Get ready for a new 10-inch tablet from Huawei that is poised to throw the gauntlet to Apple and Samsung offerings. Meet the MediaPad M2 10.0.
The latest budget-friendly Android-powered tablet from Huawei is not only premium looking, it also boasts impressive hardware and starts at $349.
Made from aluminum and touting a sandblasted metal finish, the MediaPad M2 10.0 is just 0.28-inch thick and weighs 500 gm (1.1 pounds). The company boasts that the tablet offers a "fantastic audio and visual experience" and you can "take your senses for a ride" thanks to the device's four Harman/Kardon speakers.
Two of the speakers are located on the top of the tablet and two are on the bottom. The speakers also support SWS 2.0 Surround Sound and have an amplifier with Clari-fi Audio Restoration, which basically translates into a feast for the senses. The SWS 2.0 offers a 180-degree sound field, which provides an immersive audio experience since one gets a sense of depth, space and direction.
"With ultra-powerful surround sound from four speakers and advanced harman/kardon audio technology, the MediaPad M2 10.0 provides a richer, clearer and more immersive acoustic experience. In fact, no tablet has ever sounded this good before," says Huawei.
Huawei is also enhancing the user experience by introducing a stylus called the M-Pen, which pairs beautifully with the touchscreen.
"The new MediaPad M2 10.0 redefines what you can do with a tablet. Thanks to a completely new, more responsive touch screen you can write text, draw pictures, and open apps with a stylus. And now, for the first time, a next-generation fingerprint sensor gives you the quick and secure identification you've always wanted on an Android tablet," said Huawei.
However, the M-Pen cannot be attached to the MediaPad M2 10.0 a la iPad Pro, which means you could potentially misplace the stylus. The stylus comes bundled with the premium version of the tablet and not the standard one.
Design-wise, the MediaPad M2 10.0 is physically reminiscent of the 10-inch Samsung tablets and our hands-on review elaborates on the solidly built device.
The Huawei tablet has a 10-inch Full HD IPS display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. Under the hood, the MediaPad M2 10.0 houses an octa-core Hisilicon Kirin 930 processor (Quad 2 GHz + Quad 1.5 GHz).
The tablet will also pack in either 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM depending on whether one is purchasing the standard or premium version. The device will be available in 16 GB or 64 GB storage options. However, the on-board storage of the MediaPad M2 10.0 can be expanded up to a maximum of 128 GB thanks to its microSD card support.
The Huawei offering sports a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for video chatting and clicking selfies and has an impressive 13-megapixel primary camera that comes with auto focus and flash support. The rear-facing camera has an aperture of F2.0.
The MediaPad M2 10.0 houses a powerful 6,660 mAh battery to fuel the device. However, the battery support offered by the tablet on a single charge is unknown.
The affordable tablet also has a built-in fingerprint sensor in the home button. It also supports Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and GPS. It has several sensors too, such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, ambient light sensor and hall sensor.
It comes preloaded with Android 5.1 Lollipop and not the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is somewhat disappointing.
Price And Availablity
The MediaPad M2 10.0 is anticipated to hit the U.S. shelves in Q1 2016 and will be available in Luxurious Gold or Moonlight Silver.
The 16 GB standard version of the tablet with Wi-Fi will cost $349, whereas the 16 GB standard version with Wi-Fi and LTE support will retail at $399.
The 64 GB premium version with Wi-Fi will cost $419, whereas the 64 GB premium version with Wi-Fi and LTE support will retail at $469.
