Honor is in turn entering the tablet market in France with the Pad 8, a large entry-level model that stands out for its excellent performance/price ratio, better than Samsung and Apple!

Honor is in turn entering the tablet market in France with the Pad 8, a large entry-level model that stands out for its excellent performance/price ratio, better than Samsung and Apple!

Who would have bet, two years ago, that the tablet market would pick up again? To be convinced of this, it suffices to observe the arrival of new actors. Apart from Apple, Samsung and Lenovo, which have persevered in offering new models every year with a regularity of metronome, it was really necessary to dig to find competition. But today Realme, Xiaomi and very recently Oppo with its Pad Air, are also arriving. It is now the turn of Honor, separated from its big brother Huawei, to invest the place with its Pad 8.

The manufacturer is not at its first tablet, as its name suggests, but until now it has reserved these products for the Chinese market. The Pad 8 is therefore the first tablet of the brand to land in Europe. But Honor remains cautious. The intention is not to come hunt on the lands of Apple and Samsung but to find a place in the entry-level segment without however playing in the category of “cheap” Chinese tablets that the are found in quantity in online stores and which generally turn out to be very disappointing. How does the Pad 8 fare? We were able to handle it for several weeks. Here is our test.

Honor Pad 8: a classic but effective design

Do not expect a revolution in terms of design on the side of this pad 8. Honor plays the card of sobriety. This large size with its 12-inch screen thus sports a bluish aluminum metal case with a simple but effective aesthetic. Without approaching the canons established by Apple and Samsung, we remain rather far from cheap tablets all clad in plastic. The result is therefore convincing and inspires confidence. On the front, the screen takes up a large part of the space while retaining borders wide enough to leave room for the fingers and palms of the hands so as not to make false presses. We also note that the tablet is designed to be used in landscape mode (horizontal). Evidenced by the placement of the front camera nestled in the center of the left edge of the tablet. Good idea, except when you hold it vertically. Unlocking by facial recognition then becomes less easy. Especially since the tablet does not offer a fingerprint reader.

On the lower and upper edges, two large grids hide the eight speakers of the tablet whose ambition remains to ensure the spectacle for the playback of films for example. The slices remain flat and the weight of 520 g quite bearable to hold it in the hands long enough without tiring.

Honor Pad 8: a large format screen for more comfort

With a price set below 300 euros, one could fear the worst side of display quality. However, this pad 8 is doing remarkably well. It has a large 12-inch screen that is very comfortable both for watching videos and for consulting the Web and ensuring electronic correspondence in very good conditions. At this price, it is obviously an LCD screen. It is bright enough for indoor use. The slab is covered with a particularly shiny glass, which penalizes outdoor use because of reflections. The definition is 1200 x 2000 pixels for a resolution of 194 dpi (pixels per inch). This is more than enough for most of the content you want to display there. Only players who want fluidity and responsiveness will be able to find fault with it since the refresh rate does not exceed 60 Hz. However, this is still more than enough for casual games.

Honor Pad 8: surprisingly powerful sound

Intended to provide the show, the Honor Pad 8 is therefore adorned with eight speakers. Films and series therefore benefit from a surprising audio reproduction (the tablet has DTS X Ultra certification) with a fairly powerful volume. The sound stage is rather wide and pleasant. The treble does not twist the eardrums and the bass responds present. But the tablet has a small design problem. Indeed, the grids distributed on both sides are obstructed by the palms of the hands which hold it. So, except to put the device on a support, it will be necessary to think of spreading the hands to benefit from an optimal restitution. And if you’re going to use headphones, it’ll be Bluetooth or nothing. The tablet does not have a Jack socket, which is often the case with this type of product.

Honor Pad 8: decent performance for the price

Technical sheet

Armed with a Snapdragon 680 processor and 6 GB of RAM, the Pad 8 presents entry-level equipment which obviously does not allow it technical prowess but which is more than enough to carry out the most common tasks without flinching. . Playing streaming videos, web browsing, social media, messaging, casual gaming, etc. It is versatile and the navigation remains fluid. This is very significant when most tablets in this category are often struggling. To play more demanding games, however, you should not be too demanding. The level of detail of the graphics needs to be reduced to the low level to enjoy good playability and a bearable refresh rate.

On the photo side, the Pad 8, like most other tablets in its category, is no illusion. Equipped on the front and rear with a 5 Mpx sensor, it delivers passable daytime shots but covered in digital noise when darkness comes. The purpose of these cameras is therefore limited to videoconferencing in satisfactory light conditions.

Honor Pad 8: an efficient and well-thought-out software overlay

Honor’s tablet is powered by Android 12. Over the Google OS, Honor has added its Magic UI overlay in version 6.1, the same found on its smartphones. It is rather well thought out with its multi-window mode, its enlarged folders and its multiple customization options. In addition, for those who already have an Honor smartphone or PC, the tablet can join this ecosystem in order to easily share files between these devices. A trend that is already found at Apple, Samsung or Motorola and which is very practical as long as all the devices are from the same brand.

Honor Pad 8: convincing autonomy

The life of a tablet is completely different from that of a smartphone. It can spend several days on standby on the living room table, be used for only a few minutes and then be neglected again as it can be used intensively during long car or transport journeys. To meet these expectations, the Pad 8 has a 7250 mAh battery. A strange choice given the screen diagonal used. Nevertheless, the Pad 8 proves to be rather enduring. During our tests, in intensive mode (keeping the screen on for games, video streaming and web surfing), the tablet lasted a little over fifteen hours before going through the charging box . In other words, with normal use, at the rate of one to two real hours of daily use, the tablet can spend more than a week away from an electrical outlet. An honorable score. As for recharging, count a little over two hours to refuel at 100% thanks to the 22 W charger provided. You will therefore have to be patient because the fast charge is not there. After 30 minutes of charging, the tablet recovered only 36% energy.

Honor Pad 8: should you fall for Honor’s large tablet?

Honor has obviously found the right balance between a reasonable price, decent performance and ease of use with its new Pad 8. This large size is easy to handle and provides real pleasure for watching a film or series in very good conditions. Enough to erase its very light performance in terms of gaming. We appreciate its neat design and the MagicUI software overlay which brings some welcome functions. Above all, its price defies all competition. Far from the iPad whose first price is more than 400 euros, it also grills the courtesy of the Oppo Pad Air and even the Realme Pad tablet which offers less for the same price. The Pad 8 therefore presents itself as a very good entry-level tablet with very attractive features for an excellent quality/price ratio.