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There was a time when "audit" meant conducting a periodic look back at what happened. That changed with digital transformation.

Windscribe's free plan is one of our favorites. It comes with a reasonable amount of monthly data, servers in key locations, and a long list of security tools that aren't hidden behind paywalls and upgrades.

Windscribe Free isn't without its downsides, though. A free VPN will always struggle to keep up with premium providers, and Windscribe's paid plan doesn't land in our overall rankings of today's best VPNs. However, if you need a free VPN that'll improve your overall online privacy and throw in some reliable tools, too, well, Windscribe Free does the job.

Keep reading, and we'll cover Windscribe Free from top to bottom, covering everything from its lightweight UI to its unblocking capabilities.

Features

Windscribe Free gives users 10 GB of data per month to use as they see fit. This is fairly generous and should be enough to get you through four weeks, but it will run out quickly if you use Windscribe Free for streaming or online gaming. However, there is the option to post on X for an extra 5 GB a month or upgrade to unlimited data for $3 a month.

If you’d rather not shout Windscribe Free’s praises from the rooftops or provide an email during signup, you’ll still receive 2 GB of data a month. It’s a great option for the more privacy-conscious who find themselves in need of a reliable free service.

We were also glad to see that Windscribe Free offers unlimited simultaneous connections. That means you can share your login details with friends and family without worrying about how many people are using the VPN at any one time. The same goes for Windscribe’s paid plans, too, if you choose to upgrade.

Windscribe Free Windows app (Image credit: Windscribe )

Windscribe Free offers up most of the core VPN features you'd expect from a well-known name in the industry. There's a kill switch, called Firewall, that's easily accessible in the Windows, Android, and Linux apps, and we found that it was pretty easy to toggle on and off.

Firewall is set to "Automatic" mode by default. This means that it's toggled on whenever you connect to a Windscribe Free server, so you'll remain protected even if the VPN connection fails for some reason. It also means that Firewall will toggle off whenever you manually disconnect from a server. The "Automatic" setting is the one that most people will use, as it removes the need to flip Firewall on and off manually.

Some folks will want to maximize the protection offered by Firewall, however, and the "Always On" option does just that. It blocks internet access entirely until you connect to a Windscribe Free server, reducing the risk of divulging any identifiable information. It'll certainly add extra steps to your usual browsing routine, but if you're considering it, you're probably at peace with trading a bit of convenience for a lot of security. We're ultimately glad that the free version of the VPN offers it.

The same goes for the auto-connect feature, which is customizable, and the split tunnelling tool. Both of these features are often excluded from free VPNs, so it's great to see that Windscribe Free doesn't water down its offering.

We were impressed by how customizable the split tunnelling tool is, too, especially compared to other free VPNs on the market. The only downside here is that it's not available on iOS. There are two modes to choose from: "Exclusive" allows users to build lists of apps that won't route traffic through the VPN tunnel, which is how most split tunneling tools work.

"Inclusive" works slightly differently, and lets you build a list where only the apps on it will have their traffic routed through the tunnel. It's a real time-saver if you only intend to use Windscribe Free for a few specific purposes (like unblocking streaming platforms) and aren't hugely concerned about your privacy.

The real star of the show, however, is R.O.B.E.R.T. - Windscribe's built-in ad and malware blocker. Paid users get more out of the tool, but it's still available and effective on the free plan, and works quietly in the background to flag potential risks. During testing on our Windows 11 Chromebook machine and iPhone 13, we found that it was effective at steering us away from malicious domains and removing invasive ads.

During our review process, we assembled a list of 50 brand-new malware-hosting links and pitted Windscribe Free against them. The provider successfully blocked 30% of these threats. It also blocked 76% of phishing links we tested it with, and, most impressively, 97% of ads.

We were intrigued by Windscribe Free's claim that none of its tools are hidden behind a paywall. That's not the norm, after all, and we just had to put the boast to the test. Windscribe Free says that its premium and free users have access to the exact same roster of tools and, well, we found that this is mostly true.

For a start, free users miss out on port forwarding, which is readily available to paid users. You'll also need to pony up for a subscription to take advantage of Windscribe's full server network spanning 71 countries - and not the meagre 10 that free users have access to. Similarly, some advanced aspects of R.O.B.E.R.T are only available to paid users.

Features score: 7/10

Server network

Free VPNs don’t offer as many servers in as many places as premium VPNs – and Windscribe Free is no exception.

Windscribe Free has servers in 10 countries (and 13 locations), total: USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.

It's a pretty good spread for a free VPN. Proton VPN Free matches it, but doesn't allow users to actually pick which server they'd like to connect to. We're glad that Windscribe does things differently.

The server distribution is heavily weighted towards Europe, which may be an issue for folks in Asia, Africa, or South America looking for a nearby VPN server to connect to in order to maximize their performance.

Windscribe Free's server location list (on Windows 11) (Image credit: Windscribe )

We think that including a free server in Hong Kong is a pleasant surprise, as very few VPNs typically offer servers in or around China, even if they charge a subscription fee.

Windscribe Free claims that all of its servers are physically in the countries that they're advertised in. So, no virtual servers. It's something we had to see for ourselves.

After we ran some tests, we were pleased to learn that Windscribe Free lives up to its word. We didn't find any discrepancies between the advertised locations and the reality. This means that, if you need to connect to a specific location to access content, sports, or sites from back home, you can rest assured that the server will be right where it needs to be (and not on the other side of the world).

During testing, we found that Windscribe’s Free servers didn’t suffer from any discernible congestion, as the VPN doesn’t shunt free users into specifically designated free servers (which could cause slowdown).

Plus, Windscribe Free makes it perfectly clear which servers are restricted to paid users in the app, marking them with a star icon.

Server network score: 4/10

Apps

Windscribe Free is available for all of today’s most popular platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and even Linux. In fact, we found Windscribe Free's Linux GUI to be one of the best on the market. It looks and feels just like the other desktop apps.

Additionally, Windscribe Free is compatible with Fire TV and Apple TV, and has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. Windscribe Free doesn't support routers, however, and you'll need to upgrade to a paid plan to download the necessary configuration files.

During our day-to-day use, we found Windscribe Free’s apps to be basic and serviceable. The core features, like the on/off switch and server list, are easy enough to navigate, but the layout proved to be unintuitive – especially compared to the polished offerings from PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN.

We did enjoy that the experience remained similar across all platforms, although there are a handful of key differences to point out. The iOS app, for example, lacks split tunneling, and the Mac app doesn't support split tunneling for apps (meaning you can only exclude specified IP addresses or hostnames).

Finally, Windscribe Free's Android and iOS apps don't have a standard kill switch/firewall, but they do come with an Always-On VPN option, which works in a similar way.

Apps score: 7/10

Ease of use

Windscribe Free’s apps, while easy enough to set up and navigate, were not our favorite to actually use.

We found that the installation process was a piece of cake, however. Simply download the Windscribe Free app from the website, run through the installation wizard, and log in with credentials when prompted.

Windscribe Free opens as a small tile, similar to ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access, and clicking on options, like the server list or settings, expands dropdown menus and new tabs to explore.

We found this to be relatively easy to navigate through – the large on/off button makes connecting to a server nice and quick, and it was great to see that Windscribe Free clearly states how much data remains for the month (and gives users the option to upgrade to a paid plan).

Some of the visual elements of Windscribe Free look pretty snazzy. When we chose a location, for example, the background of the app changed to a hi-res flag, and the location list drops down like a physical panel when you click or tap it.

During our testing process,, however, we did notice areas where the UI was not as intuitive as it could (or should) be – on both desktop and mobile.

Windscribe Free's settings menu displayed on a Windows 11 machine.WindscribeWindscribe Free's settings menu displayed on a Windows 11 machine.WindscribeWindscribe Free's available protocols, as displayed on a Windows 11 machine.Windscribe

For a start, changing VPN protocol isn’t signposted clearly. You need to tap or click the protocol to choose which one you use, and this might seem obvious, but VPN newbies may be unaware that this text is a clickable element at first glance.

Similarly, there’s an odd gap between the “Firewall” text and the actual toggle switch, which had us wondering, at first, if it was something else that wasn’t labeled.

Finally, Windscribe’s settings could be grouped more intuitively. Currently, users have to do a lot of scrolling to check out all of the options and toggles which, on a mobile device, gets tiresome quickly – especially when we were just looking for one setting in particular.

These are small design quibbles, but today’s top VPNs have truly mastered the art of crafting consumer-friendly apps that don’t raise these questions, which puts Windscribe Free on the back foot in terms of ease of use.

Ease of use score: 6/10

Speed and performance

Windscribe Free impressed us during our in-house performance tests. We recorded respectable speeds of 1594 Mbps using the WireGuard protocol, marking it as one of the quickest free services available today. As you might expect, however, Windscribe's premium version was faster, clocking in at 2263 Mbps.

We found that these speeds correlated to a smooth, seamless browsing experience where we forgot that Windscribe Free was even running in the background. This was the case regardless of whether we were connected to a local UK server or a transatlantic US server. This kind of consistency is fantastic, and even the lowest speeds we recorded, of 466 Mbps, are more than the average user needs for a stress-free browsing session.

One thing to note is that Windscribe Free took over five seconds to connect to a server when we began our testing process. Subsequent connections only took a fraction of a second, however, which is what we’d expect to see, so we can’t totally knock the service.

Speed and performance score: 6/10

Unblocking

Free VPNs typically struggle when it comes to accessing streaming platforms, as they don’t have the resources necessary to evade VPN bans and blacklisting. Plus, with limited monthly data caps, free services aren’t all that suited to movie marathons or binge-watching.

The good news is that, for us, Windscribe Free accessed Netflix without any hiccups at all. We were able to browse through the UK, US, and Canada libraries without waiting an age for the page to load.

Similarly, Disney+ worked like a charm alongside smaller regional services, including BBC iPlayer, ITV, and Channel 4. YouTube US proved problematic for every VPN, so it's no surprise that Windscribe failed here, while it also had occassional problems with Amazon Prime Video.

The picture quality of these streams was high-quality, too, and we didn’t experience any dropouts or stuttering, which is in large part due to Windscribe Free’s excellent speeds.

However, as mentioned earlier, streaming in HD or 4K gobbles up a lot of data, so you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to really enjoy Windscribe’s streaming capabilities (and its dedicated Windflix servers).

If you're looking for a solid VPN for torrenting, however, Windscribe Free doesn't quite achieve a perfect score. While the service allows P2P traffic across all of its free servers, the port forwarding tool is reserved for paying customers, which means you may run into issues when seeding files.

Unblocking score: 7/10

Privacy and Security

Windscribe supports a variety of VPN protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. WireGuard uses ChaCha20 encryption, and OpenVPN and IKEv2 use AES-256 encryption. The WSTunnel (OpenVPN over web sockets) and Stealth (OpenVPN over SSL) are also included in the mix, and are designed to bypass VPN detection.

We were able to switch between them easily – although the app did fail to connect at first when using the WireGuard protocol. After switching to IKeV2 and back again, however, the issue resolved itself.

This selection of protocols is pretty par for the course, and we found we had the best overall experience with WireGuard, as it’s a fantastic blend of speed and security.

OpenVPN is a better pick for the security-conscious, though you can expect slower overall speeds. IKEv2, as it automatically reconnects, tends to be the option of choice for mobile VPN users.

During testing, we found Windscribe Free’s R.O.B.E.R.T. tool to be especially effective. We didn’t encounter any ads while going about our day-to-day browsing while it was enabled.

It won’t take the place of a dedicated ad-blocker, but it’s a nice additional layer of security that can help save that precious data by preventing ads from loading and eating it up.

R.O.B.E.R.T. is also customizable, though we found that free users can’t tweak it quite as much as its paid counterparts. For example, R.O.B.E.R.T. allows free users to create just 3 custom rules for blacklisting sites and IPs, and customizable blocklists can only contain ads and malware, and not the adult content, cryptocurrency, social media posts, and more that paid users can add to the mix.

Windscribe’s censorship circumvention tool claims to be able to evade VPN blocks in highly restricted territories – though the service is cagey about how it actually works.

We appreciated that Windscribe Free offers other options for privacy purists, like the ability to pay with cryptocurrency. Plus, users have the option of whether to hand over an email address or not during sign-up. This gives users more control over how much identifiable data they hand over to the VPN.

Finally, Windscribe Free is quietly preparing for a post-quantum world by boosting its KEM (Key Encapsulation Mechanism) in TLS and OpenVPN protocols. In Windscribe's own words, this means: "Our encryption covers more than a 14-year-old boy with a bottle of Axe body spray".

Privacy and security score: 7/10

Track record

Windscribe Free abides by a clear no-logs policy that, refreshingly, is easy to read through and digest. It makes it clear that the VPN isn’t interested in collecting or storing identifiable data.

However, it hasn't always been smooth sailing. Back in June 2021, two Windscribe servers were seized by Ukrainian authorities, though the VPN asserts that it has: "[....] no reason to believe that the servers were compromised or that there was any unauthorized access before seizure."

Given that, on the disk of these two servers, there was an OpenVPN server certificate and private key, a bad actor could feasibly impersonate a Windscribe VPN server and capture and decrypt traffic. This is, however, extremely unlikely, and Windscribe Free invited third-party auditors to comb through its infrastructure to confirm its safety.

This is exactly what we like to see, but this audit took a seriously long time. Windscribe intended to complete the audit in 2021, but the full audit wasn't released to the public until the summer of 2024.

It is also worth noting that, according to recent release notes, there's a "known issue" with the Circumvent Censorship feature – where it does nothing when using the TCP protocol. That could be a major issue for folks living under an oppressive regime who were drawn to this tool, and we'd prefer it if Windscribe Free warned users about the issue when they select TCP and enable Circumvent Censorship. Currently, the only way to figure out that this hiccup even exists is by reading the release notes, and not everyone is going to do that.

Windscribe is headquartered in Canada, a country that’s part of the infamous Five Eyes Alliance, an intelligence-sharing network. Windscribe claims that this “doesn’t matter”, but given the scope of past NSA surveillance, it’s something that users should decide for themselves.

Track record score: 6/10

Windscribe explains that there's no long-term logging, save for what's necessary to work out data usage (Image credit: Windscribe)Customer support

Windscribe Free offers all of the most common avenues of customer support you’d expect from a VPN: live chat, email ticketing, FAQs, and a knowledge base.

During testing, our first port of call was Garry, Windscribe’s AI chatbot. It was able to point us in the direction of well-written articles related to our problem. When it comes to responses from the support team beyond Garry, however, Windscribe warns that it ‘aims’ to reply to your initial ticket within "24 hours", and that "Free users might wait a little longer than Paid users."

Windscribe has also built a chatty userbase in its years of operation, and users have the option of joining the conversation on Reddit and Discord if they want to do some community troubleshooting.

Customer support score: 6/10

Pricing and plans

Windscribe Free doesn't cost a penny, though users have the option to upgrade at any time.

A monthly subscription costs $9.00, which makes the yearly plan a better budget-saving option at $5.75 a month. Windscribe also lets users create their own plan, if they're so inclined, charging $1.00 a month per location.

These prices are pretty steep. Even ExpressVPN, the most expensive VPN in our top rankings, comes in at $4.99 per month (for a 2-year plan). Ultimately, if you're after a feature-rich VPN service that can handle ads, trackers, and malware, it's worth checking out NordVPN, instead, which costs just $3.09 per month if you pick up a 2-year plan.

Pricing and plans score: 4/10

Should you use Windscribe Free?

Windscribe Free is a decent free VPN that has your back if you need VPN protection for absolutely no cost. The addition of R.O.B.E.R.T., a wide selection of server locations, and speeds that rival premium providers make it a fairly tempting option – but it’s let down by its apps.

We found Windscribe Free’s interface to be clunky, especially on mobile, which could be a deal-breaker for VPN newbies looking for the best VPN for beginners. In that case, you’d be better off with Proton VPN or PrivadoVPN, both of which offer more user-friendly apps.

However, if your main use case is scrolling through social media, checking emails, and other day-to-day activities, Windscribe Free will serve you well, so long as you're not using it for anything mission-critical.

Overall score 60/100

Windscribe Free alternatives

1. PrivadoVPN – from $1.11 per month
The best free VPN overall
PrivadoVPN is our favorite free VPN. It packs a lot of functionality into its free plan – and, like Windscribe, is able to reliably access streaming platforms. Add sleek apps into the mix, as well as a 10 GB monthly data allowance, and you have a free service that truly ticks every box.View Deal

2. Proton VPN – from $4.49 per month
The best secure free VPN
Proton VPN Free can't quite keep up with PrivadoVPN Free when it comes to streaming, but if privacy is your main concern, you'll want to check out its full roster of tools. It's also worth noting that Proton VPN doesn't impose a monthly data cap on its free users, meaning you won't have to ration out your browsing, and a recent update made its Windows and mobile apps even easier to use. What's not to like?View Deal

3. Surfshark – from $2.19 per month
The best cheap VPN (and also the fastest)
If you're open to a paid commitment, Surfshark is a stellar choice that won't break the bank. In exchange for as little as $2.19 a month, you'll have access to servers dotted all over the globe, a full security suite, and the fastest speeds we've ever recorded in our in-house testing. As a result, Surfshark is one of the very best Netflix VPNs on the market. You can try Surfshark out in your own time, risk-free, with a handy 30-day money-back guarantee.View Deal

Windscribe Free FAQsWhere is Windscribe based?

Windscribe is headquartered in Canada. From a privacy perspective, this raises concerns due to the country's involvement in the Five Eyes Alliance intelligence sharing network. Windscribe's free and paid plans both adhere to a no-logs policy, however, though we'd like to see the provider invest in a third-party audit of the policy and its apps.

How to get free Windscribe data?

Windscribe Free gives users 10 GB of data per month. However, it's possible to claim an extra 5 GB of monthly data by posting about the service on X.

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The Honor MagicPad 4 impresses with its stylish, thin design, excellent specs, and incredible value for money.

Honor MagicPad 4: Two-minute review

With the Honor MagicPad 4, it’s hard not to think that the Chinese tech brand read my Honor MagicPad 3 review last year and set out to address every single criticism that I raised.

Honor advertises the MagicPad 4 as the slimmest tablet on the market — and for our money, that’s true. At just 4.8mm, it's incredibly thin (beating the already impressively slim 5.1mm iPad Pro by a slight margin), which, combined with its light 450g weight, means the MagicPad 4 is a massive 12.3-inch tablet that’s easy to travel with and even hold comfortably in one hand.

Although being the thinnest tablet makes for a decent ad campaign, it’s actually the wealth of other upgrades that put the Honor MagicPad 4 among the best Android tablets right now. Seriously, Honor fixed everything negative that I pointed out last year — it’s almost a little uncanny.

The display is a gorgeous 3K OLED with a butter-smooth 164Hz OLED (compared to last year’s less vibrant LCD) and a superb 2,400-nit peak brightness. Paired with an incredibly punchy eight-speaker stereo setup, this has become my go-to tablet for media consumption both at home and while travelling.

With a viewing experience this good, it’s almost no surprise that this is one of the few IMAX Enhanced-certified tablets on the market. An OLED panel is no small feat at this price range, too, and the vibrant colors alone put the MagicPad 4 lightyears ahead of similarly priced competitors like the OnePlus Pad 3.

(Image credit: Future)

The divisive plastic material of the MagicPad 3 is also out, replaced with a full metal unibody chassis that looks very premium and is so much better to the touch.

This design refresh has been paired with a subtle spec upgrade under the hood. The MagicPad 4 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, which is not quite the latest flagship chip, but a high-end offering that powers through productivity and holds its own in demanding games. You also get a beefy 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (upgraded to 16GB and 512GB, respectively, if you splash out for the more expensive model that I tested).

Even this tablet's software has received a noticeable upgrade. MagicOS 10 is more Apple-like than ever (complete with its own version of Liquid Glass), but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

As an ex-Apple user, I really appreciate the familiarity of MagicOS, and find that it’s perfectly easy-to-use while still offering a decent level of customization. Importantly, though, this latest incarnation finally introduces a proper desktop mode with taskbar and apps in resizable windows, and it’s hard to overstate how much of a difference this makes to productivity.

(Image credit: Future)

I just about managed a full day of work with the MagicPad 3, but it was a little fiddly and awkward at times. Now, I can pack the MagicPad 4 for any business trip and, having already brought it with me on a couple, I haven’t found myself missing my laptop yet.

Obviously, your mileage will vary depending on your specific tasks and software, but for my day-to-day work of responding to emails, updating spreadsheets, and typing away in Google Docs (with the optional keyboard add-on), I can’t complain.

The only possible flaw here is the battery, which is smaller than that of the MagicPad 3. Still, the MagicPad 4's battery life remains excellent, and this tablet will easily put up with hours and hours of video playback in a single sitting.

Honor MagicPad 4 review: price and availability

• Starts at £599.99
• Expect regular discounts and freebies
• Not available in the US or Australia

The Honor MagicPad 4 is available via Honor's website, where it starts at £599.99 for a 12GB + 256GB model. You can upgrade to the 16GB + 512GB model that I tested for an extra £100. That’s already amazing value for the specs (you’d struggle to find anything in this price range with an OLED screen alone), but as with other Honor products, you can expect a deluge of discounts and freebies to crop up throughout the year.

At the time of writing, you can nab £100 off either version, and pay an extra £50 to add in a compatible keyboard case and the latest Honor Magic Pencil 3 stylus. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see free smartwatches, earbuds, chargers, and more thrown in over the coming months, so be sure to buy with at least a few freebies available to maximize value. Even if you pay the full asking price, you’re still getting a great deal, though.

As with other Honor devices, the MagicPad 4 isn’t officially sold in the US, so it's very tricky to get there. Australian availability also seems limited.

• Value score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 4 review: specs

Here’s a look at the Honor MagicPad 4’s key specs:

Dimensions:

273.4 x 178.8 x 4.8mm

Operating system:

MagicOS 10 (Android 16)

Chipset:

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

Weight:

450g

Memory (RAM):

12GB / 16GB

Storage:

256GB / 512GB

Display:

12.3 inch 1920 x 3000 165Hz OLED

Cameras:

12MP wide, 9MP selfie

Battery:

10,100 mAh silicon carbon

Connectivity:

USB Type-C 3.2

Honor MagicPad 4 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• iPad Pro-beating thinness
• Premium metal chassis
• Small bezels

The most impressive aspect of the MagicPad 4’s design is, of course, its thinness. This is currently the slimmest tablet you can buy, beating even the high-end iPad Pro, and it looks seriously thin in person. In fact, there seems to have been barely enough room to cram in the USB Type-C charging port. You might think that this slight profile would make the MagicPad 4 feel cheap or flimsy, but that's not the case.

The tablet has a wholly metal body, consisting of a single piece with no visible manufacturing seams. There’s absolutely no flex if you try to bend it, and my unit has picked up no noticeable scratches or marks in my use so far. The MagicPad 4’s thinness isn’t just for show either — on top of being easy to chuck into your backpack, I found that it made the tablet very easy to hold in one hand.

I conducted an hour and twenty-minute-long interview with the MagicPad 4 gripped in my left hand for notes, and experienced no noticeable fatigue. The interviewee even asked what brand the tablet was when we wrapped up, and remarked on how thin and light it looked. The screen is large and spacious, with roughly 4mm bezels for a very modern appearance. There’s actually a little 9MP selfie cam nestled in there at the top, but it’s hard to see outside of direct sunlight.

This camera isn’t amazing, but it gets the job done for video calls and would be on the better end of most laptop webcams. It’s a similar story with the rear 12MP shooter, found in a square camera module alongside the flash. It’s good enough to scan documents, but you obviously shouldn’t be using (or even expect to use) a massive tablet like this for your holiday snaps. Please, just take a few extra seconds to pull out your phone like a normal person.

FutureFuture

For sound, you’re getting an eight-speaker stereo setup that’s impressively clear and crisp. The bass isn’t as strong as that of thicker tablets, but it still offers a detailed and well-rounded listening experience.

As someone who routinely uses tablets to watch entire concert recordings with the sound blasting at full volume, I really value a good speaker setup, and the MagicPad 4 is up there as one of the best I’ve tested at this price. Just make sure that you go into the settings and turn off all of the Honor sound features that are, for some reason, enabled by default, as they can make everything sound artificially tinny.

The tablet has all the expected buttons, namely a power button and volume rocker. There’s also a little magnetic strip for attaching the compatible Magic Pencil 3 stylus if you have one. And yes, Honor’s stylus will automatically charge and pair when stuck onto the tablet. Take notes, Lenovo.

I tested the Honor MagicPad 4 in conjunction with the white Honor MagicPad 4 Smart Touch Keyboard. It seems very similar to the keyboard I was sent with the Honor MagicPad 3, and it's once again fantastic.

It attaches to the tablet via a magnetic accessory port on its rear and pairs automatically. The touchpad is quick and responsive, the keys have a good level of travel, and it’s not too bulky to be practical. I do also still love the folding design of the stand, which folds down to expose the top half of the tablet and show off its slimness.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 4 review: Display

(Image credit: Future)

• Beautiful OLED colors
• Fantastic refresh rate
• Perfect for media consumption

On the display side of things, I can’t fault the Honor MagicPad 4 in any way. This is an absurdly good screen for the price, simply decimating what OnePlus, Lenovo, and especially Apple will give you for under £600. This 12.3-inch 1920 x 3000 (3K) OLED panel is pin-sharp and delightfully crisp, with vibrant colors and rich black shades.

I’ve been on a bit of an anime binge, having recently renewed my Crunchyroll subscription, and every show that I’ve dipped into has been absolutely beautiful to watch. Games look lovely too; the high-fidelity visuals of the recently released Neverness to Everness, for instance, really blew me away. And opening the Kindle app, the 3K resolution leads to great-looking text in books and detailed panels in comics.

With HDR support and a peak brightness of roughly 2,400 nits, the MagicPad 4's display can get jaw-droppingly bright and remains visible in even the strongest possible sunlight outdoors. Honor also deserves some kudos for applying a 5,280Hz PWM dimming rate to this screen. This subtle spec isn’t going to matter for most people, but could be a game-changer for those with sensitive eyes and massively reduces the chance of eye strain or fatigue over extended periods of use.

Even if you’re just browsing the web or flicking through the system menus, motion is seriously smooth, too, as a result of the tablet's 165Hz refresh rate. The slightly pricier Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 is the only model I can think of that comes close to this level of display performance without asking that you pay a huge amount more, but that device has a lower refresh rate and is dimmer, so it loses to the MagicPad 4 overall in my book.

In other words, whatever you’re watching, playing, or reading on the MagicPad 4, this tablet is simply perfect.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 3 review: software

(Image credit: Future)

• Apple-inspired UI
• Six whole years of support in the EU
• A good level of customization

Update support is one of my biggest concerns when buying an Android tablet. There are too many brands out there that will charge iPad prices while offering only two or three years of update support. Honor was actually guilty of this last year with the MagicPad 3, which only came with one Android version upgrade and two years of security patches (something I described as the device’s “fatal flaw”).

This time around, Honor has promised six years of major Android updates for consumers in the EU. That’s without a doubt the best level of support I’ve seen for an Android tablet under £600, putting basically every other brand to shame. There’s no telling how regular these updates will be, but at least shoppers aren’t splashing out for a tablet with a looming expiration date right out of the box.

As for MagicOS 10 (which is based on Android 15), the biggest change this time around, aside from the new Liquid-Glass-like design language, is the addition of an upgraded desktop mode. It features the option of a persistent taskbar (at last!) and displays apps in easily resizable windows that you can snap to different parts of the screen. It’s much less fiddly than the equivalent ‘Floating Window mode’ of MagicOS 9 and makes serious productivity on the MagicPad 4 much easier.

Otherwise, my words from last year still ring true. In my eyes, MagicOS is the best possible middle ground between the attractive look of iOS and the customization offered by Android.

Former Apple users will find the design of menus familiar, but with a few interesting twists here and there. Quirky customization features like the 3D Avatar — a little person that you can create and set as an animated wallpaper — are still present and just as charming as before.

• Software score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 4 review: performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Powers through productivity tasks
• Also a capable gaming tablet
• Stays cool under heavy loads

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 isn’t the latest and greatest flagship chipset, but it’s still a capable SoC that delivers great all-round performance when paired with 12GB (or 16GB) of RAM. The MagicPad 4's interface is always quick and responsive, with no noticeable slowdown or reloading when flicking between streams on the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube.

Effective multitasking is a piece of cake, too, and I've not had any issues running Gmail, Slack, Google Docs, and Chrome simultaneously as I work.

The MagicPad 4 is also a capable gaming tablet. It supports both WiFi 7 for speedy game downloads and holds its own in even the most demanding titles. Delta Force and Zenless Zone Zero both run very smoothly at their default graphics presets, and I’ve been particularly impressed with how well the Honor MagicPad 4 handles the extremely graphically intensive Neverness to Everness. It defaulted to the extreme graphics preset with 60fps cap and, despite the odd stutter in the most built-up areas of the city, was more than playable for driving around and tackling missions.

(Image credit: Future)

This particular title looks absolutely breathtaking, and paired with a compatible gaming controller, you’re easily getting a console-quality experience when playing it on the MagicPad 4.

The tablet's cooling system is remarkably effective as well. I was a little worried that such a thin tablet would get very hot, yet it’s not actually a big problem. You’ll feel it getting slightly warmer to the touch during sustained play, but it doesn’t become uncomfortably hot or thermal throttle to the extent that it noticeably impacts performance. Honor says this is all thanks to the MagicPad 4's dual-direction vapor chamber, which has somehow been crammed in alongside everything else.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Honor MagicPad 4 review: battery

(Image credit: Future)

• Great battery life
• Easily lasts more than one day
• A small downgrade compared to last year

The battery is the only area where the Honor MagicPad 4 falls short in comparison to the MagicPad 3. This year’s tablet is powered by a slightly smaller 10,100mAh silicon-carbon cell, which shaves a few hours off the total running time. Luckily, you’ll likely not notice a dramatic difference, as the MagicPad 4 still packs a very big battery, and its battery life is still pretty impressive as a result.

This tablet will easily last for a full day of use, with a mix of browsing the web, watching videos, and even a few hours of gaming thrown in there. I packed the tablet for a 14-hour flight and finished with more than 70% left in the tank after completing some decently heavy tasks with brightness cranked up and an intermittent WiFi connection.

You can expect well over a week of juice from the MagicPad 4 if you only use it for an hour or two a day, which makes this a great choice if you’re looking for a tablet to keep around the house. When it does run low, charging times are refreshingly quick as well, with 66W wired speeds that should see it back up to full from zero in under an hour and a half with a compatible charger.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Honor MagicPad 4?Honor MagicPad 4 scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Strong specs, a gorgeous OLED screen, premium build quality, and six years of software support. You’re not going to find a better value tablet at this price.

5 / 5

Design

Record-breaking slimness aside, the new metal body is a huge upgrade compared to last year’s plastic and leads to a tablet that feels as good as it looks.

5 / 5

Display

A bright and colorful 3K OLED panel with a high refresh rate, HDR support, and IMAX Enhanced certification. What more could you want?

5 / 5

Software

The Apple-inspired UI is familiar and practical with some quirky features thrown in.

4.5 / 5

Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset powers through general use and gaming.

5 / 5

Battery

A small downgrade compared to the Honor MagicPad 3, but still more than enough juice to last through days of heavy use.

4 / 5

Buy it if…

You want the thinnest tablet around
The Honor MagicPad 4 is the thinnest tablet you can buy right now, and is pretty light to boot. As a result, it’s very easy to pack in a bag and comfortable to hold in one hand.

You’re craving a great OLED screen
The screen here is fantastic and, paired with the excellent speaker setup, makes kicking back with a movie or TV on the Honor MagicPad 4 a joy.

You’re after a capable productivity tablet
Thanks to the upgraded desktop mode of MagicOS 10, the Honor MagicPad 4 finally feels like a true laptop replacement. Pair it with the excellent keyboard case and you have a great device for work.

Don’t buy it if…

You need the Apple ecosystem
As Apple-like as it is, MagicOS is still Android. This means that you do miss out on exclusive iPad apps like Procreate, so stick with an Apple device if you need to use them.

Also consider

After some Honor MagicPad 4 alternatives? The older OnePlus Pad 3 is available at a lower price, while the iPad Air 13-inch is a good (albeit much more expensive) option for those who prefer the Apple ecosystem.

Honor MagicPad 4

OnePlus Pad 3

iPad Air 13-inch (2024)

Starting price

£599.99

£529

$799 / £799 / AU$1,299

Operating system

MagicOS 10 (Android 16)

OxygenOS (Android 15)

iPadOS 17

Chipset

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5

Snapdragon 8 Elite

Apple M2

Memory (RAM)

12GB / 16GB

12GB / 16GB

8GB / 16GB

Storage

256GB / 512GB

256GB / 512GB

128GB / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB

Display

12.3 inch 1920 x 3000 165Hz OLED

13.2-inch 3.4k LCD, 144Hz

13-inch Liquid Retina Display

Cameras

12MP wide, 9MP front

13MP wide, 8MP front

12MP wide (rear), 12MP ultra-wide (front)

Battery

10,100mAh

12,140mAh

c. 10,000mAh

Connectivity

USB Type-C 3.2

USB Type-C 3.2

USB-C (Thunderbolt/USB 4)

Weight

450g

675g

617g

Dimensions

273.4 x 178.8 x 4.8mm

289.61 x 209.66 x 5.97mm

280.6 x 214.9 x 6.1mm

OnePlus Pad 3
Another strong Android tablet here. It’s bulkier, heavier, plus you lose out on an OLED display and overall software support (OnePlus has only promised three years of upgrades) but you can find it on sale cheaper than the Honor MagicPad 4.

Read our full OnePlus Pad 3 review

Apple iPad Air 13-inch (2024)
If you’re willing to pay much more for an iPad, then the iPad Air 13-inch (2024) is the model to choose. It’s worse than the Honor MagicPad 4 in practically every regard, but does grant access to the Apple ecosystem and its exclusive apps, which is a big plus. The newer (and even more expensive) iPad Air (2025) is also worth considering, too.

Read our full iPad Air 13-inch (2024) review

How I tested the Honor MagicPad 4

I tested the 16GB + 512GB version of the Honor MagicPad 4 for multiple months, using it on an almost daily basis as my go-to tablet for work and play.

I watched a vast amount of video content on it, read some digital books and comics, and spent plenty of time browsing the web and gaming. I also took it with me on multiple business trips in place of my laptop, where I used it to edit documents and respond to emails.

Throughout my time with the tablet, I frequently compared it to other models I've tested, including multiple iPads and both the Honor MagicPad 3 and Honor MagicPad 2.

First reviewed May 2026