Living With the Huawei MediaPad M5: Solid Value, With Entertainment Focus

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Information technology's e'er bully to see a new entry in the high-end Android tablet market, equally it gets a lot less attending than premium smartphones. So I've spent a few weeks using Huawei's new MediaPad M5 alongside my Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 tablet to see how it compares. Overall, there's a lot to like, and there are enough differences between the two that ane or the other will conspicuously be amend for you lot depending on your usage and upkeep.

Huawei MediaPad M5 Past The Numbers

We reported on the specs of the MediaPad M5 earlier, but to epitomize there are 3 similar models — an eight.4-inch, a x.viii-inch, and a Pro version of the larger model with a faster CPU.You tin get the Pro version of the MediaPad M5 for about $450, or the non-Pro 10-inch (if you tin find it) for $360, or the 8-inch for $320.

All models come up with a QHD (2560 ten 1600 pixels), slightly curved brandish. 64GB of storage and a microSD slot are as well standard, although the devices only have 4GB of RAM, which might exist a picayune light for heavy multitasking.

The model I've been using is the top-of-the-line Champagne-colored Pro version. Information technology comes with an active stylus. In that location are pogo pins for a keyboard, only one isn't included. There isn't a headphone jack, and so you'll need to use it with Bluetooth headphones or listen to the stereo speakers, which are quite good.

MediaPad M5 First Impressions

The M5 is an impressive device right out of the box. It's solid, merely thin. The company claims that its "ii.v-D" curved glass provides for a lighter, thinner design. I don't uncertainty it, but if you didn't know that the screen was slightly curved, y'all probably wouldn't notice. At first I was dubious well-nigh whether the M5 really had an inch larger screen than my Galaxy Tab S3 tablet, but once I powered it on I realized Huawei has been able to compress the bezels down to nigh zip.

Ane of the commencement things I noticed when picking up the M5 is its long, narrow, shape. The display's aspect ratio is i.vi:1 (2560 10 1600 pixels), nigh the xvi:9 of well-nigh HD video. That makes it a natural for viewing media, just a little bad-mannered for using in portrait mode paw-held to read or take notes. In contrast, the S3 has a more than-classic 4:3 (2048 x 1536 pixels) aspect ratio. That means black confined (or zooming) when watching most modern video content, but also makes information technology more friendly for reading documents and taking notes. The divergence in aspect ratio means that despite its larger nominal brandish size of x.8-inches, information technology doesn't necessarily offer more than usable space when creating content than the nine.7-inch display on the S3.

In general the device is very responsive. I did notice that total-screen scrolling in apps similar gReader was non every bit silky-smooth equally on my S3, but if you didn't have something to compare it with, you might not notice. Buttons are placed on the bottom of the tablet, so it's clearly designed to adopt landscape mode, as befits a device aimed at entertainment. That makes information technology a niggling odd to apply if you are holding information technology in portrait way. The fingerprint sensor (the only concrete "button" on the front end side) works well, although like with whatever tablet it tin be awkward to orient it with your finger.

Agile Stylus, but Don't Lose It

The MediaPad's active stylus is well thought out, but there is nowhere to store or attach it. The M5 has a nicely-designed active stylus, just no where and no way to attach or store information technology. In fairness, neither does the S3. For my S3 I use a case for information technology that has room for the pen. A quick scan of Amazon didn't turn up whatever equivalent for the M5 nonetheless, but the M5 pen does have a clip, and then I doubtable that with a typical "folding cover" case you might be able to clip it to 1 of the seams in the cover. The active stylus (M-Pen) included with the M5 is well-idea-out, with dual buttons and iv,096 levels of pressure level sensitivity. Information technology is rechargeable, and Huawei claims something similar 50 days of use per accuse, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Excellent Amusement Feel

Where the M5 really excels is entertainment. The loftier-resolution, wide-aspect-ratio brandish is ideal for looking at Hard disk drive content. I fired up Plex to view some locally-stored media, and Netflix to practice some streaming. Images were suitably high resolution in my tests, although I'grand not sure I could tell what issue Huawei'southward "Clarivu" technology had on improving them. Sound from the quad speakers (on the 10.8-inch versions; the 8.4-inch model has two) was very impressive. Most of the time when I stream movies on a tablet I use headphones or earbuds, only I'd certainly be more than than happy with listening to these speakers as long as I was in environment that fabricated it possible.

When I compare video quality with the S3, they're very close. Both smoothly render loftier-resolution content, although as with scrolling, the S3 might accept a slightly silkier menses. The M5's wider aspect ratio gives it a much larger image when viewing HD content, equally y'all can come across from this side-by-side photo of both tablets showing the opening scene from Planet Earth Two. Color was excellent on both devices, although I think I could give a slight edge to the S3 for quality of the highlights and a little improve color depth.

Huawei MediaPad M5 next to Galaxy Tab S3

Huawei MediaPad M5 side by side to Galaxy Tab S3 showing Hd video from Planet Earth II. The framing is really identical, and then the larger image on the M5 is the result of its larger screen and wider aspect ratio.

Is The Huawei MediaPad M5 The Android Tablet For You lot?

If y'all're looking for a slick Android tablet that specializes in amusement, and can live without a headphone jack, the MediaPad M5 delivers. If you'd prefer a more all-around device with a less dramatic aspect ratio, and have some additional room in your upkeep, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 for a bit more (nigh $500) might be a better choice.