Smartphones & Tablets | November 23, 2023
This Honor tablet was launched in July, showcasing the excellence that the company has demonstrated in the slightly over two years it has been in the market. The Honor Pad X9 is a tablet known for its large display, specifications, and some of its interface behaviors for multitasking.
Priced at 179 euros on Honor’s online store, it offers a single variant with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. One of its standout features is its 11.5-inch 2K display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. This makes it an ideal tablet for consuming multimedia content and multitasking through some impressive functions.
Described as a tablet for avid multimedia consumption, it boasts six speakers that provide a surround sound experience. This is a noteworthy detail, especially because devices like this, particularly at this price, become ideal for becoming the center of entertainment in the home for the whole family.
Its solid metallic body construction also offers sufficient guarantees for it to change hands and even withstand drops or impacts, though not recommended. In this regard, the Chinese tech company has incorporated some elements to make it a family-friendly tablet.
Considering its price of 179 euros, it’s easier to understand the value of this tablet in the market. Some of its display specifications have been mentioned: 2,000 x 1,200 resolution (2K), IPS TFT LCD panel, 11.5 inches, 400 nits peak brightness, 203 PPI, and the ability to display up to 1.07 billion colors.
Photos taken for the Honor Pad X9 analysis showcase the quality of the screen, even with reflections on the panel, making it clear that it is one of its best features. Inside, it houses the Snapdragon 685 chip, which has proven its capability in other devices such as the Samsung Galaxy A23 5G and the OPPO Reno7 Z 5G from exactly a year ago.
Connectivity is also quite good, although having WiFi 6 would be ideal. It features Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi 5, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, and an accelerometer as the primary sensor. Another point of interest is HONOR Histen, borrowed from its roots with Huawei years ago, providing excellent sound quality through its six speakers.
Two elements that often go unnoticed in a tablet. Regarding design, it’s worth highlighting the smooth texture on the back thanks to the aluminum alloy and the special touch in the camera module with a double symmetrical ring. Weighing 449 grams with a thickness of 6.90 mm and the space gray color used make it a very elegant tablet.
The bezels on the front don’t take up much space, leaving the screen-to-body ratio in a great position. The thickness of the borders is uniform throughout its length, maintaining consistency in the tablet’s design. It might be a minor detail, but it creates a great visual sensation when held.
The rear camera is 5 MP with AI functions, offering decent results for quick photos. The same goes for its 5 MP front camera, which is decent for video calls or recording videos, although tablet photography, as is often the case, does not usually stand out.
Thanks to its 2K screen, the consumption of multimedia content is one of the central aspects of the Honor Pad X9 experience. Whether through streaming platforms or games, this Honor device stands out to become the home’s entertainment hub.
It’s worth mentioning that it also offers the possibility to include a widget on the home screen to scroll through all the images in the gallery automatically. Then there are the games that, thanks to the use of the Snapdragon 685 chip, allow for a good gaming experience with the best Android titles on an 11.5-inch 2K screen.
It has its limits, as it’s not the best chip, but it’s one used for the low and mid-range of Android, allowing for good gaming sessions with Supercell games like Clash of Clans or Clash Royale, or trying out some shooters, provided medium graphics are used. Don’t forget its 120 Hz refresh rate, allowing games to be played smoothly on the screen.
Its speakers also play a significant role in multimedia consumption. Therefore, if you want a tablet to be placed in the living room, it is one of the best options currently available at this price range.
The Honor Pad X9 is also a product dedicated to productivity and multitasking. In other words, it can leave aside its more family-oriented aspect to use its screen to display up to four applications at once. Whether two apps side by side, divided by the center, and two floating for easy switching between them.
Here, Honor has played its cards right to give this tablet some very interesting features. In addition to the dynamic bar at the bottom, you can also perform an upward gesture from the app icon’s location in these two bars to access the open app as if it were floating. Then it can be placed wherever you like to organize the more than sufficient space offered by its 11.5-inch screen.
Honor has also contributed another important experience: collaboration between multiple screens with HONOR Connect (now called hyperconnectivity). You can share the tablet and a mobile phone to use both screens and easily drag videos or images from one device to another.
It also includes the possibility of activating the arrival of messages on the mobile phone to respond to them from the tablet. However, both devices must have MagicOS 7.0 or higher to enjoy this shared connectivity for dropping files or responding to messages.
Android 13 through MagicOS 7.1 to enjoy the best features of this operating system update, the most installed globally. Two details to consider: swipe down on the right for quick access and on the left for notifications.
The 7,250 mAh battery provides excellent autonomy, and in our case, the tablet has been enjoyed for several days without needing to charge it at any time. In total, it offers 13 hours of video playback, and this efficiency is due to the excellent performance of the customized MagicOS 7.1.
MagicOS 7.1 with Android 13 also takes the spotlight here to show that it is a lightweight, efficient layer that delivers excellent results without negatively impacting the battery with intensive resource usage. An important point to go through days with the tablet without having to connect it for charging.
We recommends this tablet for several reasons mentioned earlier: its great price, specifications, screen, and an intuitive interface that allows for perfect use with apps, multitasking, widgets, and various panels for notifications and quick access.
A tablet that is maximally adjusted in its price, and when purchased in an offer, such as during Black Friday from its online store, becomes an ideal device for the family. Although it can also be used for productivity, given its sufficient capabilities. A remarkable tablet available in the market from a brand that aims to impress with each product it launches.
