High-end Android tablets have fallen by the wayside,
which makes the Huawei MediaPad M5 all the more interesting. It has a premium
build as well as premium features, including an optional stylus.
The tablet comes in two sizes – 8.4” and 10.8” -
though other than the size of the screen and battery, they are virtually
identical. Specifically, they have IPS screens with 2,560 x 1,600px resolution.
The screen is covered with 2.5D glass – Huawei claims this is a first on
tablets.
The metal unibody has reinforced edges that help
protect the screen. If you go for the larger model, Huawei has a bespoke
keyboard (that connects via pogo pins) for a 2-in-1 experience. The MediaPad M5
runs Android 8.0 with EMUI 8.0 and is powered by a Kirin 960 chipset (from the
Huawei P10/Mate 9). It’s coupled with 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB storage –
there’s a pricing table below and do keep in mind that there’s a microSD slot,
so there’s no need to go for the top model.
Technically, there’s a third tablet – the MediaPad
M5 Pro. That one is the 10.8” tablet, but comes packaged with an M-Pen,
Huawei’s stylus. It can sense up to 4,096 levels of pressure (just like a
certain other stylus). Buttons on the stylus itself offer shortcuts to take a
screenshot, delete an image or launch an app.
Okay, the two tablet sizes aren’t completely
identical. The 10.8” models have quad speakers – tuned by Harman/Kardon – while
8.4” tablet has stereo speakers. Both have dedicated power amps and support
Huawei Histen for an immersive 3D sound.
In terms of battery, the small Huawei MediaPad M5
has a 5,100mAh Li-Po power bank, the large ones have 7,500mAh. Both support
fast charging (9V at 2A) over USB-C, which takes just under 2 hours to fully
charge the 8.4” tablet and just under 3 hours for the 10.8” tablet.
If you’re the type to take photos with a tablet (not
that we would judge), these two have 13MP cameras on the back (with autofocus)
and 8MP shooters on the back (fixed-focus). The MediaPad tablets will be
available in the Spring in Europe, North America, China, the Asia Pacific and
the Middle East. Here come the prices:
|
Huawei MediaPad M5 (Wi-Fi)
|
8.4"
|
10.8"
|
10.8" Pro
|
|
|
32GB
|
€350
|
€400
|
-
|
|
|
64GB
|
€400
|
€450
|
€500
|
|
|
128GB
|
€450
|
€500
|
€550
|
|
|
Huawei MediaPad M5 (LTE)
|
8.4"
|
10.8"
|
10.8" Pro
|
|
|
32GB
|
€400
|
€450
|
-
|
|
|
64GB
|
€450
|
€500
|
€550
|
|
|
128GB
|
€500
|
€550
|
€600*
|
|
|
* for Chinese market only
|
||||
