Honor MagicPad 4 review: Amazingly thin
The MagicPad series has always been at the top of the food chain when it comes to Honor slates. And the latest model, the MagicPad 4, is a prime example with its stunning OLED display, ultra-thin design, narrow bezels, and ample performance.
I can't fault this tablet; it's very close to perfection, with one sole issue we have to talk about — availability. It's almost impossible to find this great iPad alternative in the States, and even globally, the MagicPad 4 can be pretty rare, depending on the country you're in.
That said, if you manage to get your hands on a unit, the asking price of £599 in the UK and €599 for the 12/256GB version in select European markets might turn out to be a deterrent. It's not a cheap tablet, but in my opinion it's worth every penny.
Table of Contents:
Honor MagicPad 4 Specs
Thin as a pancake!
Let's start with an overview of the Honor MagicPad 4 specs:
| Honor MagicPad 4 |
|---|
| Size and Weight 273.4 mm x 178.8 mm x 4.8 mm 450 grams |
| Display 12.3-inch OLED Display 93% Screen-to-body ratio 4mm Ultra-narrow bezel Refresh rate: 165Hz/144Hz/120Hz/90Hz/60Hz Resolution: 3000 x 1920 (PPI: 290) Brightness: 2400 nits peak brightness |
| Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 |
| Software MagicOS 10 (based on Android 16) |
| Cameras Rear: 13 MP, autofocus, F2.0 aperture Front: 9 MP, fixed-focus, F2.2 aperture |
| Battery Size 10100mAh silicon-carbon |
| Charging Speeds 66W wired No wireless |
| Prices €599 for the 12B RAM + 256 ROM version €699 for the 16B RAM + 512 ROM version |
Honor MagicPad 4 Design and Display
One of the best OLED displays on a tablet
The design is definitely one of the strongest features of the MagicPad 4. This thing is just 4.8 mm thick, but specs are specs. Holding the slate in your hands is awe-inspiring. It's actually thinner than some foldables on the market (the Galaxy Z Fold 6, for example, is over 5 mm thick unfolded)!
The aluminum unibody is barely as thick as the USB-C port, and snapping the Honor Magic-Pen to the frame shows how thin this device really is. (Hint: the pen is noticeably thicker and looks a bit strange on the upper frame).
On the back there's a square camera bump housing just one wide-angle lens with a 13MP sensor underneath. The Honor logo is actually engraved in the aluminum, and you can feel it slightly deeper into the back panel. Very classy.
Finally, let's talk about the weight. At 450 grams, this 12.3-inch tablet is lighter than the 11-inch iPad Air, which is pretty astonishing. And when we go to the 12+ inch rivals, I can't think of a model that's lighter
The aluminum unibody is barely as thick as the USB-C port, and snapping the Honor Magic-Pen to the frame shows how thin this device really is. (Hint: the pen is noticeably thicker and looks a bit strange on the upper frame).
Finally, let's talk about the weight. At 450 grams, this 12.3-inch tablet is lighter than the 11-inch iPad Air, which is pretty astonishing. And when we go to the 12+ inch rivals, I can't think of a model that's lighter
Unfortunately, the retail box is as thin and lightweight as the tablet itself. There's not much inside, but you still get a powerful 66W charging brick and a USB-C cable. The other accessories, such as cases, keyboards, and the Magic-Pen, are either sold separately or a subject of various bundle offers.
Moving to the next big talking point — the display. Not only is it very bright, but Honor managed to shrink the bezels to around 4 mm. This gives the MagicPad 4 quite a futuristic and premium look.
Last but not least, this screen features most of Honor's eye protection tools taken from the Magic Pro smartphone flagships. Time for display tests.
My initial impressions were validated in our lab. The Honor MagicPad 4 can get extremely bright, if needed. The color accuracy is also very good, on par with the 13-inch iPad Pro. All in all, the OLED panel inside this tablet is the star of the show, so to speak.
There's no fingerprint scanner on board, and in terms of security, you have to rely on the good old PIN or enroll your face and use face recognition. I advise the former, as the latter uses a simple 9MP selfie camera and is not the most secure.
Honor MagicPad 4 Keyboard and Stylus
There's no keyboard or stylus inside the retail box, but Honor launched the MagicPad 4 bundled with both. In the UK you can get the Honor Magic-Pencil 3 + HONOR MagicPad4 Smart Keyboard bundled with your preferred storage option for roughly £50 extra.
In Europe, 700 will get you the base version plus the Honor Magic-Pencil 3, the HONOR MagicPad4 Smart Keyboard, and the Honor Mousebuds earbuds.
As for the MagicPad 4 Smart Keyboard, it's pretty affordable and gets the job done. The keys are big and with long travel, and there are two positions you can place the table when you open the keyboard. There's a more expensive version called the Smart Touch Keyboard, and that one includes a touchpad.
The same goes for the different stylus options; there are several models supported. The bundled Magic-Pen 3 works fine, but the Magic-Pencil 4s is the better version, as it has a physical button near the top for additional features. You can press it to control different apps, press and hold to launch Notes, or double press to activate the eraser feature.
As for the MagicPad 4 Smart Keyboard, it's pretty affordable and gets the job done. The keys are big and with long travel, and there are two positions you can place the table when you open the keyboard. There's a more expensive version called the Smart Touch Keyboard, and that one includes a touchpad.
Honor MagicPad 4 Performance & Benchmarks
Snapdragon 8 but not Elite
The Magic Pad 4 comes with a flagship Qualcomm processor, but sadly, it's not of the Elite family. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 inside this slate is still a powerhouse, and in normal day-to-day tasks, the tablet feels very smooth and fast.
The two storage versions feature different RAM options as well, the 256GB variant comes equipped with 12GB of RAM, while the 512GB model has 16GB on board. 12GB is absolutely fine, but if you want to be futureproof, get the 16GB version.
Let's see how this chip performs in the slim and lightweight body of the Magic Pad 4.
The two storage versions feature different RAM options as well, the 256GB variant comes equipped with 12GB of RAM, while the 512GB model has 16GB on board. 12GB is absolutely fine, but if you want to be futureproof, get the 16GB version.
CPU Performance Benchmarks:
Synthetic benchmarks confirm the real-life experience - the tablet is plenty fast, toppling the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. The iPad Pro is still undisputed champion here thanks to the M-series chips, but the MagicPad 4 is not a slouch.
The GPU benchmark failed to install and we tried everything we could but to no avail. A quick search revealed other reviewers struggling with benchmarks as well. It's not clear whether this is a software issue or a deliberate move. I played a few games on the tablet, including some pretty heavy ones (Genshin Impact), and there were no issues with graphics or framerates. Make of that what you will.
Honor MagicPad 4 Software
Honor keeps on perfecting its MagicOS UI skin on top of the usual Android base. This time around, we're talking about MagicOS 10 and Android 16. This is by far the most complete and powerful version of MagicOS I've tested so far.
In terms of software support, Honor promises six years of major Android updates (at least in the EU).
Honor MagicPad 4 Audio Quality
The Honor MagicPad 4 comes equipped with eight(!) speakers and also features Honor's Spatial Audio. The sound is very rich and detailed, given the thin body of the tablet. Bass frequencies can be physically felt when you're holding the slate watching movies or listening to music.
I was really surprised by the sound quality, especially watching IMAX Enhanced content. This tablet supports DTS:X sound, which preserves the full dynamic range of the original movie mix.
The Spatial Audio feature is hit and miss — thanks to the eight speakers, when it activates properly, you get a pretty good simulation of surround sound. Other times it's not as impressive. But overall, the sound system on the Magic Pad 4 is very, very good.
There's no haptic feedback on the tablet, but it's not uncommon or unusual in tablets.
The Spatial Audio feature is hit and miss — thanks to the eight speakers, when it activates properly, you get a pretty good simulation of surround sound. Other times it's not as impressive. But overall, the sound system on the Magic Pad 4 is very, very good.
Honor MagicPad 4 Battery and Charging
The Honor MagicPad 4 comes equipped with a big 10,100 mAh silicon-carbon battery, even though it weighs only 450 grams and it's super thin at 4.8 mm. The downside is that there's just no physical space for wireless charging coils; hence, there's no wireless charging.
Four and a half hours is kind of the average, and both the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and the iPad outscored the MagicPad 4. In reality, I would rather keep the lightweight design and sacrifice some battery life. I know it's a bit controversial, but tablets often live at home, close to the charger. But let's see the detailed battery scores.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
Looking at the segregated scores above, it's clear that the YouTube streaming test dragged the MagicPad 4 down in the final aggregated score. I have a good theory about this. We conduct this test at full volume, and having eight speakers at full blast can drain the battery rather quickly.
We can't run the test differently for consistency reasons, but having the volume down should extend watching video content significantly. As for charging, the 66W charger provided in the box managed to charge the battery from zero to full in 1h 22min, which is a pretty good result.
We can't run the test differently for consistency reasons, but having the volume down should extend watching video content significantly. As for charging, the 66W charger provided in the box managed to charge the battery from zero to full in 1h 22min, which is a pretty good result.
Honor MagicPad 4 Camera
Basic
Tablets and cameras - these two don't go well together and it's been the case for decades. The Honor MagicPad 4 is no exception. It's somewhat understandable, who would try and use a tablet for a shooting session, but slapping a decent camera on those things won't hurt, right?
We have a 13MP camera on the back, listed as an "autofocus" one, and a 9MP front camera with fixed focus. Enough about specs; they're pretty sparse anyway. Let's take a look at some samples.
We have a 13MP camera on the back, listed as an "autofocus" one, and a 9MP front camera with fixed focus. Enough about specs; they're pretty sparse anyway. Let's take a look at some samples.
Video Quality
Unsurprisingly, the 4K video sample is nothing to write home about. The exposure is a bit low, the dynamic range is pretty narrow, and colors seem a bit washed out. But it is what it is - you probably won't find yourselves recording videos with this (or any other) tablet all that often. Off to the photo samples.
Photo Quality
Still images are a bit better than the video sample; the exposure is a tad better, photos are not as dark, and there's some additional color here and there, but overall, all the drawbacks from the video section can be seen here as well.
The front camera produces decent colors, the skin looks natural, and the yellow jacket kind of pops out in a pleasant way. That said, the level of detail is not great, courtesy of the 9MP sensor. Overall, for a quick video call or a meeting, the MagicPad 4 will suffice, but don't expect miracles from the camera system.
The front camera produces decent colors, the skin looks natural, and the yellow jacket kind of pops out in a pleasant way. That said, the level of detail is not great, courtesy of the 9MP sensor. Overall, for a quick video call or a meeting, the MagicPad 4 will suffice, but don't expect miracles from the camera system.
Should you buy it?
Absolutely! That is if you can find one. Sourcing the MagicPad 4 in North America could be rather difficult, and even in some European countries, availability isn't great. If you're based in the UK, you're in luck; Honor has a strong presence on the Albion.
But if you manage to get your hands on one of these beauties, you'd be delighted. It's one of the thinnest tablets I've ever reviewed; it's lightweight and comfortable, the bezels are narrow, and the screen itself is a marvel to look at.
You also get good performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and the sound system is brilliant! These are pretty important areas in a slate, and I can forgive the mediocre camera performance and the lack of wireless charging. Overall, as far as flagship OLED tablets go, this one is great.
But if you manage to get your hands on one of these beauties, you'd be delighted. It's one of the thinnest tablets I've ever reviewed; it's lightweight and comfortable, the bezels are narrow, and the screen itself is a marvel to look at.
You also get good performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and the sound system is brilliant! These are pretty important areas in a slate, and I can forgive the mediocre camera performance and the lack of wireless charging. Overall, as far as flagship OLED tablets go, this one is great.
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