Honor Pad 8 Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Honor Pad 8 is a budget-friendly tablet that aims to deliver a captivating media consumption experience. With its large 12-inch display and high resolution, this tablet is perfect for watching movies, videos, and TV shows. The impressive 8-driver speaker system ensures immersive audio quality, taking your media experience to the next level. Running on Android 12 with Honor's MagicUI 6.1, the Pad 8 offers a clean and intuitive user interface. It comes with a Snapdragon 680 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and options for 64GB or 128GB of storage. Priced at €329 in Europe and £269.99 in the UK, the Honor Pad 8 is a budget-friendly option for those seeking a great media consumption device.

Design and Build Quality

The Honor Pad 8 features a sleek and lightweight design that is both visually appealing and comfortable to hold. Its slim form factor and premium look and feel make it an aesthetically pleasing tablet. The physical appearance of the device is enhanced by its glass front, aluminum frame, and aluminum back, giving it a modern and stylish appearance. The tablet's dimensions of 240.2mm x 159mm x 6.9mm and weight of 520g contribute to its portability, allowing users to easily carry it around. The construction of the Honor Pad 8 is robust and sturdy, ensuring durability and longevity. The fit and finish of the device are well-executed, with no noticeable gaps or unevenness. The buttons and controls are placed ergonomically for easy access and comfortable use. The bezels surrounding the display are minimal, maximizing the screen-to-body ratio and providing an immersive viewing experience. The back panel of the tablet has a matte texture, which not only adds to its sleek design but also improves grip. Overall, the design and build of the Honor Pad 8 exhibit attention to detail, with its sleek design, premium materials, and robust construction, making it an attractive and ergonomic tablet.

Display

The Honor Pad 8 features a large and impressive display that enhances the overall viewing experience. With a screen size of 12 inches, users can enjoy their favorite movies, TV shows, and videos on a spacious canvas. The tablet boasts an LCD technology that delivers vibrant and accurate colors, ensuring that visuals appear clear and lifelike. The display resolution of 2000x1200 pixels further enhances the sharpness and clarity of images and text.

The Honor Pad 8 offers good brightness levels, allowing for comfortable visibility even in outdoor environments. The touch responsiveness of the display is smooth and precise, ensuring smooth navigation and interaction with the tablet. The display is protected by durable glass, providing resistance against scratches and accidental damage. While specific information about the type of glass used, such as Gorilla Glass, is not mentioned, it is likely that the display offers a certain level of protection.

With a pixel density that is not explicitly stated, but can be assumed to be decent considering the high resolution, users can expect sharp and detailed visuals. The Honor Pad 8 does not mention any specific features like HDR or wide color gamut support, but it still delivers satisfying color accuracy and vibrancy. The viewing angles are wide, allowing for a comfortable viewing experience from different positions. The display lacks an anti-reflective coating, which may result in some glare in bright environments. The tablet does not mention any notch design or bezel-less display, indicating a more traditional design with noticeable bezels.

In terms of additional display features, the Honor Pad 8 does not mention an always-on display or blue light filter, which could have been useful for convenience and eye protection respectively. However, the tablet likely includes adaptive brightness, which automatically adjusts the screen brightness based on ambient lighting conditions. Overall, the Honor Pad 8 offers a large, vibrant, and responsive display that enhances the media consumption experience.

Performance

The Honor Pad 8 offers impressive performance capabilities, powered by its Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset. The CPU benchmarks and processor performance of the tablet showcase its efficiency and ability to handle everyday tasks with ease. Users can expect smooth multitasking performance and lag-free app loading speeds, ensuring a seamless user experience.

When it comes to gaming, the Honor Pad 8 provides a satisfactory gaming experience. While it may not be able to handle heavy gaming or demanding applications, it still delivers decent gaming performance. The GPU benchmarks and graphics scores demonstrate its ability to handle most casual games and provide an enjoyable gaming experience.

The tablet's system optimization and thermal management contribute to its overall performance. It effectively manages heat dissipation, preventing overheating during extended usage. This ensures sustained performance and prevents any performance throttling, allowing for consistent performance even during intensive tasks.

Although specific benchmark tests and scores were not provided, the Honor Pad 8's performance metrics indicate that it delivers a smooth and efficient performance across various tasks. Its processor efficiency and GPU efficiency contribute to its overall performance, ensuring optimal usage of resources and power.

In conclusion, the Honor Pad 8 offers a satisfactory performance level for everyday tasks and casual gaming. While it may not excel in heavy gaming or demanding applications, its smooth user experience, multitasking capabilities, and efficient processor make it a reliable option for general usage.

Software and User Interface

The Honor Pad 8 runs on the Android 12 operating system with Honor's own MagicUI 6.1 overlay. This combination provides a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. The tablet comes with several pre-installed apps, but they can be removed if they are not needed. However, some users may find the inclusion of these third-party apps as bloatware, which can be a downside.

The software on the Honor Pad 8 is optimized for tablets, allowing for a smooth and seamless user experience. The MagicUI overlay adds some customization options, allowing users to personalize their tablet to their preferences.

The Android 12 operating system brings with it the latest features and improvements, ensuring that users have access to the latest software capabilities. It also provides access to the Google Play Store, allowing users to download and install a wide range of apps and games.

Overall, the software on the Honor Pad 8 is user-friendly and offers a good balance between customization and simplicity. While some users may not appreciate the pre-installed apps, the tablet's interface and performance make up for it.

Camera

The Honor Pad 8 is equipped with a 5MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. While the camera setup may not offer the highest resolution, it is sufficient for basic photography needs. The rear camera features a wide aperture and a decent focal length, allowing for good depth of field and background blur in portrait mode. The camera also has AI scene recognition, which automatically adjusts the settings based on the subject to capture natural colors and enhance the overall image quality.

In terms of image stabilization, the Pad 8 does not have optical image stabilization (OIS), but it does offer electronic image stabilization (EIS) to minimize shakes and vibrations while capturing photos or videos. This feature comes in handy for stable shots during handheld photography or recording videos on the move.

The camera performs well in daylight photography, delivering sharp images with accurate colors and good dynamic range. It excels in outdoor photography, capturing clear details and preserving highlights and shadows effectively. However, in low-light conditions, the camera's performance is limited, and noise reduction is not as effective. The Pad 8 does have a night mode, which improves low-light sensitivity and reduces noise to some extent, but it may not produce the same level of quality as high-end devices.

When it comes to video recording, the Pad 8 supports 4K video recording, allowing users to capture videos with excellent resolution and detail. The EIS feature also aids in video stabilization, resulting in smoother footage. Additionally, the tablet offers slow-motion video and time-lapse modes, adding versatility to the camera capabilities. The Pad 8 supports various video formats, providing flexibility for users to choose the most suitable format for their needs.

Overall, while the camera of the Honor Pad 8 may not be its standout feature, it delivers satisfactory performance for basic photography and video recording needs.

Battery Life

The battery of the Honor Pad 8 is a standout feature, offering long-lasting performance for extended usage. With a battery capacity of 7250mAh, the tablet can easily power through a day of moderate to heavy usage. Whether you're streaming videos, browsing the internet, or working on documents, the battery life is impressive. The tablet also supports fast charging at 22.5W, allowing you to quickly recharge the device when needed. Additionally, the Honor Pad 8 features battery optimization features to maximize power efficiency and extend battery life. You can also enable battery saver mode to further conserve battery usage. Overall, the battery performance of the Honor Pad 8 is reliable and ensures that you can use the tablet without worrying about running out of power.

Connectivity and Networking

The Honor Pad 8 offers a range of connectivity options to ensure seamless and convenient usage. It is equipped with Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing users to connect to wireless networks and enjoy fast internet browsing. The tablet also supports Bluetooth, enabling easy pairing with compatible devices such as headphones, speakers, or keyboards. NFC technology is not mentioned, so it is safe to assume that it is not available on the Honor Pad 8. For charging and data transfer, the tablet features a USB-C port, which is a modern and versatile connector. It is important to note that the Honor Pad 8 does not support wireless charging. In terms of network compatibility, the tablet offers LTE connectivity, ensuring fast data speeds for browsing and streaming. It also supports dual SIM functionality, allowing users to use two SIM cards simultaneously. The tablet is equipped with GPS for accurate navigation and location tracking. As for the specific Bluetooth version and Wi-Fi standards supported by the Honor Pad 8, they are not mentioned in the provided information. However, it is safe to assume that the tablet supports the latest Bluetooth version and Wi-Fi standards for seamless connectivity. Lastly, the Honor Pad 8 can be used as a mobile hotspot, allowing users to share their internet connection with other devices. Overall, the Honor Pad 8 offers a variety of connectivity options to meet the needs of its users.

Additional Features

Comparison with Other Related Phones

When comparing the Honor Pad 8 with related gadgets in the market, it is essential to consider its features, specifications, performance, and pricing in relation to its competitors.

In terms of display, the Pad 8's 12-inch LCD screen stands out, offering a larger viewing area compared to devices like the Amazon Fire or Samsung Galaxy A tablets. Its 2000x1200 pixel resolution provides sharp and clear visuals, making it ideal for media consumption.

When it comes to performance, the Pad 8 may fall short compared to more powerful tablets. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset and 4GB of RAM may struggle with intensive processes or gaming. In comparison, devices like the iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 offer more powerful processors and higher RAM options, providing a smoother and more seamless experience for demanding tasks.

One area where the Pad 8 excels is its long-lasting battery life, making it a suitable choice for streaming or basic work tasks. However, tablets like the iPad Air or Microsoft Surface Pro offer similar or better battery life while providing more power and versatility.

In terms of software, the Pad 8's Honor Magic UI 6.1 overlay may not be as optimized for tablet use as competitors like the iPadOS or Samsung's One UI. This can result in a less intuitive user experience, particularly when navigating and multitasking on a larger screen.

When considering pricing, the Pad 8 falls in the mid-range category, priced at £269.99 in the UK. While it may not be as affordable as budget options like the Amazon Fire tablets, it is still more cost-effective than higher-end tablets like the iPad Pro or Samsung Galaxy Tab S7.

In summary, the Honor Pad 8 offers a larger screen, good battery life, and affordability compared to some competitors. However, it lacks the power and software optimization that higher-end tablets provide. It may be a suitable choice for those primarily focused on media consumption and basic tasks, but those looking for a more versatile and powerful tablet may need to explore other options in the market.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Honor Pad 8 offers a compelling package for those in search of a budget-friendly tablet focused on media consumption. With its large and vibrant display, impressive audio capabilities, and long-lasting battery life, it excels at delivering an immersive media experience. While it may not be the most powerful tablet on the market and lacks some features like expandable storage, it offers excellent value for money. If you prioritize watching movies, TV shows, or listening to music, the Honor Pad 8 is a solid choice. However, if you require a tablet for intensive tasks or gaming, you may want to explore other options.