Design and workmanship
The HONOR Pad X8a comes in a slim metal casing that looks high-quality despite its low price. Weighing 495 grams and measuring just 7,25 millimeters thick, it sits comfortably in the hand. The matte surface in space gray looks classy, but is somewhat prone to fingerprints. A flip cover is optionally available for protection.
On the sides you will find the usual controls such as the power button and volume control as well as a USB-C port (USB 2.0, OTG). Fortunately, HONOR has also integrated a microSD card slot that allows storage expansion of up to 1 TB. If the 128 GB internal storage is not enough for you, you can use the memory expansion.
Display and Multimedia
The highlight of the HONOR Pad X8a is the 11-inch LCD display. With a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, 90 Hz refresh rate and up to 400 nits brightness, it is ideal for media consumption. However, you should look for a shady spot outdoors, as the display brightness quickly reaches its limits there. The colors are vivid and thanks to TÜV Rheinland certification, your eyes won't get tired even during longer sessions.
What is particularly pleasing is the support of Widevine L1, which enables full HD streaming on all common platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. In practice, the tablet delivers a convincing performance here - series and films look really good on the large display. This is a clear plus point of the HONOR Pad X8a compared to many other inexpensive tablets that do not have Widevine L1 and therefore only offer lower streaming qualities.
The four stereo speakers are a pleasant surprise. They deliver a clear and balanced sound even at high volume. For a device in this price range, there is nothing to complain about in terms of audio quality. Those who prefer to use Bluetooth headphones will benefit from high-quality audio transmission via aptX and LDAC.
Performance and battery
Inside is a Snapdragon 680 4G mobile platform, supported by 4 GB LPDDR4X RAM, which the HONOR virtually expands by another 4 GB. The octa-core processor may be a bit older, but it still offers solid performance in the lower mid-range segment. Although the chip name suggests cellular, the HONOR Pad X8a only uses WLAN (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac).
The performance is absolutely sufficient for everyday tasks such as surfing, social media and office applications. Even simple games run smoothly, but compromises are necessary for more graphics-intensive titles. In the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the tablet achieved around 380 points in the single-core test and 1500 points in the multi-core test. Solid values for a budget device, but not comparable with high-end tablets.
The 8300 mAh battery is a real endurance artist. With normal use, the tablet easily lasts two to three days. In our practical test, it managed over 11 hours in the PCMark Work 3.0 Battery Life Test. One small drawback is the charging speed. With only 10 watts, the Pad X8a charges rather slowly, meaning a full charge takes about two and a half hours.
Software and Productivity
The HONOR Pad X8a runs on Android 14 and the company's own MagicOS 8.0 interface. The user interface is clear and offers some useful additional functions such as HONOR Share for easy data transfer between HONOR devices. Pre-installed apps such as WPS Office make the tablet particularly attractive for students.
Thanks to the split-screen function, multitasking is also possible without any problems. Face recognition works reliably as long as there is enough light. However, a fingerprint sensor would have been a useful addition. HONOR promises two years of Android updates and three years of security updates, which is quite respectable for a budget device.
Camera
The 5-megapixel cameras on the front and back are the price you pay for the cheap tablet. The quality is sufficient for occasional video conferences or quick snapshots, but you shouldn't expect more than that. In good light, the images are acceptable, but as soon as it gets darker, the quality drops significantly.
The 5-megapixel front camera is suitable for video calls, but does not produce impressive selfies. The main camera can be used in an emergency to take photos of documents, but is no substitute for a high-quality smartphone.