Some tech pundits might consider tablets at the tail end of their stint in the overall gadget landscape, but that's not the case for Huawei. It clearly thinks there's still a market for tablets, so it has unveiled new ones, all part of the latest MediaPad line.
Which other companies are still making tablets these days aside from Apple? Samsung, sure. Amazon too. Generally, excitement for tablets has significantly waned over the years for a number of reasons, partly because smartphones have gotten really good, thus diminishing, if not totally eliminating, the need to have a tablet.
Huawei MediaPad M5 Specs And Features
Huawei, however, still thinks it's a lucrative business. The company's new tablets are reportedly the first ones to boast "2.5D" curved glass displays. That means improved viewing and what Huawei calls a "great hand-feel." True to its word, the devices do look pretty gorgeous.
There are two variants: 8.4-inch and 10.8-inch, but they share the same specs, save for the display size. An octa-core Kirin 960 chip powers everything up, with 4 GB of RAM onboard and up to 128 GB of storage. Both of the displays offer 2,560 × 1,600 resolution, meaning that larger model has a lower ppi count.
There's an 8-megapixel selfie camera and a 13-megapixel rear shooter plus a fingerprint sensor. Both tablets run Android Oreo out of the box.
No Headphone Jack, Though
Here comes the bummer: there's no headphone jack. Companies who don't include this highly crucial component often reason out that there's no space in their phones, but the tablets undoubtedly have plenty of space to include it, so what gives, Huawei? As a silver lining, there are stereo speakers onboard, offering greater sound fidelity. The Pro model also offers support for a detachable keyboard and a desktop view with expanded file management options.
There's a third MediaPad M5 model that supports the M-Pen stylus with 4,096 levels of sensitivity, which should make it a perfect companion for digital artists out there.
LTE option is available on all the models, notably.
Huawei MediaPad M5 Pricing And Release Date
TechCrunch reports that the base model will retail for €349 and €399, respectively. That's about $430 and $490 when roughly converted. They start shipping this March in parts of Europe and the United States.
Thoughts about Huawei's new tablets? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
