HONOR Pad X9a first impressions: This slim, lightweight tablet is likely the most budget-friendly in its category in the Philippines, yet it boasts features not found in other tablets. With a high-quality chassis, solid display, and an included keyboard cover, it’s an excellent value for those seeking an affordable tablet.
Pros:
- Includes a keyboard for the price
- Good display
- Premium build
- Stereo speakers
Cons:
- Snapdragon 685 processor is a little weak
It’s officially payday today and what better way to celebrate it than taking a look at a tablet that seems too good to be true. Today we’re taking a quick look at the HONOR Pad X9a, a new pad that landed on our lap that just costs 7,799 without the keyboard.
HONOR Pad X9a first impressions: Design and display
HONOR has a habit of making even their budget phones feel more expensive than they are, and that hasn’t stopped with the Pad X9a. The tablet sports an aluminum chassis, which is remarkable at the price point.
There’s a single camera at the back, plus volume and power keys at the side (it sits at the top when it’s connected to the keyboard; more on this later). It seems like HONOR also went all out with the speaker system on this tablet since there are speakers on both sides of the tab, giving it stereo audio.
The HONOR X9a features an 11.5-inch LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 400 nits peak brightness. Its bezels are reasonably thin, and the image quality is decent, though it doesn’t match OLED standards. The display is impressive for its price, offering solid color accuracy, perfect for streaming your favorite Korean drama on Netflix.
HONOR is also selling the HONOR X9a with a Bluetooth keyboard accessory for a little bit more money. Our tip is to buy it with the keyboard, because like the tab, it’s surprisingly good. Key travel isn’t fantastic, but after a few minutes of getting used to it, I was able to type a whole article on it with minimal errors. Pair the tab with a Bluetooth mouse and you get an easy-to-carry productivity tool, perfect for school and work, but as you’ll find out, not so much for play.
HONOR Pad X9a: Camera, performance, software, battery
The HONOR Pad X9a comes with a single 8-megapixel rear camera, which was likely thrown in because, well, why not? Truth be told, it’s a camera that’s more fit for taking photos for documentation purposes than being used like an actual smartphone camera.
Anyway, let’s talk about what a lot of you are looking for: the processor. Unfortunately, the tablet comes with a rather middling Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 processor, which I feel is a little underpowered for this tablet. You also only get Wi-Fi connectivity with this tablet – there’s no SIM card for mobile data. RAM and storage come in at 8GB/128GB, with no option for expandable storage.
You can do the usual things like browse the web, watch videos in YouTube and Netflix and create office documents fine, but for more sustained number crunching this ain’t it. You can game on medium settings for less graphically intense games, but forget about playing on anything but low settings on titles like Genshin Impact.
The tablet comes with Android 15 and MagicOS 9. There’s a bunch of HONOR-specific software baked in here, including multi-view functionality for multi-tasking duties.
As for the battery, you’re getting 8300mAh with a 35W fast charger. We don’t know how long this thing runs on a single charge yet – we’ll leave that for our full review.
HONOR Pad X9a initial review verdict:
The HONOR Pad X9a might not be perfect, but for anyone who’s looking for a productivity-focused tablet that won’t break the bank, it’s an attractive option. Premium build, keyboard bundle plus the nice display and HONOR’s MagicOS 9 enhancements make it a tempting buy for students and office workers who need an affordable and dependable device.
