HONOR Pad X8b Review

If you’re looking for a tablet mainly for watching videos, browsing or attending online classes, the new HONOR Pad X8b is one of the options you might come across.

Spoiler alert: it checks a lot of boxes for a budget tablet– ranging from its large display to its long battery life.

But as always, the real experience goes beyond what’s written on paper. So let’s take a closer look at what this tablet actually delivers in everyday use.

Design and Construction

Starting with design, the HONOR Pad X8b keeps things simple and straightforward. The tablet comes in a Space Gray finish that looks minimal and professional, making it suitable for both casual and work-related use.

At just 7.25mm thin and around 499 grams, the tablet feels relatively light for its large form factor.

While I do have small hands, I find it easy to carry around whether I’m using it at home, bringing it to work or just taking it on the go. The flat-edge design adds that modern flair, and I didn’t find it uncomfortable to hold during long sessions.

In terms of build quality, it’s decent for its class. The tablet doesn’t feel premium to my liking, but it also doesn’t feel fragile. It uses a metal chassis in which HONOR claims to have improved drop, crush, and water resistances.

I don’t want to test those myself, but HONOR being known for their “tough phones,” these are some welcome protective measures for a tablet.

For I/Os, in landscape orientation, both the power and volume buttons sit at the top left, with speakers on both sides, and the USB-C port on the right.

No complaints here since it’s a familiar layout that’s easy to use.

Display, Multimedia, and Biometrics

Flipping it to the front, the HONOR Pad X8b features an 11-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and up to 500 nits of luminance in high brightness mode (HBM).

I’d say, the screen holds up pretty well for everyday use whether you’re watching videos, browsing the web, or attending online classes.

The Full HD+ resolution is sharp enough for its size and the 90Hz refresh rate make navigating around feel a bit smoother.

One thing you’ll notice right away is the relatively thick bezels. They’re noticeably larger compared to more premium tablets which can make the design feel a bit dated in my opinion.

That said, they do help when holding the tablet, giving your fingers space without accidentally touching the screen. And it’s still able to provide a comfortable viewing experience.

Talking about the audio quality, it can get very loud which is one of the tablet’s standout traits. Watching videos or listening to music without using earphones won’t be an issue.

However, the quality itself feels a bit boxed in, lacking depth and a wider soundstage. It’s clear enough for dialogues and casual listening, but it won’t provide the most immersive experience.

For biometrics security, you only get face unlock here. That’s right, no fingerprint sensor on this guy, and that’s alright.

Overall, the display is serviceable for everyday use. While the bezels are on the larger side, the loud audio helps make up for it when it comes to media consumption.

Cameras

Moving over to cameras, the HONOR Pad X8b comes with a basic setup which is expected for a tablet. It features a 5-megapixel rear camera and another 5-megapixel over here to the front.

You can expect the cameras to perform very basic yet still functional. The rear camera is best used for scanning documents or quick reference shots while the front camera works for video calls and online meetings.

Image quality is limited with low average sharpness and respectable colors. Shots are usable in good lighting, but quickly fall off in low lighting conditions. There is a beauty filter option, but it doesn’t do much to help the image.

That said, this is typical for tablets in this category and it’s clear that the cameras are meant more for utility rather than photography.

There are other modes available here though, like timelapse and HDR photo. There are also  built-in editing tools in the Gallery for quick touch ups and fixes, so that’s nice.

HONOR Pad X8b sample photos

Mar 31 – Apr 6

The tablet can capture videos at 1080p at 30fps for both the rear and front cameras. In terms of video quality, nothing out of the ordinary here, but like I said, it’s good enough for video calls and online meetings.

To me, as long as expectations are set properly, the cameras serve their purpose.

Rear camera:

Front camera:

Performance and Benchmarks

Now, let’s talk about performance. The HONOR Pad X8b is powered by the Snapdragon 680, paired with 4GB of RAM plus 4GB of memory extension and 128GB of expandable storage.

You heard that right, this tablet comes with a dedicated microSD slot supporting up to 2-terabyte storage expansion.

For everyday use, performance is acceptable. Tasks like browsing, streaming, attending online classes and light multitasking are handled without major issues on my end. It’s not particularly fast but it remains usable for basic needs.

Just take a look at our synthetic benchmarks.

In AnTuTu V11, it got a score of over 400K and it got relatively low Geekbench and 3DMark scores.

When it comes to gaming, this is clearly a casual-use device.

In lighter titles like Pokémon Unite and Blood Strike, the tablet can handle Medium graphics. The games are playable and I didn’t encounter any major stutters.

But with more demanding games like Wuthering Waves, the tablet struggles heavily.

Even at the lowest settings, performance is almost unplayable with frequent lag and noticeable frame drops. But that’s to be expected for an entry-level tablet.

As for thermal management, the tablet warms up slightly during gaming, but it doesn’t get too hot. And for typical usage like scrolling on socials, it remains manageable to hold even during longer sessions.

Performance-wise, while the HONOR Pad X8b has limited processing power, it still works as intended for daily tasks and casual gaming.

OS, UI, and Apps

On the software side, the tablet ships with MagicOS 10 based on Android 16, and in my opinion, the experience is a mix of functionality and some limitations.

The interface is easy to navigate and generally smooth for basic use. However, multitasking is quite limited. There is no split-screen support and you only get one floating window. This restricts how much you can do at once especially on a larger display like this.

You’ll also notice some bloatware and pre-installed apps here. While some may be useful, others feel unnecessary and take up space out of the box. This slightly affects the overall user experience, especially if you prefer a cleaner interface.

Thankfully, they can be easily removed.

Another thing worth noting is the lack of AI features. There doesn’t seem to be support for Circle to Search or other AI-driven functions found on newer devices.

Perhaps these limitations are due to a chipset that can only do so much. So, there’s that.

Battery and Connectivity

One major highlight of this tablet is its solid battery life. The tablet is equipped with a 10,100mAh battery and this one lasts for days.

In our PCMark battery test, it lasted 29 hours and 29 minutes which is an excellent result. And in real-world use, this translates to over a full day and even up to two days of usage depending on your workload.

Whether you’re using the tablet for entertainment or productivity, it can easily keep up without needing to recharge frequently. Maybe that’s why HONOR didn’t bother to specify the charging rate at all. But in my experience, charging it took about two hours.

For connectivity, it has all the essentials except cellular, including Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and USB Type-C.

Verdict

Now, before we move over to our verdict, let’s discuss pricing.

As of making this article, there is still no official price for the HONOR Pad X8b. But if it ends up being priced close to the HONOR Pad X8a, which launched at PHP 7,999, then this could serve as a solid follow-up.

It keeps what worked from the previous model while making a few improvements.

The HONOR Pad X8b seems to be a tablet that focuses on the basics and gets most of them right.

It offers a large display that works well for everyday tasks, very loud speakers for media consumption and excellent battery life that can easily last more than a day. These are the areas where the tablet stands out the most.

At the same time, it has its limitations. Performance is only suited for casual use, the cameras are basic and the software experience feels restricted especially with the lack of proper multitasking features and the presence of bloatware.

If your main use case is watching videos, browsing, attending online meetings and the like, then the HONOR Pad X8b makes sense as a practical and reliable option.

At the end of the day, it’s a tablet that knows its role, sticks to it and delivers a consistent experience within those limits.

What we like:

• Long battery life, easily lasts 1–2 day
• Decent display for casual viewing
• Lightweight and slim for a tablet

What we didn’t like:

• Audio sounds a bit boxed in
• No split screen support
• No notable AI features

HONOR Pad X8b specs:
11-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display (1920 × 1200)
Up to 90Hz refresh rate, 500 nits brightness
Qualcomm Snapdragon 680
Adreno 610 GPU
4GB LPDDR4X RAM (+4GB Honor RAM Turbo)
128GB eMMC storage
5MP rear camera f/2.0 AF
5MP front camera f/2.0
Wi-Fi 5
Bluetooth 5.0
USB Type-C
MagicOS 10 (Android 16)
10100mAh battery
256.91 × 168.46 × 7.25 mm
499g
Space Gray