I thought I was just getting a tablet.

That is the project class that the HONOR MagicPad 3 comes in at. But it is deceptively much more than that. Having spent a good month with the device, I can say that it handily replaced my MacBook Air for most days when I had to be out and working. I hate that for my MacBook, but it is what it is.

Coming out of the box, it’s surprisingly light at 595 grams, given how big it is. The 13.3 inch-screen pops and overall, it’s a sleek machine. If I were to critique it on anything, it’s more of a me problem in that it’s a much bigger screen on a tablet than I am used to.

If you were looking for a tablet at pro spec and great value, then this is definitely a competitor. But that’s where this has me thinking differently. I wouldn’t necessarily be picking this up if I were looking for a tablet.

That’s because when I think of a tablet, I am thinking of a smaller device that I can use as a “third device” after my phone and laptop. I do most stuff on my phone, and when I want to get serious about work I whip out the laptop. The tablet for me, as a result, often occupies that space of entertainment, reading comic books, watching stuff on YouTube (because I still prefer a SmartTV for streaming shows and movies), scrolling social media, looking some stuff up, and occasionally reading and marking up PDFs.

This means also that a tablet, to my mind, is more of a “sit-back” device. Or even in my case a lying-in-bed gadget. The Honor MagicPad 3 could conceivably be held in bed. But despite its light weight, if your fingers slip or if you fall asleep with it, that 13.3 inches is doing a number on your nose (trust me, I felt it).

For most of the time that I used this tablet, I had it attached to a keyboard on a desk, or lying flat on the desk marking it up with the HONOR Magic-Pencil 3. Which is to say that I used it mostly in the way I would use a laptop.

Any time I have to learn how to split screens and drag and resize windows and things like that I get a little prickly. But with all the screen real estate and a fairly intuitive system for opening and dragging (anyone already familiar with other devices will get it with ease) I was fairly quickly adjusting and multi-tasking. I wasn’t thinking about how limiting working on a tablet was, but just opening and going through things.

One real plus to productivity was I felt no barriers, which is more than I can say for some tablets and other devices I’ve tried. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 means it handled everything I threw at it easily. The screen is eye-popping and vibrant. In terms of software, you can use whatever productivity suite you like but it’s worth noting that even the Honor Docs that it ships with gets you through most of the basics. And its file management system is intuitive and makes sharing and collaboration easy.

What you are getting then when you pick up an HONOR MagicPad3 is a device that can perform most of the functions you need for a fair amount of office work. It could be a great work and productivity option especially for people who are out a lot or who are traveling.

As an entertainment device, it’s actually pretty overpowered. The screen rivals and beats a good number of laptops in size as well as in quality and output. I am not sure how much of an effect its IMAX enhancement will have for most situations, but at 3.2K resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate my viewing was pretty good. And among small device options (short of a big TV) this comes in a great format for watching stuff. Its sound is also surprisingly good. Obviously pairing with a device or headphones is ideal, but its built-in speakers perform very well for entertainment.

And when I say it’s great for bringing when you’re out in the world, it packs a 12,450mAh battery. So even with such a huge screen running at high brightness, it gets through a day easily, sometimes for me two, in a single charge.

So if you’re looking for a sleek device that can handle most browser and app-based work you can throw at it, then this can be a real laptop replacement. And if you’re looking for a top of the line tablet then this might be one of the best options.