have been many ups and downs, from being mocked as poor cousins of smartphones to becoming some of the most versatile devices available today. In the past two to three years, tablets, especially at the higher end, have started to feel “closer” to laptops. The new OnePlus Pad 4, which I have had for a few days, is a classic example of a tablet that feels like a “casual computer”. At least, that’s how I felt using it as my daily work-and-play device.…