The last time Honor brought a tablet type device to the market was last year with the HONOR Pad X9. After a while, Honor returned at the end of February this year by offering the HONOR Pad 9 which is a mid-range tablet that is excellent enough to serve as an alternative device for daily use at an affordable price.
SPECIFICATIONS
HONOR Pad 9
12.1″ TFT LCD screen,
2560 x 1600, 120Hz
Stylus
Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor (4 nm)
4×2.2 GHz Cortex-A78 chip
4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55
Adreno 710 Graphics Chip
RAM 8 GB RAM
256 GB Internal Storage
13MP Primary Camera (primary)
4K 30fps, 1080p 30fps
8MP Front Camera
1080p 30fps
8300 mAh battery
35W wired charging
SIM/WiFi Telephony
Stereo Speaker Audio (8 Speakers)
Face Scan Scan System
Sale Price RM 1499 (8/256 GB, WiFi)
SCREEN
The screen size of this tablet is 12.1" TFT LCD that supports a refresh rate of 120Hz which makes the usage experience still smooth without any excessive time lag issues. Although the screen is from the LCD family, the displayed screen display is still bright with a beautiful color display. What I can say, the screen is between the screens with an LCD panel that does not disappoint to use especially for watching video content.
Honor also says that the screen of this device is flicker-free and I can agree with that. Such a feature is quite useful where it works to eliminate the problem of eye fatigue especially when using it for a long period of time.
DESIGN
When this tablet was handed over to me for testing, the first thing that caught my attention was its size and thin side. HONOR Pad 9 has a build that in my opinion is neither too heavy nor too light for a tablet with a screen size of 12.1″. That said, the weight of this device is reasonable and the screen display setup is also quite large. The bezel built on the screen is also adequate with it not being too thick and just enough to accommodate the thumb when you want to use it.
The right side of the device houses two buttons consisting of an audio adjustment button and also a power button and there is also a slot for a SIM card. The hole for USB-C charging is placed at the bottom with a row of speaker holes. Don't forget to mention here that this tablet does not have a fingerprint scanner but instead still has a face scanner feature and also setting a password code for security and privacy purposes.
The back of the HONOR Pad 9 body houses a round camera lens. The circular frame of the camera is slightly raised, making the position of the tablet slightly wobbly when placed on a flat surface. The body is made of aluminum with flat sides and is built with a flat side design. There is no issue when using even in a vertical or horizontal state.
This tablet also comes with two color options from Honor which means it comes with two color options namely Space Gray and Cyan Lake. Overall, the design of this tablet is quite good and even looks quite premium and sturdy. There were no errors in terms of design and I was quite satisfied during the test period.
STYLUS
There is also stylus support which is the HONOR Choice Pencil with a pen shaft design that is comfortable when in use. There is a button for bluetooth connection purpose on it. At times I use the pen to sketch on the screen and there is no issue of hand pain or fatigue.
A little disappointing is when this stylus cannot be stored on the side or back of the device body because there is no built-in magnet. So throughout use I need to be aware of where I keep it so it doesn't get lost.
USE AND SOFTWARE
Turning to the aspect of use and software where after a few days I used this tablet as a second device in carrying out simple daily tasks, I found the performance to be quite good. Using it to write articles, listen to music, watch movies and run some live applications is no problem.
The operating system used is MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13 which allows me to download all the applications I want without issue and displays a neat and simple interface. Honor also does not include many fat applications and any applications that are not wanted can be uninstalled.
There is also a Multi-Window feature that allows three applications to run simultaneously. Launching all three applications is also easy with just a simple swipe action.
This device is also supported by a bluetooth keyboard function and a frame that serves as a cover and also a stand for the device. The attached keyboard turns it into a mini laptop. I used its keyboard several times to type some simple text and correct articles.
All I can say is the keyboard attached to this device is very comfortable to use with every button working well and nice to press. This keyboard can be charged via the USB-C slot and can last several days on a single charge. There is also a magnetic part built into it that allows the tablet to stand in a solid position.
However, only the earliest buyers will receive the Bluetooth smart keyboard and the Honor Choice Pencil subject to availability. For those who don't have the opportunity, these two accessories need to be purchased separately.
BENCHMARKS AND PERFORMANCE
HONOR Pad 9 uses Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor chip and it also supports WiFi network. The memory is 8GB RAM with 256GB storage and there is no micro SD card slot provided for additional storage.
Playing games on the device feels a little clunky due to its oversized screen setup. This is probably because I usually only play the first one on a smartphone. However, there were no lag issues that disappointed me with its performance. At first it ran fine using a medium resolution rate but at the highest resolution rate I noticed there was little difference in terms of smoothness.
Geekbench 6
HONOR Pad 9 – 937/2720
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ – 990/2790
TCL Tab 11 – 316/1224
Xiaomi Pad 6 – 1293/3279
Antutu 3D
HONOR Pad 9 – 476,626
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ – 595,820
TCL Tab 11 – 205,796
Xiaomi Pad 6 – 657,448
3DMark
HONOR Pad 9 – 575
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ – 2939
TCL Tab 11 – 185
Xiaomi Pad 6 – 1227
CAMERA
The camera setup on this device is just satisfactory with 13MP for the rear camera and 8MP for the selfie camera. Although it is a bit low, it is considered adequate for a tablet camera with which it can function to take pictures of documents or make video calls with acceptable quality.
The image result using the front camera also works well where the image looks bright with enough lighting but the detail and sharpness of the image is very poor. As I said, the camera setup is just satisfactory in that it can do its job but the quality is not that good.
BATTERY
HONOR Pad 9 comes with a large battery setup with a capacity of 8500mAh. No issues at all with it as it lasts long enough that sometimes I only need to charge the device after two days. Despite playing music for hours and watching videos for a long time, the battery can still last a long time. Only the charging support is only 35W which makes the recharging process take quite a long time which is almost two hours to be full.
AUDIO
It caught my attention at first because this device comes with an eight speaker setup with pretty good sound volume. When doing video editing work or writing articles using a personal computer, I will play music on the device as a work companion. In my opinion the audio system is quite good even in the highest volume setting.
But strangely there is no 3.5mm audio jack built into the body of the device even though it is a tablet with a large size. There's plenty of space on the side that could accommodate an audio jack hole but I'm not sure why Honor chose not to include the feature.
CONCLUSION
At a price tag of RM 1499, the Honor Pad 9 is a tablet-type device that is well worth owning. Coupled with a large battery capacity, an audio system with an eight-speaker setup and pretty good performance for a tablet. Overall, it's an impressive device at the right price point and could be an affordable tablet suitable for entertainment and simple daily work use.
PRO
Affordable price.
Premium and sturdy design.
Large battery capacity.
Loud eight-speaker audio system.
Large 12.1″ LCD screen.
CONS
No 3.5mm audio jack.
No fingerprint scanner.
Charging is quite slow for a large battery.