I've said it before; I've never been much of a tablet guy. It's not because I don't like them, it's more because I own other devices that do what a tablet does.

Why would I read on a tablet when I have an eReader?

Why would I stream my shows on a tablet when I have a 65" TV?

Why would I answer my messages on a tablet when I have a smart phone?

And why would I surf the web and game on a tablet when I have a laptop?

But then, perhaps I'm asking the wrong questions.

Perhaps I should be asking, what if one tablet could do all those things, almost as well?

The OPPO Pad SE is a great looking piece of tech, straight out of the box. The two-tone Twilight Blue rear panel highlights the 5MP rear camera while there's another 5MP selfie-cam around the front. I'll talk about photo and video quality shortly but first I wanted to point out both these cameras are in the right place; in the middle of the top edge.

And by "top" edge, I mean one of the long edges, not one of the short ones. For too long, too many tablets have been designed as though they were merely giant phones, tall and skinny - not wide like any normal person would use them for most tasks, in landscape.

Which brings me to what I think is the OPPO Pad SE's finest feature; its screen. Now, this isn't some shiny, fancy-pancy 144Hz OLED display like you might find on some high-end gaming monitors but it's still got a lot going for it. For starters, it's not shiny at all. Quite the opposite. In fact, OPPO claims this extremely matte screen "cuts up to 97% of light interference" (whatever that could possibly mean) and I love it. If you've ever tried to use a laptop or tablet outdoors or under bright lights, you'll know the more shiny the screen, the harder it is to see.

With the Pad SE, OPPO has done something remarkable and given us about the least-reflective display possible. This means it's actually pleasant to read my eBooks on. It's an interesting aspect ratio too - 19:10 - so not as stubby as a 3:2 screen but more versatile than 19:6.

Actually, at over 11-inches, you get a lot of screen real estate in a fairly compact format.

Combine all that with decent brightness and good, immersive sound from the quad-speaker array, and not only is this a great device for reading books, magazines and papers with, it's an excellent way to stream your favourite shows or to pass the time with a game or two.

I was also impressed to discover the Pad SE is equipped with the latest Bluetooth 5.4 codec - that means excellent range and an almost lag-free connection with compatible earbuds or headphones - again, leading to a more immersive viewing experience.

I can't stress enough how refreshing it is to be able to watch xenomorphs hunt down their human prey in the latest episode of Alien: Earth, even though the action happens in the dark while I'm sitting in glaring daylight.

One of the Pad SE's weaker areas is sheer power. Although ColorOS is up there with my favourite Android-based user interfaces, my ability to use it to its full effect is hampered slightly with just 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. You're not likely to be editing any blockbuster 3D features with this device, although I found the MediaTek Helio G100 chip to be reliable enough, if a little sluggish when launching certain apps.

You might think at just 5MP, neither camera is going to win any photography awards either. But over the years I've learned not to underestimate OPPO's ability to punch above its weight in the camera department. I found the forward-facing shooter to be more than adequate for online meetings and video uploads while pics from the rear sensor don't look half bad either. Like this one of my accomodating dog model...

Battery life is another standout feature for the Pad SE. The 9,340mAh battery is a large cell by anyone's standard. I've found a full charge lasts all day easily, whatever I'm doing. What's more, you get 33W SuperVOOC fast charging for quick top-ups, although there's no brick in the box - only a cable.

At just NZ$499.00, I think the Pad SE represents excellent value. It performs reliably, if not at breakneck speeds, it goes above and beyond with its battery life and the no-glare screen is one of my new favourite things in tech. If you're the kind of person who likes to curl up in a sunny spot with a book, now you can do that with a tablet too.

Click here for more information and pricing on the OPPO Pad SE Matte Display Edition.