How big does a tablet have to be for it to be considered a device just for home use, and not really for out-and-about? Plus, does another pricey, media-focused Android tablet have a place on shelves today when the competition is so strong?
This is the dilemma faced by the Honor MagicPad 3, and I’ve been trying it out to see where it fits in the modern Android tablet world.
Holding the MagicPad 3
Thin, but not very light
The Honor MagicPad 3 has a massive 13.1-inch screen, and when you attach it to the official keyboard accessory, it’s so large it becomes more laptop than pick-up-and-go tablet.
The good thing is, the tablet on its own is just 5.79mm thick, and the rear panel has a pleasing texture to it, making it great to hold. Its 595 gram (without the keyboard) weight is widely dispersed, so when you do hold it, it takes a while for any fatigue to show up. I don’t think I’d want to use it as an eReader in bed though, it’s just too big.
Honor has worked hard on the screen’s specs, equipping it with a 3200 x 2136 pixel resolution, a maximum 165Hz refresh rate, 1,000 nits peak brightness, and a host of features to help reduce eye strain. Unfortunately, it’s an LCD panel, and it sits noticeably below the bezels, taking away some of the design’s modernity.
Video looks great though, with plenty of color and strong contrast levels, plus it gets more than bright enough for regular viewing inside. There are eight speakers, and they sound great, with lovely strong vocals and no distortion even at higher volumes.
Performance comes from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 16GB of RAM, plus a 12,450mAh battery. A 30-minute video at full brightness and resolution takes 10% from the battery, which does indicate it may not be the most efficient system, particularly if you plan to challenge it with top games.
Working on the MagicPad
Trying out the keyboard
I have also tried out the official keyboard case. It connects to the MagicPad 3 using magnets, and after flipping out the keyboard section, you flip down the upper section on the back of the tablet to support the screen, which is the opposite way round to many other tablet keyboard cases, where the lower section on the rear panel kicks out to support the screen.
The keys are sensibly spaced, and it’s easy to work up to a good typing speed once you’re used to the location of the Enter key. However, the trackpad is very sensitive and often falsely recognized my palm, resulting in it moving the cursor and messing up where I was typing.
The keyboard section is attached to the magnetic rear panel with a thin piece of floppy plastic, and because the keyboard is quite heavy — combined it reaches 1.06kg — the MagicPad 3 tends to move around a little more than I’d like when typing. While it’s decent, the OnePlus Pad 3’s keyboard provides a superior typing experience.
Can the software match rivals?
OnePlus’s OxygenOS is the one to beat
The MagicPad 3’s downside is the software. It’s not terrible, but it lacks some of the finesse and usability of OxygenOS on the OnePlus Pad 3, despite some neat multi-tasking features. However, I prefer MagicOS on tablets more than I do on smartphones, especially as by default it spreads apps across multiple home screens, which I find easier and more natural to navigate.
Honor will also have to watch out for Samsung’s next Tab S11 series tablets, which are rumored to arrive in the near future. Samsung’s One UI 8, should it be installed on the Tab S11 tablets, is excellent, and it’ll be interesting to see how it adapts to use on a tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE uses One UI 7, which still feels like phone software a lot of the time. If One UI 8 is an improvement, it may become the Android tablet software to beat.
Like other Honor products, the MagicPad 3 isn’t going to be officially sold in the U.S., but it is all ready to launch in the U.K., where it starts at £600, which converts to around $805. Its closest rival is the OnePlus Pad 3, which starts at £529. For this you get a very similar screen and overall spec, but with the benefit of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, bringing it right up to date.
A tablet in limbo
Wait and see before buying
Where does this leave the MagicPad 3? In limbo. The design, in-hand feel, screen, and speakers are all excellent, and even in the short time I’ve used it, the battery life has been decent. However, the software needs patience to tune and familiarize yourself with, plus there are better keyboards out there with other tablets too.
Before buying it may be worth holding off to see what Samsung’s Tab S11 series brings in the next few months, looking closely at the OnePlus Pad 3 if you’re after a more high-performance Android tablet, or even the much cheaper OnePlus Pad Lite if you’re just going to watch video and play a few games.
The Honor MagicPad 3 is not quite a must-buy at this stage as there’s so much competition. That said, I’d happily use the MagicPad 3 as a media-focused Android tablet, which it excels at, and leave work for a more dedicated machine, or one that’s lighter and more convenient.
