Honor V6 tablet review with key features

At the end of May, Huawei introduced a new tablet Honor Tab V6. This device was talked about back in November, when the top-end Huawei MatePad Pro was shown. The exact characteristics are still unknown. But the presentation promises many advantages that will make the presented tablet a very popular model among fans of the Chinese manufacturer.

The Honor Tab V6 is a stripped-down version of the MatePad that was released in February and received a lot of accolades from users. Honor 6 has a similar design, stuffing, but at the same time, it embodies last year's idea of ​​​​developers. The company has made its first tablet with support for 5G and the latest Wi-Fi 6+. Our detailed review will clarify and dispel doubts about the need to purchase a new model.

Frame

The reliable case is made of aluminum material pleasant to the touch, with dimensions of 245.2 * 154.9 * 7.8 mm. The weight of the device is 480 grams. The model is available in three colors - black, green, silver-white. The unusual case design with the Tyndall effect, an optical effect of light scattering, attracts attention.

On the back cover, in the upper left corner, there is a large block with one camera and a flash. On the thin side frames there is a button for turning on, adjusting the sound and speakers - voice and creating stereo sound. There is no 3.5mm jack for FM radio.

Screen

The touch screen with a diagonal of 10.4 inches and scratch protection repeats the MatePad Pro. Capacitive touchscreen IPS with 16 million colors has a resolution of 1200 * 2000 megapixels and a density of 224 ppi.

The frameless display takes up slightly less space than its predecessor, only 81%, which, however, is not very noticeable. The aspect ratio is optimal, wide-format video is stretched to full screen, the tablet is convenient to use for games. The display is equipped with a high anti-glare protection, which allows you to use the model with the multi-touch function in bright sunlight.

The front camera is hidden in a round cutout and does not distract attention. This arrangement has become a new trend among manufacturers, but Huawei has moved the black dot of the camera to the left corner and made it almost invisible.

Stylus and Bluetooth keyboard

The powerful matrix of Honor Tab supports work with the Magic Pencil electronic pen. The MatePad model has a similar item.The stylus recognizes up to 4096 degrees of pressure and turns an ordinary tablet into a unique working tool for the artist. The screen is turned on by simply touching the glass with the stylus.

Whether it will be necessary to buy an electronic pen or whether it comes immediately with the Tab V6 is not known. The same can be said about the second accessory. For this model, a keyboard case with full-fledged mechanical keys is presented, connected via a Bluetooth connection.

Characteristics of the internal "stuffing"

CPU

For the novelty, they predicted the installation of Kirin 820 or the nimble Kirin 990, but as a result, the energy-efficient 7-nanometer Kirin 985 became the heart of the tablet. The single-chip system is an offshoot of the Kirin 820 and can support fifth-generation networks, thanks to an integrated 5G modem.

This processor has become a link with the top-end Kirin 990 installed in the MatePad Pro and is second in performance only to it. The chipset has 4 cores A-76 and 4 cores A-55, graphics Mali-G77MP8 and a dual-core neural block NPU.

Thanks to the introduction of the Kirin 985, the company has been able to create relatively inexpensive devices with 5G support and modern features for high-quality video viewing and active gaming. Tablet Tab V6 is a vivid confirmation of this.

Kirin 985 is quite a bit behind the top-end 990 chipset. Thanks to it, Tab V6 can download data at a speed of 2.4 Gb / s. These figures are twice as high as the iPad Pro, which becomes the most important selection criterion.

The V6 tablet has 6 GB of RAM, but you can choose different versions with 64 or 128 GB of built-in memory. Slot for microSDXC allows you to increase the amount of stored information. What maximum expansion will be used, the company did not specify.Perhaps, like the previous colleague, an additional external volume of up to 256 GB will appear.

No Google, there is Huawei

Like previous devices, the novelty comes out in the post-sanctions period for a Chinese company. This means the tablet does not have Google services and the Play Market store. The best manufacturer from China offered alternative versions - App Gallery and Huawei Mobile Services, and the necessary applications can be downloaded additionally.

The Android 10 operating system is supplemented with the Magic UI 3.1 shell, beautiful and convenient. For flagship tablets, new interface functions have been created - multi-window modes within one application, and there is also the ability to fully synchronize several devices on similar shells. For example, control your phone from the tablet screen, drag and drop files and text documents.

Cameras: photo and video

The main single sensor is located on the back of the case and shares a special unit with an LED flash. The 13 MP wide-angle rear camera has a small f/1.8 aperture for good photo clarity.

Of the presented characteristics, we only know about the HDR mode, which can add dynamic range and sharpness to photographs, and autofocus, which allows you to shoot both distant and close objects. The camera also takes panoramic photos created by the CPU from multiple shots.

The front-facing dot sensor, hidden in the left corner, also has an 8MP widescreen resolution and an f/2.2 aperture. The auto-focus selfie camera takes pictures in HDR dynamic range.

The minimal description of modest characteristics does not give an accurate idea of ​​​​how the rear and front cameras will take pictures day and night and whether there are special portrait modes.

At the same time, both cameras can shoot high-quality widescreen video. The Kirin 985 processor, integrated with the graphic Mali-G77MP8, records and plays back video with a resolution of 2K and a frequency of 30 frames per second, which is an excellent indicator. Details about the shooting features will be available after the official start of sales.

Connection

The future popularity of the model is facilitated by the fact that Honor Tab V6 supports all Wi-Fi protocols from outdated to new - a / b / g / n / ac, including the most modern Wi-Fi 6+ to date with the ability to switch dynamic channels. This mode ensures stable communication with the access point. The Hotspot profile allows you to quickly connect and distribute the Internet to other devices.

The novelty has become the first model in its class to support the new fifth generation networks. The use of 5G will allow you to quickly transmit and receive information. For example, a 1080p HD movie loads in just 10-40 seconds.

Advanced A2DP profile for Bluetooth 5.1 audio distribution outputs stereo sound to both speakers of the wireless headphones and allows you to listen to music in high quality.

There is a GPS system. Only GLONASS is indicated, but other international global positioning systems may appear, at least the Chinese BeiDou.

Sound

At the ends of the case, there are four speakers that support the Histen 6.1 3D proprietary sound effect. The tablet has acquired a real stereo with powerful surround and high-quality sound, which is especially pleasing in a budget model. At the same time, the device lacks a 3.5 mm audio jack connector and an FM radio tuner.

Battery

The declared capacity of the non-removable lithium-polymer battery is 7250 mAh, which is really a lot for a tablet with a large energy-consuming screen and a powerful processor.

The autonomy of the device is enough for 11 hours of normal office work, 8 hours of games or 13 hours for cartoons or watching widescreen video. The device is charged with a 22.5W fast charger. To do this, the case has a USB Type-C port.

Additional sensors

The functionality of the tablet involves a standard set of necessary sensors: proximity sensor, light sensor, accelerometer, compass, gravity sensor and Hall sensor. The device does not have a fingerprint reader. Therefore, unlocking is carried out by simply pressing a button on the end or touching the screen with a stylus.

Summary table of technical parameters

Advantages and disadvantages of Honor Tab V6

Advantages:

• attractive design;
• large screen with thin bezels and 2K resolution;
• productive and energy-efficient processor;
• modified shell Magic UI 3.1 with new features;
• stereo speakers;
• a capacious battery holds a charge for a long time;
• fast charging;
• support for 5G networks and Wi-Fi 6+;
• sensitive electronic stylus for drawing.

Flaws:

• no FM tuner;
• no 3.5 audio jack;
• no Google services;
• small amount of RAM;
• Weak rear camera

Preliminary cost and release date

After evaluating all the pros and cons, the consumer decides which company's tablet is better to buy - an expensive one from a well-known company or an inexpensive one from an actively developing Chinese manufacturer.

The MatePad Pro predecessor was a worthy competitor to Samsung in terms of performance and left far behind in terms of price. The new Tab 6 clearly deserves attention and is expected to take high places in the ranking of quality products. It combines many of the company's high-tech developments in recent years. And the average price, according to the tradition of Huawei, may also be budgetary.