While the Android tablet market has fallen down in recent years, there is still a niche market where large display Android devices can make their mark such as in the office or for entertainment.
Already available in the market, we’ll be taking an initial look at Huawei’s latest budget-oriented tablet, the MediaPad T5. Packing relatively decent specifications for PhP 9,990, the Huawei MediaPad T5 orients itself as a budget entertainment tablet.
Huawei MediaPad T5
| Chipset | Kirin 659 |
| Screen | 10.1-inch IPS, 1920 x 1200, 16:9 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| OS | Android 8.0 with EMUI 8 |
| Rear Camera | 5MP f/2.4 AF |
| Front Camera | 2MP f/2.4 |
| Storage | 16GB expandable up to 256GB via MicroSD Card |
| Network | Nano-SIM |
| Connectivity | WiFI 802.11ac 2.4GHz and 5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, MicroUSB |
| Battery | 5,100mAh |
| Others | Aluminum Body, Symmetrical Dual Speakers |
| Colors | Black |
The Huawei MediaPad T5 is decently sized tablet with a 10.1-inch screen with bezels that are relatively large for a device in 2019. Although the bezels are a bit unsightly, its 1920 x 1200 display has large viewing angles due to the IPS panel.
Although we generally don’t like taking photos with tablets due to their conspicuous nature, the Huawei MediaPad T5 does come with front and rear cameras. At the top bezel of the display is a 2MP f/2.4 selfie camera while the rear houses a 5MP f/2.4 main camera.
The megapixel count of the cameras are a bit disappointing, however, we doubt that Huawei designed the MediaPad T5 to be a good photographer.
Huawei says that the MediaPad T5 comes with an aluminum construction. Based on our initial experience with it, however, the device feels like plastic. Perhaps the aluminum chassis a bit thin in order for the metal to become to have a premium feel.
Inside its chassis is a Kirin 659 chip that employs four Cortex-A53 cores running at 2.36GHz and another four Cortex-A53s clocked at 1.7GHz. Rather disappointingly, the MediaPad T5 only has 2GB of RAM in the Philippines.
The low amount of RAM would most likely hamper the device’s capability to multitask. Since it has a large display, multitasking with the MediaPad T5 would probably be one of its key advantages over a traditional 6.0-inch smartphone.
The Huawei MediaPad T5 runs on Android 8.0 Oreo with EMUI 8.0. A bit dated, its OS is still serviceable. It would still be nice if Huawei updated the device’s software to the latest Android release to squeeze in more features.
The tablet gets its juice from a 5,100mAh battery charged via MicroUSB port. It might be a bit low for some but its relatively low battery capacity keeps its weight down to just 460g and its thickness to just 7.8mm.
Aside from the screen, the Huawei MediaPad T5’s other party piece is its set of speakers. Both speakers are located at the bottom of device, which is a bit of a disadvantageous position if you place the tablet on an upright position.
Despite its placement, initial testing of the speakers produced decent audio with much distortion of “tinny” sound. Bass, however, is a bit weak than we would have liked.
We’ve only just experienced the Huawei MediaPad T5 for a short while but it seems that Huawei has designed to be a tablet not to be a performer but a good entertainment device.
Some of its specifications are a bit old for today but the most important qualities of an entertainment tablet is a good screen and audio – both of which are present in the MediaPad T5.
That’s it for our first impressions of the Huawei MediaPad T5. Hopefully, we will be able to release a full review of Huawei’s latest entertainment tablet after spending more time with it.
