Honor launched the MagicPad 4 12.1 in China on 28 September, and on paper it looks like a smaller, cheaper version of the MagicPad 4 flagship that Honor unveiled at MWC in March. Look at the spec sheet line by line, however, and it matches a different tablet almost exactly, namely the Honor Pad 20 Pro, which went on sale in Malaysia on 24 August after appearing on Honor Malaysia’s website in mid-August.
That matters for two groups of readers. Anyone outside China waiting for the MagicPad 4 12.1 to arrive can effectively buy it already under its other name, and anyone shopping for a MagicPad 4 needs to know that the name now covers two tablets with very different screens and chips.
The Two Spec Sheets, Side by Side
The Honor MagicPad 4 12.1 shares its chip, display, battery, cameras, thickness and weight with the Honor Pad 20 Pro, and the only published difference is under a millimetre in width. Honor has not said the two are the same device, so the table below compares what each launch has confirmed.
| MagicPad 4 12.1 (China) | Honor Pad 20 Pro (Malaysia) | MagicPad 4 (MWC 2026) | |
| Chip | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 |
| Display | 12.1-inch LCD, 3,000 x 1,872, 165Hz, 700 nits | 12.1-inch LCD, 3,000 x 1,872, 165Hz, 700 nits | 12.3-inch OLED, 3,000 x 1,920, 165Hz, 2,400 nits |
| Battery and charging | 10,100mAh, 66W | 10,100mAh, 66W | 10,100mAh, 66W |
| Cameras (rear / front) | 13MP / 8MP | 13MP / 8MP | 13MP / 9MP |
| Thickness | 6.29mm | 6.29mm | 4.8mm |
| Weight | 537g | 537g | 450g |
| Dimensions | 277.07 x 180.1mm | 277.1 x 179.3mm | Not compared |
| Speakers | Six | Six | Not compared |
| Launch price | CNY 3,299 (8/256GB) at first sale | RM2,499 (8/256GB) | €700 (12/256GB) |
Chinese outlets including IT Home report the MagicPad 4 12.1 at 537g and 6.29mm, with a 292ppi LCD rated at 700 nits and a six-speaker system, while Notebookcheck listed exactly the same 6.29mm and 537g for the Pad 20 Pro when it appeared on Honor Malaysia’s website in August. The 0.8mm gap in width between IntoMobile’s figure for the new tablet and GSMArena’s figure for the Pad 20 Pro is small enough to be a rounding or measurement difference, but it is the one published number that does not line up, which is why this article describes the two as matching on specifications rather than as a confirmed rebrand.
One Name, Two Very Different Tablets
The more useful comparison for buyers is with the tablet that first carried the MagicPad 4 name. According to FoneArena, the MWC model uses a 12.3-inch OLED panel with 2,400 nits of peak brightness, Qualcomm’s top Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip, and a body just 4.8mm thick and 450g, and it launched in Europe at €700 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The MagicPad 4 12.1 steps down on almost every one of those points. It moves from OLED to LCD with a much lower brightness rating, from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 to the cheaper 8s Gen 4, and it is about 1.5mm thicker and 87g heavier. None of this makes it a bad tablet, since the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 is still a high-end chip and a 3K display at 165Hz is generous for the price, but it does mean the MagicPad 4 name no longer guarantees the flagship screen and chip that defined it in March.
This is also the reverse of the usual order for Honor tablets. The Pad 20 Pro reached Malaysia first, where Lowyat reported a price of RM2,499 at launch, and the matching hardware has now reached China a month later under the premium MagicPad label rather than the Pad name, although Honor has not explained the choice.
The Charging Question Gets a Partial Answer
When the Pad 20 Pro first appeared, its charging speed was disputed, because GSMArena listed 66W while an earlier TÜV SÜD certification pointed to 45W. Chinese launch coverage of the MagicPad 4 12.1 suggests both figures may be right in different ways, since NetEase reports that the tablet supports 66W wired charging but ships with a 45W charger in the box. That applies to the Chinese model, and we have not confirmed what charger Honor includes with the Pad 20 Pro in Malaysia.
The Honor Tablet X10 Pro Max
Honor launched a second tablet alongside it, the Tablet X10 Pro Max, which GSMArena lists with a 13-inch 120Hz LCD, a Snapdragon 6s 4G Gen 2 chip, the same 10,100mAh battery with 45W charging and a price of CNY 2,599 for the base model. It is a budget large-screen tablet aimed at the Chinese market, and Honor has given no indication that it will launch elsewhere.
What This Means for Buyers Outside China
Readers outside China who like the look of the MagicPad 4 12.1 do not need to wait for an international version, because the Honor Pad 20 Pro offers the same published hardware and is already on sale in Malaysia. Memeburn’s earlier Honor Pad 20 Pro guide covers its specifications and the Paperlike Edition in more detail, and anyone who wants the OLED screen and thinner body should look for the original MagicPad 4 specifically, checking the screen size and chip rather than relying on the name alone.
FAQs
Is the Honor MagicPad 4 12.1 the same as the Honor Pad 20 Pro?
Honor has not said so, but the published specifications match: both use the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, a 12.1-inch 3K 165Hz LCD, a 10,100mAh battery with 66W charging, 13MP and 8MP cameras, and a 6.29mm, 537g body.
What is the difference between the MagicPad 4 and the MagicPad 4 12.1?
The original Honor MagicPad 4 has a 12.3-inch OLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip and a 4.8mm, 450g body. The MagicPad 4 12.1 uses a 12.1-inch LCD, the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, and is 6.29mm thick and 537g.
How much does the Honor MagicPad 4 12.1 cost?
Chinese outlets report first-sale prices of CNY 3,299 for 8GB/256GB and CNY 3,699 for 12GB/256GB. GSMArena lists higher prices of CNY 4,199 and CNY 4,699.
Will the Honor MagicPad 4 12.1 launch globally?
Honor has not announced a global launch. The Honor Pad 20 Pro, which has the same published specifications, is already on sale in Malaysia at RM2,499.
The post The Honor MagicPad 4 12.1 Matches the Honor Pad 20 Pro Spec for Spec appeared first on Memeburn.