Review of Honor Pad 9: a budget tablet with flagship capabilities

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Characteristics of Honor Pad 9

Design and features

Tablet screen

Honor Pad 9 Cameras

Software

Component performance

Sound and speakers

Autonomy Honor Pad 9

Total

Should I buy

Affordable Honor Pad 9 tablet – video

Honor Pad 9 is a new low-cost tablet,which turned out to be one of the best in its segment. In 2020, Honor separated from Huawei, so the company can use all Google apps and any version of Android on its products.

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However, this is not the only good thing about the new Pad 9.It has powerful internal components that will give you high performance both in everyday tasks and in games. The large display pleases with a detailed and rich image, and four speakers produce high-quality sound. The Honor Pad 9 tablet is not inferior to many models that cost one and a half to two times more.

Read also: Oukitel OT5 review: an inexpensive tablet with a large display for videos and games

Characteristics of Honor Pad 9

Screen

12.1-inch IPS LCD, 2560x1600 pixel resolution, 249 ppi pixel density, 16:10 ratio, 120 Hz frequency, 1 billion colors

CPU

Qualcomm SM6450 Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (4 nm): 8 cores (4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A78 + 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)

Graphics

Adreno 710

RAM

8/12 GB

Inner memory

128/256/512 GB

System and software

Android 13, Magic OS 7.2

Main camera

13 MP, f/2.0, wide-angle, AF

Front-camera

8 MP, f/2.2, wide-angle

Video recording

Main: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps

Front: 1080p at 30 fps

Connection and communication

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE, USB Type-C, OTG

Sound

Four speakers, no 3.5mm

security

Not

Battery

Li-Po 8300 mAh, non-removable, cable charging 35 W

materials

Front glass, aluminum body

Colors

Grey, blue, white

Dimensions and weight

278.2×180.1×7 mm, 555 g

Price

From 19 thousand rubles

Design and features

Even though Honor Pad 9 belongs to the budget segment, the tablet looks no worse than many flagships.

The body is made entirely of aluminum, and the back surface is matte, and there are no stains or fingerprints on it. However, the device slips a little in your hands, so it is better to buy a protective case.

The module with the only camera was not in the cornerthe back panel, and in the middle. Just below you will see the Honor logo, and there are no other design elements here. The body color can be grey, blue or white.

The Pad 9 weighs 555 grams - the tablet is heavier than the Galaxy Tab A9 and iPad 10.9 (2022), although they have smaller displays. The gadget is not protected from water and dust, but this is normal for a budget model.

If you hold the tablet in landscape orientation,The power and volume keys will be on the top side closer to the left corner. Pressing them simultaneously will save a screenshot, and pressing and holding the power button launches Google Assistant. To open the tablet shutdown menu, you need to press this key for five seconds.

The USB-C connector is located in the usual place at the bottom, but there is no fingerprint scanner here. You can also use the front camera to unlock, but this method is not nearly as reliable.

Tablet screen

An important advantage of Honor Pad 9 is its large 12.1-inch IPS LCD display.

Unfortunately, this is not an OLED panel, but the diagonal is large and the resolution is 2560x1600 pixels. The display displays more than a billion colors, and the aspect ratio is 16:10.

The image is detailed and rich,That's why the Pad 9 is great for gaming and watching videos. Everything is fine with readability outdoors on a sunny day - the maximum brightness is 628 nits.

The refresh rate rises to 120 Hz, andBy default, Dynamic mode is enabled, where this indicator can automatically decrease to 60 Hz. Since this is not an LCD screen, there is no support for LTPO technology, so the frequency does not drop to 1 Hz.

Honor Pad 9 Cameras

Unlike smartphones, tablets rarely have good cameras, and the Honor Pad 9 is yet another proof of this.

There is only one sensor with a resolution of 13 megapixels perrear panel, and the quality of its shooting is depressing. In daylight you can still get acceptable photos, but even then the colors are pale and inaccurate.

There is no point in shooting with this camera in the evening at all.You will get very blurry images with a lot of noise and dimly lit objects. There is no night mode on Honor, so the quality of shooting cannot be improved by any settings.

Main camera

There is a portrait mode, however, it alsoDon't expect much. The bokeh effect remains approximately the same as when shooting in normal mode. Interestingly, this camera does best when shooting at close range.

At the front, the Pad 9 has a front-facing camera with8 megapixel resolution, and it turns out to be much better. Selfies are characterized by fairly high detail, and all objects in the frame are well lit. The tablet is suitable for video calls.

Software

For some reason, the Honor Pad 9 tablet does not run on Android 14, but on an older version of Android 13 with MagicOS 7.2 shell.

It is not yet known when the update will happen and how long Honor will support the software on this tablet. Last year's Honor Pad X9 had a lifespan of only two years, and that's not enough even for a budget model.

At least Honor's shell is comfortable andpleasant to use. Of course, there are a lot of unnecessary pre-installed applications, but they are easy to remove. Also, many apps aren't optimized for the 12.1-inch display, but that's a problem with most Android tablets.

But the Pad 9 is good for multitasking:two applications can be opened next to each other in split-screen mode, and a third can be placed on top of them in a floating window. You can also connect a laptop or smartphone from Honor to the tablet to conveniently transfer files, read notifications and make calls.

Component performance

At first glance it seems that the internalThe Honor Pad 9's components are not the most powerful. It has a mid-range Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor from Qualcomm, which was released back in 2022. RAM 8 GB or 12 GB, and internal memory – 128/256/512 GB.

However, the speed of the Honor tablet is surprisingly high.

The gadget easily copes with any everydaytasks: watching videos on YouTube, web surfing and communicating in instant messengers. Switching between applications also happens instantly, including in split-screen mode.

Geekbench 5 test (multi-core mode)

The Pad 9's performance in games is pleasantly surprising.Even Asphalt 9 and Call of Duty: Mobile can expect high frame rates, and these are some of the most demanding games on Android. True, the back panel of the tablet begins to heat up, but this does not affect performance, and holding the device in your hands does not become uncomfortable.

GFXBench Car Chase Test

In multi-core performance test modeHonor's Geekbench 5 tablet scores 2,754 points, which is better than many competitors like the Oppo Pad Air and Galaxy Tab A9+. The result in the GFX Car Chase graphics test is 12 fps.

Sound and speakers

Honor Pad 9 will be an excellent option for watching videos not only because of its large display, but also thanks to its four speakers.

There are two installed on the top and bottom sidesspeakers creating high-quality stereo sound. There is almost no distortion even at maximum volume, although the bass is clearly lacking. However, these are some of the best speakers among budget tablets.

Autonomy Honor Pad 9

Honor included an 8,300mAh battery in the Pad 9, and its battery life is a bit disappointing.

Battery life

For standard use, the tablet is enoughfor about a day, and in games the battery will die after a few hours. In the PC Mark battery test, the device scores 8 hours 30 minutes, albeit with a 120Hz refresh rate. If you enable power-saving mode, reduce the frequency to 60 Hz and turn off GPS, battery life will be noticeably longer.

Unfortunately, charging is slow.Its power here does not exceed 35 W, but at least the adapter is included. In half an hour, the tablet charges 32%, and it takes two hours to fully charge.

Charging in 30 minutes Summary

Honor Pad 9 is a successful tablet that costs less than many competitors with the same characteristics.

It has an excellent display and high-quality speakers,allowing you to enjoy movies and games without headphones. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor guarantees high speed, even in many modern games.

The only problem is we don’t know how longHonor will release software updates for this model. The operating system is Android 13, although the Android 14 version has been out for a long time. Otherwise, the Honor Pad 9 is great and one of the best tablets in its price range.

Should I buy

The Honor Pad 9 is an excellent option if you need an inexpensive tablet with a large display and good speakers for gaming and watching videos.

Find out Availability and Prices Affordable Honor Pad 9 tablet – video

Stanislav Shaman Stanislav has been writing for a long timealmost two decades. Initially, he collected technology news for local media. His love of science fiction awakened a great thirst for knowledge. Trying to understand how it works and whether it can work better, he gets so carried away that he seems to be in a trance. For this, among his colleagues at TehnObzor he received the nickname - Shaman. New budget tablet from Honor for video and games Design and ergonomics 94/100 Display and multimedia 96/100 Keyboard and input devices 90/100 Connectors and ports 90/100 Performance 97/100 Communications and connections 89/100 Battery life 85/100 Total 91.6 Honor Pad 9 is a high-quality budget tablet suitable for viewing content and playing games. It not only has a large and high-quality display, but also a powerful processor, as well as excellent stereo speakers. Pros and cons Stylish design High-quality speakers High performance Excellent 120 Hz screen Slow charging Not the longest battery life Unknown software support period