Honor Pad X9 review

Two 5MP cameras

The Pad X9 has two 5MP cameras at its disposal - one on the back and one on the front. Lenses have the same 27mm equivalent focal length and f/2.2 aperture, but only the rear camera features autofocus. Both cameras support 1080p video recording at 30fps and there's no video stabilization. In terms of sensors, the two cameras seem to use very similar units, which the system reports as C813cnn and C814cnn. We aren't sure which manufacturer these come from, but they seem to be very small 1/5" sensors with a pixel size of 1.12 µm.

We can't be exactly sure, but we suspect the Honor Pad X9 uses the same cameras as the Honor Pad 8.

The camera app is the standard Huawei/Honor app with a more basic feature set to account for the device's limited hardware. You're all but guaranteed to be using both hands for taking photos, and the UI works well in either orientation.

The main camera on the Pad X9 captures decent enough stills considering its hardware limitations. We're getting okay contrast but limited dynamic range. Colors are good most of the time. Sharpness and detail are, well, about alright for a 5MP tablet camera.

Honor Pad X9: 5MP main camera samples

The main camera UI has a 2x zoom toggle. 2x photos are pretty disappointing, primarily since they are very noisy, more so than the regular 1x ones.

Video capture on the Pad X9 is limited to 1080p on both the back and the front cameras. Video from the main camera is pretty decent, again, considering its limitations. Detail is alright for 1080p. Colors are also quite natural and true to life. Dynamic range is, unfortunately, quite narrow with crushed shadows. There is no stabilization.

Photos from the selfie camera are best described as subpar - there is hardly any detal, colors are muted, and dynamic range is limited.

Honor Pad X9: 5MP selfie camera samples

Selfie video capture is good enough for those video calls, and that's about all you need.

Honor Pad X9: 5MP selfie camera 1080p snapshots

Verdict

The Honor Pad X9 has a pretty big and also decently bright LCD, complete with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. It also packs a great six-speaker audio system inside a premium aluminum body with an upmarket build. This makes for a very pleasant multimedia as well as web browsing experience. Honor's competent multi-window implementation also deserves praise and adds some points to the productivity department.

The Pad X9 is missing a microSD slot, which you'd find on several of its competitors. The average battery life and lack of cellular connectivity are easier to swallow on a device that's probably too big to leave the house often, while the chipset's lack of serious oomph doesn't hinder the tablet's use for less demanding applications.

At the time of writing this review, we are seeing some very competitive pricing for the Honor Pad X9. It seems to be going for just under €200 in Europe. The UK pricing is GBP 180 and even as low as GBP 150 on some listings. We also saw a Saudi Arabia listing for SAR 626. These are some very competitive numbers. Still, it might be worth looking at some alternatives as well, like the Xiaomi Redmi Pad, the OnePlus Pad Go or the Realme Pad 2 all of which have larger batteries and expandable storage.

Pros

• Large display with 120Hz refresh rate.
• Premium-level look and feel.
• Loud and high-quality speaker system.
• Android 13, full Google app suite, useful multi-window functionality.

Cons

• No memory card slot.
• Battery life is not amazing, and bundled charger is slow.
• Chipset on the low end of the performance spectrum for the class.