Honor Pad X9 review

Introduction and specs

The Honor Pad X9 is an inexpensive tablet that seems to be geared towards media consumption more than anything else. It has a large 11.5-inch, 5:3, 1200 x 2000-pixel display with 120Hz refresh rate. Also on board is an impressive six-speaker system.

Its battery is a decently large 7250 mAh, considering the tablet's very slim 6.9 mm profile and relatively low weight at 495 grams - and it even has an aluminum back and frame.

Honor Pad X9 specs at a glance:

• Body: 267.3x167.4x6.9mm, 495g; Glass front, aluminum frame, aluminum back.
• Display: 11.50" TFT LCD, 120Hz, 1200x2000px resolution, 15:9 aspect ratio, 203ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 685 (6 nm): Octa-core (4x2.8 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.9 GHz Cortex-A53); Adreno 610.
• Memory: 128GB 4GB RAM.
• OS/Software: Android 13, MagicOS 7.1.
• Rear camera: 5 MP, f/2.2, AF.
• Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.2.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 7250mAh, 22.5W charging support (10W charger bundled).
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5; BT 5.1.
• Misc: Accelerometer; stereo speakers (6 speakers).

The rest of the Pad X9 specs are nothing to phone home about. The Snapdragon 685 chipset is pretty modern in terms of features but offers modest performance. Connectivity-wise, our Pad X9 lacks any cellular connectivity and only has Wi-Fi ac. We did find an LTE version, but its availability is limited to a few Asian countries. The LTE version also has GPS on board, which our unit doesn't.

One potential pain point for the longevity of the Pad X9 is the modest amount of RAM - only 4GB. Storage-wise, you only get a single version - 128GB with no expandable storage.

Lastly, the Pad X9 has a pair of cameras at its disposal, but neither is particularly impressive. The main cam on the rear is a simple 5MP unit with autofocus, and you get another 5MP snapper on the front, this one with fixed focus, though.

Honor Pad X9 unboxing

The Honor Pad X9 ships in a nice two-piece cardboard box. It is pretty sturdy and offers adequate protection while shipping. There seems to be no plastic in the packaging whatsoever, even though Honor is not bragging about it in any particular manner.

Most modern devices don't come in rich retail packages, so we appreciate anything in the box. In the case of the Pad X9, this just includes a simple 10W (5V@2A) wall charger and a USB Type-A to Type-C cable.