Honor MagicPad 2 review

MagicOS 8.0.1 on top of Android 14

The MagicPad 2 runs on MagicOS 8.0.1 based on Android 14, but Honor doesn't disclose its future update plans.

UI-wise, nothing has changed since MagicOS 7 - same aesthetics, iconography, menus, etc.

MagicOS 8.0

When it comes to features, the software provides a ton of productivity-oriented ones and much of those aren't available on lower-end Honor tablets. Let's start with the usual ones first.

MagicOS 8.0

The multi-window functionality works well. You can launch apps in a split-screen view via a side menu, which is accessible by swiping from the right edge of the display. Tapping an app from here spawns a floating window, and you can now have two such windows open simultaneously, with every subsequently launched one minimizing one of the earlier ones to a separate icon on the side, opening a separate task switcher. But if you have two apps in floating windows, you can display a third one in full-screen mode, so you can have up to three apps simultaneously running in the foreground.

Multi-tasking features

You can also have an app pair remain bundled together as one entry in the recent apps view, so you can easily close both of them or return to that particular side-by-side workflow.

The MagicPad 2 also supports Honor Connect - a feature that connects all your Honor devices to collaborate, transfer files easily, move your workflow to the other device seamlessly, including apps, and receive calls and notifications. The feature works only on (recent) Honor laptops and smartphones.

Honor Connect

Honor didn't miss the opportunity to include some AI smarts as well. For instance, the tablet uses AI algorithms to reduce background noise during conference calls so that other participants can hear you better. You can also transcribe voice notes in the Notes app.

Voice notes and transcribing

There is also the Magic Portal functionality - you can drag anything you see on the screen onto the bar, allowing you to do a search onn it, email it, or put down a note about it. For instance, you could search online for any item you see pictured on a shopping site like eBay.

You can also select and copy the text in any photo you take.

The Honor Notes app provides excellent writing and drawing experience. The stylus, in combination with the software, provides a large selection of tools and features to take advantage of. For instance, the AI can recognize formulas and geometric figures and straighten them or beautify handwriting.

Notes app

The only thing missing really is a desktop-like mode when connected to an external screen. And speaking of this, there is no video out support through the USB-C port, so your only option for connecting to a bigger screen is via casting/mirroring.

Performance and benchmarks

The Honor MagicPad 2 runs on the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip (4nm) by Qualcomm. It contains an octa-core processor (1x3.0 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4x2.8 GHz Cortex-A720 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A520) and Adreno 735 GPU. It is not the most premium chip on the market, but it is close enough.

The global version of the tablet ships with 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS storage, though in some markets, there are versions with higher RAM (up to 16GB) and storage (up to 1TB).

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is scoring close to the 2023 flagship chip - the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. And while the MagicPad 2 performance is not chart-topping, it is still adequate and flagship-grade.

The Honor MagicPad 2 offers excellent performance and should handle well even games. But what about its sustained performance?

Well, the tablet scored 79% of CPU and 67% of GPU stability - solid numbers for a tablet with a completely passive cooling system.

CPU test • GPU test

Long story short - the MagicPad 2 has plenty of performance with very good stability.