Given how many Android tablets try and fail to steal the limelight (and popularity) from the iPad, it's quite refreshing to see a slate that doesn't try to take a bite out of Apple. No, Honor has clearly identified a key feature for its new Tab 8 and is directly targeting a select audience.
The Honor Tab 8, unveiled at IFA 2022 alongside the Honor 70 and a few other devices, isn't the first tablet we've seen from the company. However, it gets a much wider release than most of the brand's other slates, so it's likely to be the first Honor tab you can go for.
The reason for this extended availability has not been detailed, but we can make a good guess. After Android tablets surged in popularity during the Covid-19 lockdown, many brands ramped up their production of slates, and clearly Honor is joining the party.
But many of them have tried to "do it all," so to speak, and marry the best processors, beautiful displays, and other features, in an effort to match the experience of iPads, the "big dog" in the realm. tablets.
Fortunately, the Honor Tab 8 is different: it's all about the screen. The huge, high-resolution display and long battery life make it ideal for streaming video or performing basic work tasks. Its processor is weak, making it difficult to use for gaming, and software that clearly hasn't been optimized for the tablet experience means you won't be using it as a professional tool. But for entertainment purposes, it is fit for purpose. The low price makes it a more tempting purchase for some users.
Honor Tab 8 price and availability
The Honor Tab 8 costs £269.99 in the UK, which converts to roughly £320 or AU$460, though Honor doesn't sell products in the US and rarely in Australia, so don't expect to see it on sale there. .
For that price, you get 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage; There's not much to choose from if you want more power or storage, though the expandable memory up to 512GB can solve most storage issues.
At this price, the tablet outperforms all iPad models and many other slates from Android phone brands like Xiaomi and Huawei.
The tablet was announced in early September at the IFA 2022 annual tech conference and went on sale immediately.
Design and display
Compared to many other Android tablets on the market, the Honor Tab 8 is quite large.
The 8 does not refer to the size of the slate screen, although this is a convention for tablets; no, this slab has a 12-inch screen, which is more than all the biggest iPads and Androids.
The Honor device is much wider and shorter than Apple's tablets, which is good for watching movies because it better fits its aspect ratio and reduces black bars at the top and bottom. However, there is less space for work documents or games.
It's a good display with 2K resolution, but only a 60Hz refresh rate. We liked using it for browsing streaming services thanks to its size and specs, and also for some gaming, but more on that later. .
In terms of design, it's your standard-looking tablet. It has a USB-C port (but no 3,5mm headphone jack - sorry, wired audio fans) and four surrounding speakers. On the back is a camera bump that doesn't protrude too far, so the slate can lay pretty much flat on a surface.
Cameras and battery life
The Honor Tab 8's cameras are fine for things like video calls and in-app authentication, but you're not going to use them in a photo shoot.
The front and rear cameras are 5MP, which is all you need for most tablet tasks. The front camera also allows you to unlock the tablet with facial recognition, which was generally reliable when we used it. There is no flash on the front camera, only on the rear camera.
We were impressed with the Honor Tab 8's battery life, as it could handle long gaming or streaming battles, without losing much power.
There's a 7,250mAh battery here, which doesn't seem that big considering the size of the screen, but it's certainly fit for purpose. We imagine that it will continue to work during a long road trip or similar without worrying about the battery.
Charging isn't super fast, at 22,5W, but if you power the thing up overnight or in bursts, you'll be fine. For our full review, we timed the time it takes to go from empty to full, but estimate you're looking at around three hours.
There's also reverse wireless charging, which lets you use the slate as a power pad for other devices, so if you have a phone, watch or headphones that can be powered by wireless charging, that could help a lot.
Performance and software
The double disappointment of the Honor Tab 8 - well, weaknesses as it's hard to call them disappointments given the price - is its performance and software.
In terms of performance, you're looking at the Snapdragon 680 chip, which is a low-end processor but not that low, along with 4GB of RAM.
However, we found the tablet to be a bit slow, and that was doubly the case when trying to play a game. ).
Tasks like video editing or playing high-end games would be atrocious on this tablet. Do not buy it if you are going to play intensive titles or have to use demanding applications for work.
The software is another problem, as Android is not well suited to tablets. Many manufacturers have solved this problem by adapting it, with brands like Lenovo and Xiaomi making changes to the formula to make the devices easier to use.
Honor has done no such thing, making this software, for lack of a better word, clunky. Things like menu layout, dropdown menu accessibility, and the amount of space widgets take up seem more suited to smartphones than tablets.
first verdict
The Honor Tab 8 will suit certain audiences. If you want a big screen for things like watching movies or checking email, it's a great option, especially if you don't want to pay for super-expensive big-screen alternatives.
We think of it as similar to the Amazon Fire range: they're designed for entertainment, with weak internals but decent screens, and the Honor Tab 8 is the same, just bigger than all of Amazon's offerings.
If you need a powerful device for work or play, this isn't for you, but if not, it's worth considering. Stay tuned for our full review, however, when we've been using the thing for much longer.