Honor MagicPad2 review: a top-tier tablet

Price and availability

Let’s start with the good news: the Honor MagicPad2 is one of the most affordable tablets out there. It starts at just £499.99 in the UK, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In terms of colorways, there’s plain old Black, or you can pick one up via the official Honor site with an exclusive Moonlight White design. Unfortunately, as is the case with this brand’s smartphones, the Honor MagicPad2 isn’t readily available in the US.

Specs

Features and software

The Honor MagicPad2 runs the brand’s own MagicOS 8.0 skin of Android 14, a software any Honor smartphone user should already have some experience with. It’s a pretty clean operating system, ideal for anyone making the leap from the iPad. Better still, this tablet comes light on bloatware out of the box, which is always a win in my book, though the damned Booking.com app is still there.

Of course, it’s 2024, so the MagicPad2 boasts some AI features. Speech-to-text is the most useful, especially if you often find it’s on you to take notes from a meeting. Still, my favorite AI capability is handwriting recognition, which turns my scrawled notes into something that is actually eligible (though the picture above isn’t an example of that). With the Magic-Pencil stylus, you can write in any text box, and just like that, the MagicPad2 comprehends your writing and turns it into text. I prefer using the keyboard, but this is a big bonus for stylus purists.

Design and audio

While the design of the Honor MagicPad2 isn’t going to blow anyone away, it’s nice and practical. It’s also pretty lightweight, at 555g, which is the same ballpark as the iPad Pro and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, and has a slimline build.

If you’re holding the device portrait-style, the power button is on the top right, with the volume rocker adjacent on the left edge, with a single USB-C input for charging on the bottom of the tablet. There are also two speaker grills on each side of the device, which makes sense given that you’re more likely to watch content with the tablet on its side. Again, it’s a simple design, but it’s effective.

While I usually listen to music with headphones in, it’s also worth pointing out how impressive this tablet’s speakers are. The bass response might be the best I’ve heard from a tablet, and while the middle frequencies get a little lost in all the juicy low tones, it’s loud enough not to have to connect to a Bluetooth speaker if you’re using it while doing some chores around the house. Add in the spatial sound design, which makes it feel like the music is coming from all around you, and I’ve got no meaningful complaints in the audio department.

Display

The Honor MagicPad2’s display is gorgeous. Honestly, I could just wrap this section up now; that’s all you really need to know. The 12.3-inch OLED screen offers a viewing experience that is hands down better than any other tablet I’ve tried, and after just a week of testing, I’m already at the point where I prefer to stream on the MagicPad2 over my TV.

Given that it’s also capable of 144Hz refresh rates, a higher rate than the already impressive 120Hz of my Honor Magic6 Pro, you’re also guaranteed silky smooth visuals. Admittedly, discerning the difference between 120Hz and 144Hz is almost impossible, but it’s nice to know you’re getting the best of the best. The screen is plenty bright, too, with a peak of 1,600 nits. That’s bright enough to make the display discernable even under direct sunlight, so you take this thing on your warm weather getaway confident you can stream and game even in less-than-ideal conditions.

Performance

Given that the MagicPad2 utilizes a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset, a stellar mid-range chip, I expected solid performance. Admittedly, this processor isn’t quite as beefy as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 you find in some of the best Android phones of 2024, but it’s no slouch. What you’ve got here is a tablet ready for most of what you throw at it, from almost console-level games like Zenless Zone Zero and Diablo Immortal to streaming high-quality video content on Disney+ and Netflix.

However, there’s a bit of a caveat to the MagicPad2’s performance. While it’s decent enough at running games and streaming content, things can get tricky when you multitask or use processor-heavy apps such as audio and video editing software. It’s one area where Apple is still beating out Honor, as while Honor uses what is essentially a mid-to-high range chipset, the latest iPad Pro’s M4 processor is closer to a PC processor, giving the iPad that extra bit of horsepower.

Battery

The 10,050mAh battery inside the Honor MagicPad2 is pretty reliable when it comes to battery life, offering between seven and just under nine hours of charge if you use it quite heavily. That should cover you for more than half a long-haul flight or an extended period of not wanting to move off the sofa. It’s not quite as long-lasting as the latest iPad Pro, but it beats out fellow Android tablet manufacturer Samsung.

In terms of charging speed, 66W fast charging means you should be able to juice this thing from flat to 100% in just under one hour and 50 minutes using the official kit from the box. These speeds aren’t quite as rapid as we’ve seen with some Honor phones, but given the battery is close to double the size of the Honor Magic V3, it’s not a massive shock. Besides, the MagicPad2 still seems to charge quicker than most other tablets I’ve tried out, so there’s not much to complain about here.

Camera

As far as tablet cameras go, the MagicPad2’s 13MP back camera and 9MP selfie camera are decent enough. The front camera is reliably capable of video calls, while the back camera is a solid backup camera for when your phone isn’t in hand. Outside of that, I still recommend using your phone camera when possible, as even if it’s a bit outdated, it’s still probably capable of higher-quality captures than this tablet.

Accessories

The Honor MagicPad2 currently comes with the Honor Magic-Pencil 3, this brand’s equivalent to the Samsung S-Pen or the Apple Pencil. Admittedly, I’m not a big stylus guy, as I’m no artist, and years of using an iPad without a stylus means I’m adjusted to just prodding away at the screen with my big ol’ sasquatch hands. Still, if you are a stylus fan, you should be happy with this one, as it’s both comfortable to use and boasts super low latency.

While there’s no pen holster, you can attach the accessory to either of the tablet’s magnetic sides. However, in my experience, it’s far too easy for the Magic-Pencil to detach. This is annoying enough if you use the tablet at home, but it also means it’s quite easy to lose the stylus altogether if you’re out and about. I like the idea of a magnetic attachment, but it might need to be a little stronger if we get a MagicPad3 next year.

There’s also the Honor MagicPad 2 Smart Bluetooth Keyboard, which is a lovely tactile keyboard that seamlessly connects to the tablet. This keyboard is nice and wide, and while it lacks a trackpad, it serves as a great option for making notes or taking down ideas if you’re on the move and your laptop has run out of juice. The keyboard also doubles as a case, which has a lovely feel to it, even if I have doubts surrounding its durability.

Should you buy the Honor MagicPad2?

Considering its affordable price point, stunning OLED display, fantastic speakers, and elegant design, it’s hard not to recommend the Honor MagicPad2. It’s a piece of kit that tops off a fantastic year for Honor, with the new tablet, the Magic V3 foldable, and the Magic6 Pro flagship all proving that this is a tech brand that means business. I can’t think of many big names that have brought the heat quite like Honor has in the last twelve months.

Still, there are drawbacks. While the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset inside is competent enough for streaming and gaming, this thing is all work and not so much play, struggling to deal with super-demanding apps and multitasking. It’s also still an Android tablet, which just isn’t as streamlined in the software department as Apple’s market-leading alternative.