HONOR Pad X9a Unboxing, First Impressions, and Camera Samples - Affordable AI tablet for students

Following its initial teaser, let's now unbox the new budget AI tablet called HONOR Pad X9a.

The HONOR Pad X9a

To recap, the tablet boasts a slim metal design, a 120Hz 11.5-inch 2.5K LCD screen, a 2.8GHz 6nm Snapdragon 685 with Adreno 610 GPU, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, 8,300mAh battery + 35W fast charging, quad speaker setup, Android 15 with MagicOS 9.0 and AI tools.

If you're ready, let's dig in.

Unboxing/Accessories

The box

The HONOR Pad X9a arrived with a large rectangular box bearing the traditional design from HONOR. You could see the tablet print at the front, along with its certifications below.

Inside the box

Opening it up, you'll find the tablet unit itself, a folio Bluetooth Keyboard that acts as a case too, a 35W power brick, a USB-C cable, and paperwork.

The tablet's design

Upon holding the tablet, we notice how sleek and minimalist its design is. It features a full metal unibody to provide durable construction while also maintaining its lightweight body at 475 grams.

Its frame measures just 6.7mm thin, making it easier to slide into your small bag when on the go.

In terms of design, it has a textured dual-tone finish at the back with mostly Grey color on the body and Light Grey for the camera island. You could also spot the HONOR logo at the center as well. 

Additionally, the back cover doesn't attract fingerprints, even if they're oily too, so kudos to HONOR for that. Overall, it provides a professional vibe when looking at the tablet.

The display

In front, you'll be greeted with its 11.5-inch LCD (IPS) display with 2508 x 1504 resolution at 255 PPI, 400 nits peak brightness, and 1.07 billion colors.

The left and right sides

The left side is left blank, while on the right side, you'll find the volume rockers and the power button. Unfortunately, the latter doesn't double as a fingerprint scanner. 

Moreover, there's also a tiny microphone hole which is strategically placed near the selfie camera for your video calls.

The top and bottom views

At the top, you'll find two speaker grills, at the bottom, there are another two speaker grills to complete its immersive quad audio setup, while you could also spot the USB-C port in between those two.

The cameras

For cameras, the tablet uses an 8MP rear shooter, and it doesn't come with an LED flash. At the front, you'll get a 5MP selfie camera.

First Camera Samples

Daylight outdoor camera sample

Indoor food shot

The tablet provides pretty basic details when taking photos outdoors and indoors. Honestly, it feels awkward to be using this, given how large the device is. It gave us a respectable output if you focused on the subject just right. Anyway, you would rather use your phone instead of a big device.

Selfie camera sample

When it comes to the front camera, this is quite important for online meetings or classes. The camera delivers decent results—enough to keep you clearly visible—as long as you have good lighting. Since you’ll likely be using it mostly indoors, that shouldn’t be a problem.

AI features for on-the-go productivity

The tablet offers essential AI tools that may aid students or young professionals in their activities. It has AI Handwriting Beautification, allowing users to transform messy handwriting into neat and professional text.

It also has AI Formula Recognition for converting handwritten equations into digital text, AI Transcription, which allows you to transcribe your meetings into text and get vital information during your discussions.

Furthermore, the tablet also supports real-time translation for seamless cross-language communication using AI-powered translation.

HONOR Pad X9a Specs

Display: 11.5-inch LCD (IPS) screen w/ 120Hz refresh rate, 2.5K 2560 x 1504 resolution at 255 ppi

CPU: 2.8GHz 6nm Snapdragon 685 octa-core processor

GPU: Adreno 610

RAM: 6GB

ROM: 128GB

Back Camera: 8MP f/2.0 w/ AF

Selfie Camera: 5MP f/2.2

Battery: 8,300mAh w/ 35W fast charging

OS: Android 15 w/ MagicOS 9.0

Connectivity: WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1

Sensors: Accelerometer, light

Others: 4x speakers, 1x microphone, USB-C, Colors: Gray

Dimensions: 267.3 x 167.4 x 6.77 mm

Weight: 475 g

Price: PHP 10,999 (tab only), 11,999 (with BT keyboard case)

As of the moment

Now that back-to-school is around the corner, this tablet may be considered as a portable productivity companion, whether you are a student or a teacher, thanks to its essential AI features. This is a fairly capable tablet so far.

It provides a large and clear 11.5-inch high-resolution display, a decent chip, and memory for your multimedia needs. It also comes with a large 8,300mAh battery that will certainly last you a whole day of use, and 35W fast charging.

With Bluetooth Keyboard Case

You get all of those with an attractive starting price of just PHP 10,999.

For now, this is an interesting budget tablet choice for parents out there or young professionals.

This still needs further testing, and we will get back to you once our full review is up.

What do you guys think?