Huawei MediaPad M3 Quick Review: The Perfect Compromise?

Huawei MediaPad M3 Quick Review: The Perfect Compromise?

We go hands-on with the MediaPad M3!

It’s no secret that the tablet market is tanking. Aside from the high-end offerings of Samsung and Apple, there really aren’t any tablet that really stands out in the market, certainly none that falls in the mid-range category. Despite that Huawei is still making tablets, and are doing pretty well in the space, filling the vacuum that other brands have left.

Which brings us to the MediaPad M3. The tablet is a good-looking, reasonably priced tablet in a market that’s sorely lacking such an option.

Huawei MediaPad M3

  • 2.3GHz HiSilicon Kirin 950 octa-core processor
  • ARM Mali-T880MP4 GPU
  • 4GB RAM
  • 8.4-inch WQXGA IPS display, 2560 x 1600 resolution
  • 32GB expandable storage, up to 128GB via microSD
  • 8-megapixel rear camera, autofocus
  • 8-megapixel front camera, fixed focus
  • Single SIM
  • 4G LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
  • Fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers
  • 5100mAh battery
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow (EMUI 4.1)
  • Php 18,990

Initial impressions: relatively powerful and handsome tablet to boot

Huawei’s mastery of metal doesn’t just cover smartphones apparently – the company also extends the same design language and use of premium materials to their tablets. The MediaPad M3 is made from a single block of aluminum, rounded and chamfered on the sides to make the tablet easier to use with both hands. Obviously the size of the device makes it a bear to hold one-handed, especially since the full metal build makes it extremely slippery to the touch.

The power button and volume rocker is located on the right side of the device (when oriented in portrait mode), while the top and bottom of the tablet holds the speaker grilles. The USB Type-C connector and microSD/SIM slot are all located on the bottom.

The tablet is styled similarly to the company’s P9 flagship, right down to the white strip of plastic on the rear where the 8-megapixel camera sits.

The tablet has a generous 8.4-inch WQXGA IPS, 2560 x 1600 resolution display, with the fingerprint scanner located right below it. The tablet uses on-screen keys for navigation.

Overall the tablet feels well built and durable, which is kinda important for a tablet since they tend to be smacked around a lot more than mobile phones.

Inside the MediaPad M3 are familiar internals – in fact, the M3 has the same specifications as the company’s previous flagship, the P9: HiSilicon Kirin 950, ARM Mali-T880MP4 GPU and 4GB of RAM. The tablet also comes with a HiFi DAC and audio by Harman/Kardon.

The tablet’s performance is pretty good, especially with games like Mobile Legends since the tablet didn’t show any signs of slowing down during the impromptu tournament that Huawei held at the launch with members of the media. Audio output is pretty good as well, along with the performance of that essentially 2K display. The large 5100mAh battery will probably power this tablet for quite a bit before needing to be recharged.

If there’s one thing we didn’t like about the MediaPad M3, it’s the fact that the tablet still runs Android Marshmallow out of the box with EMUI 4.1, though Huawei promised a Nougat update come August.

That’s it for this hands-on of the MediaPad M3 – the new tablet will be priced at Php 18,990.

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