The HONOR Pad V9 emerges as a compelling contender in the mid-range tablet market, aiming to strike a balance between premium features and an accessible price point.

Design and Build Quality
The tablet features a sleek and lightweight design, with a slim 6.1mm profile and a weight of just 475-gms. The unibody metal construction feels premium in hand and contributes to the tablet’s overall durability. The matte metallic finish on the frame and back not only looks sophisticated but also effectively resists fingerprints and smudges. The tablet feels comfortable to hold for extended periods, whether for media consumption or productivity tasks. The inclusion of a double-ring design around the rear camera adds a touch of visual flair. The HONOR Pad V9 comes in two colour options – white and gray.

Display
The 11.5-inch LCD display is a significant highlight of the HONOR Pad V9. It features a sharp 2.8K resolution (2800 x 1840 pixels) and an impressive 144Hz refresh rate, resulting in smooth scrolling, fluid animations, and responsive gaming experiences. The 3:2 aspect ratio is well-suited for both productivity and media consumption. The display supports 1.07 billion colours and covers the DCI-P3 cinema-grade colour gamut, delivering vibrant and accurate visuals. With a peak brightness of 500 nits, the screen remains legible even in moderately bright environments.

HONOR has also prioritised eye comfort with several features, including TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light (Hardware Solution) Certification, Dynamic Dimming (which adjusts brightness based on ambient light), and Circadian Night Display (which reduces blue light emission at night). The inclusion of an AI Defocus Comfort Display further enhances reading comfort by subtly adjusting on-screen content. The display is also IMAX Enhanced certified, promising an optimised viewing experience for compatible content.

Operating System
The HONOR Pad V9 runs on the latest Android 15 operating system with HONOR’s MagicOS 9.0 skin on top. MagicOS 9.0 introduces several AI-powered features and productivity enhancements. The interface is generally clean and intuitive, with smooth navigation and multitasking capabilities. Features such as multi-window support and floating windows enhance productivity, allowing users to run multiple apps simultaneously.

HONOR Notes is a standout app, offering features such as AI-powered voice recording and transcription, handwriting beautification, formula recognition (including LaTeX), and AI Typesetting & Summary for efficient note organisation. The inclusion of HONOR Free Space provides a seamless way to manage multiple tasks with floating windows. Magic Portal aims to provide quick access to frequently used services. HONOR MagicRing allows for cross-device collaboration with other HONOR devices, enabling features such as cross-device network sharing and clipboard.

Internal Specs
The HONOR Pad V9 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Elite chipset, a capable octa-core processor built on a 4nm process. This provides ample power for everyday tasks, multitasking, and even demanding applications and gaming. The tablet also comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. It’s important to note that the storage is not expandable via microSD card. The inclusion of fast UFS storage contributes to quick app loading times and smooth overall performance.

AI Features
HONOR has integrated several AI-powered features into the Pad V9 to enhance productivity and user experience. These include:

• AI Voice Recording Synchronization: Real-time voice-to-text conversion with multi-person and multi-language support.
• AI Typesetting & Summary: One-click note organization with automatic key point extraction.
• Formula Handwriting & Editing: Support for inserting and editing handwritten formulas, including LaTeX.
• AI Voiceprint Noise Cancellation: Filters out background noise during calls and online meetings.
• AI Defocus Comfort Display: Intelligently adjusts the display to reduce eye strain.
• AI Magic Circle: Context-aware tool within HONOR Notes for actions like handwriting-to-text conversion and font adjustments.
• 3D Avatar: A customizable animated avatar that interacts on the lock screen.
• Magic Portal: Provides quick access to relevant apps and services based on on-screen content.

These AI features aim to streamline workflows, improve note-taking efficiency, and enhance the overall usability of the tablet.

Battery
The HONOR Pad V9 packs a substantial 10100mAh battery, which provides excellent battery life. Users can expect to get through a full day of moderate to heavy use without needing to recharge. The tablet supports 35W wired fast charging, allowing for relatively quick top-ups. The power-efficient MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Elite chipset also contributes to the impressive battery endurance. In terms of performance, the tablet feels snappy and responsive in daily use. Apps launch quickly, multitasking is smooth, and even graphically intensive games run well at high settings, often achieving 60fps.

Camera
The HONOR Pad V9 features a 13MP rear camera with autofocus and an 8MP front-facing camera. While the camera system is not the primary focus of this tablet, it is adequate for basic tablet tasks such as video calls, document scanning, and occasional snapshots in well-lit conditions. Image quality is decent for a tablet, with sufficient detail and colour accuracy in good lighting. The front-facing camera is suitable for video conferencing and selfies. The tablet can record videos at up to 4K resolution at 30fps.

Performance
The HONOR Pad V9 delivers a solid overall performance, excelling in several key areas. The combination of the capable Dimensity 8350 Elite chipset, ample RAM, and fast storage ensures a smooth and responsive user experience for a wide range of tasks, from productivity and media consumption to gaming. The vibrant 144Hz display enhances the visual experience, making scrolling and animations feel incredibly fluid. The long-lasting battery life is another significant advantage, allowing you to stay productive and entertained throughout the day. The inclusion of a suite of AI-powered features further elevates the tablet’s usability, particularly for note-taking and multitasking.

Verdict
The HONOR Pad V9 stands out as a well-rounded mid-range tablet that offers a compelling package of features and performance at an attractive price. Its sleek design, vibrant high-refresh-rate display, capable performance, excellent battery life, and thoughtful AI enhancements make it a strong contender against competitors in its segment. While it may lack some premium features like an OLED display, HDR support, and expandable storage, the HONOR Pad V9 delivers a surprisingly premium experience for its cost.

It’s an ideal choice for students, professionals, and anyone looking for a versatile tablet for productivity, entertainment, and everyday use. The availability of useful accessories such as the Magic Pencil 3 and Smart Keyboard further enhances its value proposition. If you’re seeking a feature-rich Android tablet that doesn’t break the bank, the HONOR Pad V9 is definitely worth considering. The HONOR Pad V9 thus walks away with the Gadget Voize Recommended award!

Price: AED 1699

The 2025 ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835LX is ASUS’s latest flagship gaming laptop, designed to deliver desktop-grade performance in a sleek, portable package. With top-tier hardware, a stunning Mini LED display, and innovative cooling solutions, this machine is built to dominate both gaming and creative workloads.

Design and Build
The ROG Strix SCAR 18 features a redesigned chassis inspired by automotive racing, combining aesthetics with functionality. The laptop boasts rounded corners, a reduced hinge gap of just 2mm, and a full-surround RGB lightbar that gives it a futuristic glow.

The tool-less design is a standout feature, allowing easy access to RAM, SSD, and cooling components—a first for gaming laptops. The chassis is crafted from a durable mix of ABS and polycarbonate, ensuring it stays cool to the touch even during intense sessions.

Display
The 18-inch ROG Nebula HDR Mini LED display is a game-changer. With a 2.5K resolution (2560×1600), a 240Hz refresh rate, and 3ms response time, it’s tailor-made for competitive gaming. The display supports 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, Dolby Vision, and G-SYNC, ensuring smooth, tear-free visuals.

The Mini LED technology delivers 1200 nits of peak brightness and over 2000 dimming zones, resulting in unparalleled HDR performance. ASUS’s new Ambient Contrast Ratio film further enhances the experience by reducing reflections by 55% and improving contrast by up to 4.5x.

They also feature our customizable AniMe Vision lighting array on their lids, originally pioneered on our Zephyrus machines. With an array of 810 LEDs shining through precision-milled holes, you can show off your style with a wide selection of pre-made animations, import a GIF of your choice, or animate your own image from scratch.

Specifications
Under the hood, the Strix SCAR 18 is powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, featuring 24 cores and a boost clock of up to 5.4GHz. Paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU (24GB GDDR7 VRAM), this laptop is a beast. The GPU leverages NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture, offering DLSS 4, Reflex 2, and RTX Neural Shaders for next-gen gaming and creative workloads.

The laptop supports up to 64GB of DDR5-5600 RAM and dual PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD slots (upgradeable to Gen 5), ensuring lightning-fast load times and multitasking capabilities. With a combined CPU and GPU power of up to 255W, the Strix SCAR 18 handles AAA games and demanding applications with ease.

Cooling
ASUS has revamped the cooling system with a Tri-Fan design, a sandwiched vapour chamber, and Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal. The rear-exhaust vents keep heat away from the user, while dust filters prevent internal buildup. In Turbo mode, the laptop operates at a noise level of 47dB—quieter than previous generations—while delivering maximum performance.

Audio and Connectivity
The SCAR 18 features a 4-speaker system with Dolby Atmos, offering immersive spatial audio. Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5G Ethernet ensure lag-free online gaming, while Thunderbolt 5 ports provide ultra-fast data transfer and display output. The laptop also includes a Full HD camera with Windows Hello for secure facial recognition.

The laptop is equipped with two Thunderbolt 5 ports (supporting DisplayPort 2.1 and Power Delivery 3.1), three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1 FRL output, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, and an ASUS Slim Power Jack for charging. This comprehensive selection ensures high-speed connectivity, versatile display options, and efficient power delivery.

Software and Customisation
Armoury Crate centralizes system controls, allowing users to tweak performance modes, RGB lighting, and fan speeds. The SCAR 18 also includes GameVisual for optimized display settings and Scenario Profiles for automatic performance adjustments based on the task. A one-month PC Game Pass subscription is bundled, offering access to over 100 games.

Performance
To evaluate the Strix SCAR 18’s real-world capabilities, we conducted extensive testing using the Turbo performance profile with Advanced Optimus enabled (GPU in Standard mode) and the display running at its native 2560×1600 resolution. This configuration represents how most power users would realistically operate the laptop for demanding gaming and creative workloads, allowing us to assess its true performance potential while maintaining optimal system efficiency through NVIDIA’s dynamic graphics switching technology.

Here’s what we got:

GeekBench 6.2.2 64-bit: Multi-core: 20170, Single-Core: 3127
CineBench R15 (best run): CPU 5872 cb, CPU Single Core 321 cb
3DMark 13 – Fire Strike (DX11): 387819 (Graphics – 47910, Physics – 46620, Combined – 12940)
3DMark 13 – Time Spy (DX12): 22412 (Graphics – 21517, CPU – 14511)
PCMark 10: 9312 (Essentials – 11276, Productivity – 10391, Digital Content Creation – 18927)

Battery Life
The entire Strix series comes with sizable 90Wh batteries that deliver excellent endurance for everyday tasks like web browsing and video playback. For quick charging, the included ASUS Slim Power Jack adapter can replenish 50% of the battery in just 30 minutes.

When traveling light, you can still power up via USB-C thanks to 100W USB Power Delivery support, ensuring you’re never left without juice on the go. This combination of long battery life and flexible charging options makes the Strix lineup equally capable for both marathon gaming sessions and mobile productivity.

Verdict
The 2025 ROG Strix SCAR 18 G835LX is a triumph of engineering, blending cutting-edge hardware and performance, a breathtaking display, and innovative cooling into a single package. While its size and weight (3.3kg) make it less portable, it’s a small trade-off for unmatched performance. Whether you’re a competitive gamer, content creator, or power user, the ROG Strix SCAR 18 delivers in every regard.

Price: AED 25999

Availability: The ROG Strix SCAR 18 arrives in UAE stores by late April 2025 with a free ROG backpack. Gaming fans can experience it first at Comic Con UAE from April 18-20 before its retail launch. Early buyers will also receive the Monster Hunter Wilds game (redeemable via Armoury Crate) with purchases made before May 31, 2025. ASUS sweetens the deal with its Perfect Warranty covering AED 500 in accidental damages when registered within 90 days, plus the ROG Elite Rewards program offering redeemable points for gaming goodies and exclusive content.

Product photography by Ryan Chris

The Oppo A5 Pro 5G is positioned as a mid-range smartphone with a strong emphasis on durability and reliability. It’s designed to appeal to users who prioritise a robust device capable of withstanding daily wear and tear. This phone offers a range of features aimed at providing a practical and resilient user experience.

Design and Build Quality
The Oppo A5 Pro 5G’s design and build quality are centered around its exceptional durability. One of its key features is its IP69 water and dust resistance, which provides a high level of protection against water immersion and even high-pressure water sprays. This makes it suitable for use in various environments where typical smartphones might be vulnerable.

Additionally, the device has undergone military-standard testing, specifically MIL-STD-810H, to ensure it can withstand drops and impacts, adding another layer of protection against accidental damage. Oppo’s Splash Touch Technology is incorporated, allowing the screen to remain functional even when wet, a practical feature for users in situations where a wet screen is unavoidable.

The phone’s construction includes double-tempered glass, enhancing screen protection, and an aluminum alloy shield for the motherboard, further contributing to its overall robustness. In essence, the design philosophy prioritises practicality and ruggedness, making it a good choice for those needing a phone that can endure challenging conditions.

Features
The Oppo A5 Pro 5G comes with a range of features that complement its durable design, focusing on practicality and user-friendly enhancements. A notable feature is the Outdoor Mode, a software enhancement that improves location accuracy, automatically enables the speaker for calls, and amplifies alert sounds. This is particularly beneficial for outdoor activities and professions that require clear communication and awareness of surroundings.

To ensure seamless connectivity, AI LinkBoost 2.0 is included to enhance network performance. Glove Mode ensures the screen remains responsive even when the user is wearing gloves. The inclusion of dual speakers enhances the audio experience, and 45W SUPERVOOC Flash Charging provides rapid battery replenishment. For photography enthusiasts, the phone provides AI-powered photo editing tools, including AI Eraser, AI Unblur, and AI Remove Reflections, expanding creative possibilities.

Internal Specs
The Oppo A5 Pro 5G is equipped with internal specifications that provide a balance of performance and efficiency. At its core is the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor, an octa-core chipset designed to handle everyday tasks smoothly. The phone comes in multiple RAM configurations – choose from 8GB + 256GB and 12GB + 256GB.

It also features a 6.67-inch LCD display with an HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, offering smooth visuals and responsive interactions. Powering the device is a 5800mAh battery, designed to provide substantial battery life. The phone runs on ColorOS 15, which is based on Android 15, providing access to the latest Android features and Oppo’s unique software customisations.

Camera Specs
The Oppo A5 Pro 5G features a dual-camera setup designed to capture a variety of photographic scenarios. The primary camera utilizes a 50MP sensor, enabling the capture of detailed images in various lighting conditions. Accompanying the main sensor is a 2MP monochrome sensor, which likely aids in depth sensing or black-and-white photography. For selfies and video calls, the device is equipped with an 8MP front-facing camera.

AI Features
The Oppo A5 Pro 5G incorporates several AI-powered features to enhance both the camera system and overall user experience. The camera system benefits from AI enhancements designed to optimize photo quality across different shooting scenarios. For photo editing, the device includes tools like AI Eraser, which allows users to remove unwanted objects from their images, and AI Unblur, which sharpens blurry photos. AI Remove Reflections reduces or eliminates unwanted reflections in photographs. The AI extends beyond photography, with AI Assistant for Notes improving note-taking functionality.

Camera Performance
The Oppo A5 Pro 5G’s camera performance is suitable for everyday photography. In well-lit conditions, the 50MP main camera captures images with good detail and sharpness, making it capable for general use. However, in challenging low-light environments, the camera’s performance can be inconsistent. Issues such as overexposure and loss of detail did arise during our review period. The device supports video recording at 1080p resolution.

Overall Performance
The Oppo A5 Pro 5G delivers a decent overall performance for typical daily tasks. The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor provides sufficient power for activities such as web browsing, social media usage, and running everyday applications. While adequate for most users, we found the phone’s performance is not exceptional for its price point, particularly when compared to other smartphones in the same category.

Verdict
In conclusion, the Oppo A5 Pro 5G is a smartphone that prioritises durability and reliable build quality. Its IP69 rating, military-grade shock resistance, and practical features such as Splash Touch Technology make it a good option for users who require a robust device. Nevertheless, certain aspects, including the display resolution and overall performance, may not be the most competitive within its price range. If durability is the primary concern, the Oppo A5 Pro 5G is a strong contender.

Pros:
✅ Sleek design with a high-refresh-rate display
✅ Good main camera with useful AI features
✅ Long battery life with fast charging
✅ Smooth, feature-packed ColorOS

Cons:
❌ Plastic build feels less premium
❌ Low-light camera performance could be better

Price: AED 1049

Buy Now: https://amzn.to/4jn1hxJ

Product photography by Ryan Chris