It’s back-to-school season, and if you haven’t found your next tablet yet, then you might want to check out the new HONOR Pad X9a.
With its entry-level price, this latest tablet from HONOR wants to appeal to students, professionals, and anyone who demands a bigger screen than their smartphones, without breaking the bank.
But how good or bad can a tablet priced at Php10,999 really be? Let’s find out in our full review.
HONOR Pad X9a Specs
- Android 15, MagicOS 9
- 11.5-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2508 x 1504 pixel resolution, ~254ppi
- 120Hz refresh rate
- 100% sRGB, 400-nit peak brightness
- 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 octa-core processor
- Adreno 610 GPU
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB internal storage, non-expandable.
- 5-megapixel front camera
- 8-megapixel rear cameras, dual-ring LED flash
- Quad stereo speakers
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.1
- USB-C
- Dimensions: 267.3 x 167.4 x 6.77mm
- Weight: 475g
- Color: Gray
- 8,300mAh non-removable battery, 35W fast charging
Design and Build Quality
The HONOR Pad X9a’s design is unremarkable, just like other budget tablets on the market. It does have a pretty distinct camera island that holds the 8-megapixel main shooter, and a camera icon we initially thought was an LED flash, though.
What we have here is the Gray color variant, which is the only model available in the Philippines. It has light and dark tones depending on how it catches the light.
It also has an elegant, full-metallic body with a nice finish, albeit a little boring. On the upside, it stays clean from fingerprint marks and smudges.
We like how thin it is, measuring at just 6.77mm. The weight is really comfortable too, at only 475g. In addition, the bezels are thick enough to provide a comfortable grip without accidentally touching the screen.
It does lack ingress protection or any official certification for dust, water, and drop resistance. Not surprising for an entry-level tablet, though. You can bundle it with a keyboard case that can safeguard the device when you’re out and about.
Taking a tour, we have an 11.5-inch FHD+ IPS display on the front, with a 5-megapixel selfie camera on top.
The top has the microphone, volume controls, and the lock/power switch. The physical buttons feel surprisingly well-made. Tactile and clicky, that’s all you need.
Left side has the two speakers. The other two speakers are on the right, sandwiching the USB-C port.
We then have the HONOR logo on the back and the said glass camera island for the 8-megapixel main shooter.
The HONOR Pad X9a has a clean and comfortable design. A few durability certifications would’ve been nice, but we’ll cut them some slack.
Display and Audio
The HONOR Pad X9a has an 11.5-inch FHD+ IPS display with a 2508 x 1504 pixel resolution, ~254ppi, 120Hz refresh rate, 100% sRGB coverage, and 400-nit peak brightness.
It’s got a sharp resolution for the price, which is a big plus. The size is comfortable enough for running apps side-by-side for improved multitasking.
The 120Hz refresh rate is barely felt due to the budget processor. It can get too reflective at times, but the max brightness is ample for outdoor use.
For audio, the Pad X9a has four speakers, two on each side. The stereo separation and beefy bass impressed us right away, but the treble can get muddy. The 200% volume booster mode is great, but the standard max volume is more than enough. Watching shows on this one is a good experience.
Hardware and Performance
The HONOR Pad X9a is powered by a WiFi-only Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 octa-core processor with an Adreno 610 GPU, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage that’s sadly non-expandable.
HONOR Pad X9a Benchmark Scores
It provides ample power when browsing social media, watching Netflix, writing term papers and reports on Google Docs, or designing graphics on Canva. However, expect a few lags here and there. If you want a smoother experience, you might have to spend more on a more powerful tablet.
The 128GB can be limiting, though, so be picky about the apps (especially games) you download to prevent filling it up quickly.
As for gaming, we were surprised that Genshin Impact was playable, albeit only under the lowest available settings. Call of Duty was playable under Very High graphics and Medium frame rates, but it was smoother with High frames and Low graphics.
PUBG Mobile was comfortably smooth under HD graphics at High frames. Farlight84 ran fine with Smooth graphics and Medium frames, but the visual quality is just terrible.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang had no issues using Ultra graphics and Super frames, as well as Asphalt Legends Unite under Default graphics at 60 frames.
While it can definitely handle gaming, the HONOR Pad X9a was clearly not made for it. You can get playable frame rates with no overheating, but you have to settle for borderline terrible graphics quality.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Low • Frame Rate: High |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: Smooth • Frame Rate: Medium |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: HD • Frame Rate: High |
| Genshin Impact | • Render Resolution: Lowest • Visual Effects: Low • FPS: 30 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Graphics Quality: Ultra • Frame Rate: Super • HD Mode: On |
| Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: Default • Frame Rate: 60 |
Software and User Interface
The HONOR Pad X9a runs on Android 15-based MagicOS 9.0. HONOR hasn’t confirmed how long it will be getting software updates. It’s likely that it won’t get more than one (1) Android upgrade, but HONOR is consistent in pushing security patches in its phones, so we hope that this tablet gets the same treatment.
You can get the Pad X9a with a Smart Bluetooth Keyboard for an extra Php1,000. This is a good option if you want to use it like a laptop for writing documents. It snaps easily to the tablet and also acts as a protective case.
The keyboard is nice and clicky and connects instantly to the tablet when you power it on. A simple power switch is on the side, next to the USB-C port for charging the keyboard.
It provides good multitasking capabilities when paired with MagicOS’ split-screen feature. There’s also the Multi-Screen Collaboration and Information Sharing that lets you pair your smartphone for screen mirroring, easily transfer files, share notifications, and more.
HONOR Docs is a preinstalled app so you can start working right away. It has a document writer, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDF converter. The file management is quite robust, too.
Unfortunately, it lacks essential AI features like AI text generator, summarization, and more.
Other than those key highlights and missing features, the HONOR Pad X9a is paired with a clean and straightforward software that makes it comfortable to use for work, school, or entertainment.
Cameras
The HONOR Pad X9a has a decent set of cameras for a budget tablet. We have an 8-megapixel main camera on the back and a 5-megapixel camera on the front.
It can shoot 720p HD and 1080p FHD videos at 30fps. Also included are Portrait Mode, Document Scanner, HDR Photo, Time-lapse, and Stickers.
Image quality from the 8-megapixel main camera is terrible, but that’s to be expected. Colors are a little off, dynamic range is all over the place, and low-light performance is bad. It’s enough for casual snaps, and the details are ample for scanning documents.
Meanwhile, the 5-megapixel’s performance was also expected. It lacks details, skin tones look pale, and noise is persistent even in daylight. It’s fine for video calls, just make sure you have enough light source.
The cameras on the HONOR Pad X9a aren’t great, but enough to do essential things like scanning notes, documents, participating in online meetings or classes, and more. If you want to take pictures of anything else, you have your phone for that.
Battery and Charging
The HONOR Pad X9a comes with an 8,300mAh battery with 35W fast charging. Battery life has been good enough for the price.
It lasted for 8 hours and 17 minutes in the PCMark synthetic battery loop test. In our 1080p YouTube video loop test, it lasted for 10 hours and 39 minutes before dropping to 0 from 100% — one of the best scores we got from that test in this segment.
Charging speeds are decent. A quick 15-minute charge already provides a 0-18% charge, with a full charge taking less than two hours. See the full test results below:
- 15mins: 0-18%
- 30mins: 33%
- 45mins: 46%
- 1hr: 60%
- 1hr 15mins: 73%
- 1hr 30mins: 88%
- 1hr 45mins: 98%
- 1hr 51mins: FULL
Verdict
The HONOR Pad X9a is definitely far from perfect, but it’s a good attempt for a workhorse tablet that doesn’t break the bank.
It has a comfortable design, decent performance, and good battery life. It is best paired with the Smart Keyboard Bundle, which can greatly improve the multitasking experience, together with the preinstalled HONOR Docs app and the large display, so you can comfortably use two apps in split-screen mode.
The stereo speakers blew us away and we really enjoyed watching our favorite shows while on the go.
We do wish it had a microSD card slot for storage expansion, the cameras could take better photos, and a 4G LTE connection would’ve been nice. But that’s just nitpicking.
Overall, there’s no denying that the HONOR Pad X9a tablet is a good buy.
HONOR Pad X9a pricing and availability in the Philippines
The HONOR Pad X9a has an SRP of Php10,999 while the Smart Bluetooth Keyboard bundle retails for Php11,999. You can get it at HONOR physical stores nationwide, and through Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.
Pros
- Thin and light
- Impressive stereo speakers
- Decent performance
- Good battery life
Cons
- Non-expandable storage
- Lackluster gaming performance
- So-so cameras