We tested the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 tablet, a 10-inch device with 3GB of RAM . It is an interesting model if we want to enjoy mid-range features. The tablet is available for 300 euros in the WiFi version, or for 350 euros in the LTE version.
Additionally, this Huawei tablet can be used with an optional smart pen, Huawei's M-Pen lite .
The device comes standard with Android 8 Oreo and Huawei's customization layer in its latest version: EMUI 8.
Display and layout features
Huawei's MediaPad M5 Lite 10 tablet has a full metal body , with a 10.1-inch screen and 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution. If we hold the device horizontally, the fingerprint sensor is located at the bottom, and the front camera at the top.
The device measures 162.2 x 243.4 x 7.7 millimeters and has fairly wide bezels around the screen, although not excessive. The advantage is that we can easily grasp it with one hand.
The tablet weighs 475 grams, so it could improve in this regard.
On the right side we find the on / off and volume buttons. On the left side we find the card tray, the USB Type-C port and the miniJack 3.5 port for headphones.
The main strength of the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 is its sound, thanks to a four-speaker system . They are each located in one corner of the device.
Highlights and connectivity: a tablet for watching TV shows and movies
The LTE version of the tablet allows us to insert a nanoSIM card and a microSD for external storage . In the case of the WiFi model, the card tray will only have a slot available for the microSD.
The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 tablet is equipped with Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C port for fast charging, and a mini Jack for headphones.
The highlight of this device, however, is its speaker system: it forms a stereo technology with four speakers distributed in the four corners .
The sound quality is very good, which makes the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 an excellent choice for enjoying videos , movies and series.
In addition, the tablet is equipped with proximity sensors, and the brightness is automatically adjusted according to the distance we are from the screen.
If we want to enjoy e-books we will not be disappointed either: the reading mode protects the eyes to prevent sight from getting tired if we spend a lot of time reading.
Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10
| screen | 10.1 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution | |
| Main chamber | 8 MP, f / 2.0, fixed focus | |
| Camera for selfies | 8 MP, f / 2.0, autofocus | |
| Internal memory | 32 GB / Expandable via microSD card | |
| Extension | microSD up to 256GB | |
| Processor and RAM | Kirin 659 eight cores (4 x A53 at 2.36 GHz + 4 x A53 at 1.7 GHz), 3 GB of RAM AnTuTu Benchmark Power Test: 86665 points Geekbench 4 Power Test: 935 points (Single-Core) / 3645 points (Multi-Core) | |
| Battery | 7,500 mAh, QuickCharge 3.0 fast charge (full charge in 3 hours) AnTuTu Tester Score: 12468 points | |
| Operating system | Android 8 + EMUI 8 | |
| Connections | Dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, BT 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C 4G (LTE version only) | |
| SIM | nanoSIM (LTE version only) | |
| Design | Metal, fingerprint sensor | |
| Dimensions | 162.2 x 243.4 x 7.7 mm (475 grams) | |
| Featured Features | Four Harman / Kardon Speakers, 3.5mm Headphone MiniJack, Stylus, Vision Protection Advanced Reading Mode | |
| Release date | Available | |
| Price | 300 euros (WiFi version) 350 euros (LTE version) |
7500 mAh battery and fast charging
A 10-inch screen needs to be accompanied by a powerful battery , especially if it is a tablet that we will use to watch series and movies. A 7500 mAh battery is up to the task.
The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 tablet has Huawei's QuickCharge 3.0 fast charging technology , which guarantees a 100% charge in three hours of connection to the power.
Processor and performance
Inside the device we find a Kirin 659 processor, with eight cores : four at 2.36 GHz and another four at 1.7 GHz. The graphics card is a Mali 5830 MP2 GPU.
The RAM memory is 3 GB , a fairly reasonable figure but not ambitious (let's not forget that many of the smartphones on the market already have 4 GB of RAM).
In this Huawei tablet we can enjoy 32 GB of internal storage , expandable with a microSD card of up to 256 GB.
One of the main advantages of the device is that it comes standard with Android 8 and Huawei's latest customization layer : EMUI 8 . Considering that the tablet has just hit the market, expect it to receive operating system updates when they are available (at least Android 9).
Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 cameras
Both the main and front cameras of this tablet are 8 megapixels with f / 2.0 aperture . The main difference is that the front lens has automatic focus, while the rear camera only offers fixed focus.
There are also no big surprises in the available capture modes, as they are common in other Huawei devices :
- Automatic photography, professional photo, panoramic.
- Video, professional video.
- HDR mode, fast camera, color filters, watermarks.
- Document recognition mode, food photography.
- Beauty mode (in selfie camera).
In general, the quality of the images is not very good , although quite reasonable results can be obtained in good lighting conditions. At night or in low light it is really difficult, especially since the tablet does not have a specific night photography mode.
Huawei M-Pen Lite, 100% compatible smart pen
Tablet Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 is fully compatible with the M-Pen Lite , a stylus with 2048 pressure levels.
The possibilities offered by the pen go beyond easy navigation in applications. In fact, Huawei's M-Pen Lite can be used for educational or work purposes thanks to the apps designed to save notes and notes.
The objective is clear: to turn the tablet into a perfect surface for handwriting , which can be converted into an alternative to a paper notebook.
Nebo for Huawei
The most important app to enjoy the Huawei M-Pen Lite is Nebo, a system that allows you to take notes by hand highlighting different colors and strokes.
With Nebo, the contents can be distributed in different pages that form notebooks, and in turn we will be able to save the notebooks in folders of different categories.
Within each note, we will have the option to select the type and thickness of the stroke and the color of the lines. The Nebo app has an eraser tool with which to erase erroneous lines “by hand”, but there are also arrows that undo the last changes made in the document.
MyScript Calculator
Another interesting application that we find in the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 is MyScript Calculator, a quick calculation tool.
With this system, and using the stylus, you can write an operation "by hand" on the screen , and MyScript Calculator will identify what has been written to show the result at the moment.
It is also possible to solve operations with unknowns : just type the question mark (?) As the unknown value.
An interesting advantage that MyScript Calculator offers is that we can quickly modify the figures by hand . For example, if we have written the calculation of a fraction, we only have to write a new number over the original for the app to show the new result.
Games and entertainment without distractions
The tablet includes a folder called Game Suite , with direct access to the pre-installed games and those that we download according to our preferences.
From this folder, some controls can be set to improve the gaming experience and to monitor the leisure time of the little ones. Specifically, we have three buttons available:
- Battery usage mode selection : game mode improves gaming performance (with higher power consumption), smart mode balances battery / performance, and energy saving mode allows longer autonomy but lowers performance.
- Play without interruptions : by activating this option, the tablet will hide all kinds of notifications to allow a leisure time without distractions. Only low battery alarms and alerts will be displayed. Of course: there will be no sound or vibration when the alarms are activated.
- Avoid accidental operations : with this switch on, the physical navigation keys are locked during gameplay.
Review: points for and against the tablet
As we have already mentioned, the main strength of the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 is the stereo sound system with the four speakers. Multimedia content is enjoyed with very good quality and the device is perfect for watching movies, series and games.
Another interesting detail is the battery, which offers many hours of autonomy without having to go through the plug. Once it is depleted, the fast charge that completes 100% capacity in 3 only three hours is appreciated.
With standard use and enjoying streaming content through platforms such as Netflix, you can enjoy more than 6 hours of battery without problem. An excellent detail if we want to take the tablet on a trip ...
Broadly speaking, it is clear that the device is designed to enjoy leisure activities without interruptions : we can activate the "do not disturb" mode to play, enjoy the advanced reading mode to protect the eyes if we are going to spend a lot of time reading on the screen, etc.
On the other hand, it is appreciated to have work tools and handwriting , in addition to the smart pencil.
As a possible point of improvement we could mention the screen frames (perhaps too large) and the weight, which could be somewhat lighter.
Price and availability
The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 is now available in Spain, in two versions: 300 euros for the WiFi-only version or 350 euros for the model with data connectivity.