Honor Pad 9: A budget-friendly Android tablet with solid performance
Honor Pad 9. Picture: Noel Campion.
While the iPad may be the most popular tablet in the world, and for good reasons, there are a lot of excellent alternatives in Android devices if you’d rather not live in Apple’s walled-garden ecosystem. I’ve been testing the new Honor Pad 9, which I think offers a good balance between affordability and price for those who don’t need the latest and greatest tech.
The Honor Pad 9 is an understated space grey, and while its design may not turn heads, it looks elegant with clean lines and a distinctive camera bump around the black.
The camera module deco design is claimed to resemble the moon's rise over a glistening sleepy sea, adding a poetic flair to the tablet's aesthetics.
The all-metal tablet weighs 555g and is only 6.96mm thick. Its curved corners make it comfortable to hold.
Honor offers an optional keyboard case, which is also available as a combo, for those looking to enhance the tablet's versatility.
While the keyboard case was not bundled with the tablet I received for this review, I think it's a worthwhile investment for people who plan to use the Pad 9 for productivity tasks. The keyboard case will add protection, provide a comfortable typing experience and transform the tablet into a makeshift laptop, making it easier to get work done on the go.
The Honor Pad 9 boasts a 12.1-inch LCD screen with a 2560x1600 pixel resolution. While it may not offer the deep blacks and vibrant colours of OLED displays, the LCD panel is sharp and vibrant, making movies, photos, and games stunning. The screen also supports a 120Hz refresh rate for supported apps, contributing to a smoother and more responsive user experience. For comparison, the base iPad has a smaller LCD, a slower 60Hz refresh rate, and costs twice as much as the Pad 9.
Eight speakers strategically placed on both edges and the bottom of the tablet handle audio. The sound quality is surprisingly good, offering loud and clear audio without distortion, even at maximum volume. However, the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack is a downside for those who prefer using wired headphones or earbuds, but to be fair, this isn’t a common feature any more, even on high-end tablets.
Under the hood, the Honor Pad 9 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset with 8GB of RAM. It comes with 256GB of storage but no expandable storage. Everyday performance is smooth and lag-free, and the tablet can easily handle demanding tasks and multitasking. Whether browsing the web, streaming videos, or playing games like Genshin Impact, the Honor Pad 9 delivers a reliable and enjoyable experience.
Navigating the interface is a breeze, thanks to Honor's custom Magic OS version 7.2, based on Android 13. The software offers a clean, intuitive user interface and useful features like a dedicated gaming mode, screen recorder, and more.
If you own another Honor device, such as a phone, you will enjoy the benefits of the ecosystem. You can do things like share your phone’s screen on the tablet display or continue your task on your phone with the same app on your tablet. Also, voice and video calls on the phone can be picked up on the tablet, and messages with notifications will be displayed on both devices simultaneously.
The Pad 9 has impressive battery life from its 8,300mAh battery. The tablet can easily last 12-13 hours of continuous video streaming or all-day mixed-use. I found the standby even more impressive – if I didn’t use it for a week, the battery would drain very little.
Whether binge-watching your favourite shows or working on productivity tasks, the Pad 9 won't disappoint you in the battery department. It has 35W charging, which is great, but you’ll have to supply the charger, as there’s none in the box.
The Honor Pad 9 has an 8MP selfie camera and a 13MP rear camera. While the cameras are not the tablet's strongest suit, they do the job for video calls and occasional snapshots. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi, but there's no cellular support or 5G option, limiting your connectivity options when you're away from Wi-Fi networks.
The Honor Pad 9 offers a solid overall package with its impressive display, excellent audio, and reliable performance. If you're looking for a versatile and budget-friendly tablet that can handle various tasks, it's worth considering.
