Innovative, purposeful smart devices like tablets are more central to real-life human experience than ever. Whether you’re a content creator, a kid who’s still in the early-learning stages, a remote worker, or even just a frequent flyer or daily commuter, a handy tablet can be the perfect companion to have for those who are always on the go but don’t necessarily want the bulk or the cost of a new laptop; rather, something in between that simply bridges the gap between a smartphone and a PC.
Leading global provider of smart devices HONOR, has just come out with its latest budget-friendly option, the HONOR Pad X8b, which comes packed with tech and durability features you’d expect out of a modern tablet.
But how does it fare when stacked against iPads and other pads? Let’s find out.
Design and Build
For starters, the HONOR Pad X8b comes in a sleek, 11-inch metal body in the Space Gray color option. Its dimensions come in at a fairly thin 7.25mm thickness with a weight of only 499g. When compared to the much smaller iPad, the difference is night and day when it comes to the display coverage you’re getting, but more on that later.
In portrait orientation, it features two volume rockers at the top right, a lock button right below them, a nano-SIM tray at the bottom right, and a Type-C charging port on the bottom panel. While the tablet is in landscape orientation, there are dual speakers on both sides for its HONOR Sound Audio System.
It also comes with industry-leading durability. The metal chassis is built with the latest embedded material technology; chassis strength is improved by 90%, providing industry-leading anti-drop, anti-pressure, and Water Resistance. And finally, it comes with SGS Drop Resistance Certification and Crush Resistance Certification.
Looking back, there were times when I got a bit worried that I might slip or drop the HONOR Pad X8b by accident. But in hindsight, my fears were unfounded thanks to its aforementioned durability features.
Display
When talking about the display, this is where the HONOR Pad X8b truly shines. The 11-inch HONOR Eye Comfort FullView Display is no slouch when it comes to performance and visual immersion. It’s powered by HONOR Eye Comfort Display Technology, a 90Hz refresh rate and ultra-wide color gamut, alongside 1920 x 1200 resolution, 500 nits of peak brightness, 84% screen-to-body ratio, and 207 PPI.
Whether I was streaming my survival-horror video games like Silent Hill Townfall, watching NBA highlights or my favorite sneaker wear-testers on YouTube, or just playing AAA games like Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat, I eventually got so enamored and mesmerized with the experience that it looked and felt so much better than my own room’s Smart TV that I use to pass the time. Even just looking up and browsing my old shared photos of family trips abroad almost made me relive the nostalgia of those fun and beloved moments of bonding with loved ones and discovering new faces in new places.
Camera
As far as camera features go, the HONOR Pad X8b sports a 5MP rear camera, as well as a 5MP selfie cam. I found the camera to be satisfactory in daytime or well-lit environments, but a bit subpar when it comes to night or low-light environments. I was able to beautifully capture the beauty and wonders of nature and the outdoors of my house in the cityscape of Makati.
Performance
Under the hood, the HONOR Pad X8b features Android 16 and AI-powered HONOR MagicOS 10 as its operating system. It also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6nm Chipset for impressive performance. Utilizing a 6nm advanced, powerful chip, it allows for a smooth experience throughout. Furthermore, it has an Adreno 610 1.11GHz GPU with an Octa-core CPU. Lastly, its memory features are 4GB of RAM + 4GB of RAM Turbo and 128GB of internal storage, with up to 2TB of expandable storage space and capable of external storage extension.
What this all means is that the HONOR Pad X8b’s platform is running on and backed by an efficient and capable processor, built for whatever life throws at you. There are even different battery modes to choose from, if you want performance mode, balanced, power saving, or ultra power saving. I chose Performance mode during my testing, and the overall experience was smooth and refined without any hiccups, lag, or delay for the most part.
The only issue or instance where I experienced some lag was when I was playing the AAA Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat, which is an online mobile game with top-of-the-line graphics, although thankfully this only happened sporadically during the FMV cutscenes instead of during the actual gameplay itself.
Another interesting feature, if you have kids who are still toddlers, is that the HONOR Pad X8b has a safe and separate OS for kids. As well as Parental Controls. With Time Management, parents can set limitations on time slots and length for kids to build healthier device-use habits. This is to help kids focus more on learning with APP Management to maintain a more efficient environment, and lock inappropriate or malicious content with Content Management. And finally, they have multiple vision health protections for the little ones from Honor Kids.
In the gaming department in particular, I should also mention that the touch pad controls were responsive and easy to navigate while using the HONOR Pad X8b. After a few practice rounds you can easily get into the groove of things and start your own killing streak.
Another standout feature of the HONOR Pad X8b would be the AI and multitasking operations. Your personal Google Assistant plays music and videos, provides answers, manages tasks, and more, just by saying “Hey Google”. With Gemini Live, you can engage in natural and intuitive conversations with Gemini.”
Other features include floating windows to make multitasking easier; you can switch freely between multiple windows and use two apps side by side with split screen. Meanwhile, HONOR Share brings cross-brand file transfer freedom.
Battery and Charging
Last but certainly not least, we have the battery and charging section of the review. The HONOR Pad X8b is built for around-the-clock and long-lasting usage with its large 10,100mAh battery and smart energy preservation. It has usage stats of 97 days of super-long standby time, 22 hours of online video playback, and 123 hours of music playback. I could be streaming music and videos with Bluetooth enabled all day, and I didn’t really have to charge that often. And this was even with the performance mode turned on, and when I did need to charge, the charging time was fast and quick as well.
Verdict
So coming in at an SRP of Php 10,999 for the 4GB RAM + 128GB ROM variant, the HONOR Pad X8b is definitely a bang-for-your-buck pad that excels in most categories. The immersive display, what’s under the hood, and the battery and charging are its standout features. If you’re a parent looking for a reliable and durable pad for the kids, someone looking for an affordable pad for work and play, or if you’re someone with an always on-the-go active lifestyle, the HONOR Pad X8b is the pad for you.
