The Honor Pad X8a, released in August 2024, is a well-rounded tablet designed for users seeking a balance between performance, functionality, and portability. Despite its lack of cellular connectivity, the device excels in delivering a rich multimedia experience and solid everyday performance, making it an ideal choice for students, professionals, and entertainment enthusiasts alike.
Design and Build
The Honor Pad X8a boasts a sleek and modern design, featuring a glass front, an aluminum frame, and an aluminum back, which not only gives it a premium feel but also ensures durability. The tablet is relatively lightweight for its size, weighing in at 495 grams, and its slim profile of 7.3 mm makes it easy to carry around. The overall design is minimalist, with a focus on practicality, making it suitable for both professional and personal use.
Display
One of the standout features of the Honor Pad X8a is its large 11.0-inch TFT LCD display. With a resolution of 1200 x 1920 pixels and a 16:10 aspect ratio, the screen offers ample space for work and entertainment. The display also supports a 90Hz refresh rate, providing smoother scrolling and a more responsive touch experience. With 400 nits of brightness, the screen remains clear and readable in most lighting conditions, although it may struggle slightly in direct sunlight.
Under the hood, the Honor Pad X8a is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset, built on a 6 nm process. This octa-core processor, paired with the Adreno 610 GPU, ensures that the tablet handles daily tasks with ease, whether it’s web browsing, streaming, or running productivity apps. The device comes with Android 14 out of the box, customized with MagicOS 8, which offers a smooth and user-friendly interface.
The tablet is available in two storage configurations: 64GB with 4GB of RAM and 128GB with 4GB of RAM. While the absence of a microSD card slot might be a drawback for some, the internal storage should suffice for most users’ needs.
Camera and Audio
The Honor Pad X8a is equipped with a 5 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front camera, both capable of recording 1080p video at 30fps. While these cameras won’t replace your smartphone for photography, they are more than adequate for video calls and occasional snapshots.
The tablet features a quad-speaker setup, providing a stereo sound that is enhanced by 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res audio support. This makes the Pad X8a an excellent device for consuming media, whether you’re watching movies, listening to music, or playing games.
Battery Life and Connectivity
Battery life is another strong suit of the Honor Pad X8a. The device houses a large 8300 mAh Li-Ion battery, which is non-removable but ensures long-lasting usage on a single charge. This makes it ideal for users who need a reliable device for extended work or entertainment sessions.
In terms of connectivity, the Honor Pad X8a supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band, Bluetooth 5.1, and USB Type-C with OTG support. However, it lacks cellular connectivity, NFC, and GPS, which may limit its functionality for users who need these features.
Conclusion
The Honor Pad X8a is a well-crafted tablet that offers a great balance of performance, design, and multimedia capabilities. Its lack of cellular connectivity and expandable storage might be a downside for some, but for users who primarily rely on Wi-Fi and need a tablet for media consumption, productivity, or education, the Pad X8a is an excellent choice. Available in Space Gray, it combines functionality with style, making it a versatile tool for a wide range of users.
