While it may seem Google has given up on competing in the tablet market, Huawei doesn’t agree and announced one heck of a premium tablet at MWC today. Huawei announced the MediaPad M5 in two sizes, 8.4″ and 10.8″ which both feature a gorgeous and slim metal uni-body that’s designed for durability and excellent feel in hand. Both tablets also feature 2.5D glass that offers better viewing experiences and ergonomics for easier swiping and note taking with a stylus.
Speaking of the stylus, the MediaPad M5 is designed to be a productivity machine beyond simple gaming and videos that many use tablets for. The 10.8″ M5 is similar to what we’ve seen with the Apple iPad Pro series tablets as well as Microsoft’s Surface Pro computers, although the M5 will most likely come with a much smaller price tag to get into the stylus usability.
The 10.8″ M5 comes in two variants, the standard M5, and the more powerful Pro version. The M5 comes with the Kirin 960s octa-core processor, has 4GB of RAM with 32GB of storage. The Pro comes with the Kirin 960, 4GB of RAM, more base storage with 64GB and it comes with an included stylus which is perfect for note taking with the 2.5D glass front display. Both come with a 2560 x 1600 IPS display (280ppi), Android 8.0, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, USB type-C charging and audio, four speakers tuned by premium audio manufacturer Harmon Kardon, and a massive internal 7500mAh battery for all-day usage. The 10.8″ tablet also features Pogo pins which magnetically connect to accessories like a keyboard for instantaneous use without needing Bluetooth to pair.
The 8.4″ MediaPad M5 comes with almost the same hardware as the 10.8″ M5 with a Kirin 960, 32/64GB of storage, 4GB RAM, 2560 x 1600 (359ppi) display, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, but trims back with dual speakers and a smaller 5100mAh internal battery.
Pricing and availability have not been announced as of yet, but do expect reasonable pricing that we’ve seen with all of Huawei’s products. These are great tablets for those of you who don’t want Apple products and pricing, but offer all of the same functionality if not more in some cases.
The US government has its issues with Huawei, but we at deTeched use our common sense and appreciate what Huawei brings to the market.