Honor Pad 8 review

Design, build quality, handling

Honor is very proud of the Pad 8's design and build, and we'd say it has every right to be. The anodized aluminum unibody does feel nicely premium and is a step up from pretty much anything else in this price segment.

Matte as it may be, the back panel still picks up fingerprints.

The 6.9mm thickness does add to the upmarket air, as do the flat sides. Meanwhile, the 520g weight is about as low as you can expect from a 12-inch tablet.

That said, it's still a 12-inch tablet and holding it with one hand is only feasible for short periods.

The reasonably-sized bezels strike a good balance between offering enough area to grab onto, all without making the design look dated.

The physical controls you get on the Pad 8 are a volume rocker and a power button, both at the left end of the top edge. Four large speaker grilles, two on each side, allow sound from the 8 speakers to come out, and there is no risk of blocking them with your palms all at once.

The USB-C port ends up on the right side when the selfie camera is up top or, conversely, the camera is to the right of the display, if you're in portrait with the port facing down.

The somewhat unusual proportions of the Pad 8 do make it a bit awkward to handle - there's always significant mass trying to pull away from your hand. That said, the display's 5:3 aspect (15:9) is great for browsing and video watching.