Abstract
- Extremely-Skinny Profile: At simply 4.8mm, it’s one of many sleekest tablets in the marketplace, interval.
- Gorgeous OLED Return: The 12.3-inch OLED panel with a 165Hz refresh charge is an enormous improve over its predecessor.
- Critical Horsepower: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 handles intensive multitasking and gaming with out breaking a sweat.
- Immersive Eight-Speaker Array: For a tool this skinny, the spatial audio is surprisingly large and clear.
- Quick 66W Charging: Even with a ten,100mAh battery, you may get a 50% cost in about half an hour.
Design And Construct High quality
The very first thing you discover—and truthfully, the factor everybody I confirmed it to observed—is how absurdly skinny this factor is. At 4.8mm, it makes my outdated laptop computer appear like a heavy brick. It weighs about 450g, which sounds mild on paper, however within the hand, it feels dense and premium. I’ve been carrying it round in a tote bag, and half the time I’ve to double-check that it’s truly in there. I believe we’ve reached a degree the place making issues thinner does not truly add a lot utility, however I can not deny that it feels costly.
One minor gripe I had was with the equipment. I used the Good Keyboard case for a number of days, and whereas the keys themselves have an honest click on to them, the folding stand mechanism is… nicely, it’s fiddly. It makes use of this bizarre system the place the again cowl folds away, and I by no means fairly felt prefer it was “locked” in place. Should you’re typing on a flat desk, it’s high quality. Should you’re making an attempt to steadiness it in your lap throughout a prepare journey, good luck. It would simply be me, however I discovered myself continuously readjusting it.
The Show That Steals The Present
Should you’re shopping for this pill, you’re shopping for it for the display. Honor moved again to an OLED panel right here, and thank goodness for that. The earlier mannequin’s transfer to LCD felt like a step backward, so this seems like a homecoming. It’s a 12.3-inch magnificence with a 3:2 side ratio, which I personally desire for studying and writing over the extra slim 16:10 screens you see on some rivals. The colours are vibrant with out being neon-bright, and the 3000 x 1920 decision means all the things seems extremely sharp.
Then there may be the 165Hz refresh charge. Now, do you want 165Hz on a pill? Most likely not. Most films are 24fps and most apps cap out at 60 or 120. However man, once you’re scrolling by way of an extended PDF or taking part in a high-frame-rate sport like Future: Rising, it’s buttery easy. It’s a type of issues you do not suppose you want till you utilize it, after which going again to a 60Hz display seems like a slideshow. I did discover that the height brightness hits 2400 nits in HDR, which is useful for those who’re making an attempt to work close to a window, although it nonetheless struggles a bit beneath direct, harsh afternoon daylight.
I ought to point out the eye-care options, too. Honor is obsessive about PWM dimming—5280Hz on this case. I’m not notably delicate to display flicker, however I did discover that my eyes felt a bit much less “strained” after a three-hour binge of The Improbable 4 on Disney+. Whether or not that’s the expertise or only a placebo, I’ll take it.
Efficiency And Actual-World Use
Once you toggle this on, the UI shifts to a windowed setting. I used to be capable of have Chrome, Slack, and a Phrase doc open concurrently with none lag. It’s not fairly a MacBook alternative—Android nonetheless has its quirks with regards to desktop-style file administration—however for a cellular workstation? It’s fairly shut. The 12GB of RAM within the base mannequin appears greater than sufficient for most individuals, although for those who’re a “50-tabs-open” form of particular person, the 16GB model exists for a motive.
The audio expertise is one other excessive level. There are eight audio system tucked into this chassis. Honor makes use of some AI spatial audio tips, and whereas I normally roll my eyes at “AI” being slapped on all the things, the soundstage right here is genuinely large. It lacks the deep bass you’d get from a devoted Bluetooth speaker or possibly a high-end iPad Professional, however for watching films in mattress, it’s unbelievable. It’s loud, clear, and does not distort even once you crank it up.
Battery Life And Charging Realities
The battery life has been surprisingly stable. Regardless of Honor shrinking the battery to 10,100mAh to maintain the machine skinny—down from over 12,000mAh on the earlier model—the effectivity of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 appears to steadiness issues out. I managed to get by way of most of a piece week with sporadic use—emails, some YouTube, loads of internet shopping—earlier than I needed to attain for the charger.
I did just a little casual take a look at: an hour of 4K HDR streaming on YouTube drained about 8% of the battery. That’s roughly 12 to 13 hours of steady playback, which is respectable for a display this vivid and quick. After I did must high up, the 66W charging was a lifesaver. It received me from zero to 55% in about half-hour. Simply take note there’s no charger within the field. I used a appropriate quick charger I had mendacity round, however for those who do not personal one, that’s an additional expense you’ll must consider.
Software program Quirks And Digicam Expectations
Let’s speak in regards to the software program, as a result of that is normally the place Honor (and most Android tablets) hit a snag. It’s operating MagicOS 10 on high of Android 16. It’s easy, certain, nevertheless it comes with a good quantity of “bloatware.” I do not actually need TikTok, Reserving.com, and three random cellular video games pre-installed on my productiveness machine. You’ll be able to delete them, nevertheless it’s an annoying first step when organising a brand new machine.
The cameras are… nicely, they’re pill cameras. The 13Mp rear digicam is okay for scanning a receipt or a doc in a pinch, however the photographs lack element and have a tendency to overexpose in vivid mild. The 9Mp entrance digicam is completely sufficient for a Zoom name or a fast video chat, however the colours are a bit washed out and pores and skin tones look just a little “flat.” It’s a pill; I do not count on it to be knowledgeable digicam, and it is not. It does 4K video at 30fps, which is a nice-to-have, however I can not think about many eventualities the place you’d select this over your telephone for recording video.
Closing Verdict: Is It Price It?
On the finish of the day, the Honor MagicPad 4 is a really targeted machine. It goals for a selected candy spot: individuals who need the construct high quality and display of a Professional-level pill however do not need to pay the four-figure “Professional” tax. It’s thinner than an iPad Professional and has a display that rivals virtually something in the marketplace.
