The Huawei MediaPad T3 8 hopes to fill in the considerable void in the entry-level tablet segment in the Philippines. It has been known that there are limited good options when it comes to tablets aside from the ones offered by their iOS counterpart. Huawei wants you to know that there are great alternatives in the Android world if you have no cash to burn for an iPad. Check out this Huawei MediaPad T3 8 review; you might want to reconsider going for an Android slate.
Huawei MediaPad T3 8 Review
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- Pros
- Premium Build
- Long battery life
- LTE connectivity
- Affordable price
- Cons
- Software could be stuck at Android 7.0
- microUSB slot
Key Specifications:
- 8.0-inch IPS Display w/ 1280 x 800 pixels
- Qualcomm MSM8917, Quad-core A53 4x1.4 GHz
- 2GB RAM + 16GB Storage
- 5MP rear camera, with autofocus
- 2MP front camera
- GPS
- Gravity Sensor
- EMUI 5.1, based on Android 7.0
- 211.07 x 124.65 x 7.95 mm at 350g
- 4800 mAh battery
- Space Grey
- Php 6,490 Official Price
Design
The Huawei MediaPad T3 8 is marketed to be an entry-level Android tablet by the Chinese giant, but its design says otherwise. When I took it out if the box, it does not come off cheap, the slate’s backing is a mixture of metal and plastic giving it an almost tone-down metallic finish. For the purpose of comparison, you may say that its design is heavily inspired by the iPad mini; which, to me, is a good thing. We got a space grey unit with a black front panel.
The backing is mostly metal; the only plastic part is the side framing. To me, this makes actual sense since the MediaPad T3 8 has cellular capabilities. Plastic-aluminum design is the golden formula for signal management. Rounding off the ports and buttons, the right side is crammed with the power button, volume rocker and SIM tray. The latter also doubles as a microSD card tray. Lastly, the bottom side has the microUSB port and the microphone.
Display
When it comes to tablets, display could be a very big thing. For one, it's one of the defining factors that separates tablets from smartphones. Thus, it is very important to have a solid display quality. In its class, the Huawei MediaPad T3 8 has a very capable display. It has an 8-inch HD panel with 1280 x 800p resolution.
It's only an HD screen; but to be honest, it isn't that bad. There's too little to complain with it being only priced at Php 6,490. For me, the display is capable enough for reading and streaming videos. Of course, texts and images may not be quite as sharp as the more expensive ones but I really did not mind it at all. I just enjoyed the big screen real estate that this gave me which I could hardly get from mobile devices these days.
On top of that, the MediaPad T3 8 also offers smart eye protection which makes the screen slide into warmer tones when necessary. I think this is a great feature. Colors and brightness are fine; contrast is okay too. I also love the almost non-existent space between the IPS panel and the touchscreen.
Performance
Under the hood, the slate is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset which is comprised of four Cortex-A53 chipset running at 1.4GHz. The Huawei MediaPad T3 8 is a great device for content consumption i.e. streaming shows in Netflix or reading eBooks.
Its 2GB RAM can handle light multitasking; when pushed to a certain extent, you'll notice a noticeable lag in the interface. I also find this tablet's speaker loud enough for some quick streaming sessions. But if you want a more defined sound experience, you'll need a good set of external speakers for that.
Light gaming apps also run smoothly with the tablet like Clash Royale, Clash of Clans and even Mobile Legends. Browsing the net is also enjoyable using this device; I could even make my own blog post with ease in this tablet. In short, the slate can handle important tasks that needs bigger screen real estate.
The Huawei MediaPad T3 8 also supports LTE connectivity. This means that you can insert a SIM card in the tablet and be connected to the internet. For a mobile person like me, this feature is pretty neat!
Camera
Sure, you can say that tablets are not for mobile photography, but as long as there's a camera on a device, it's worth trying. Our feelings with Mediapad T3 8's camera is a bit mixed up. Yes we love that it is capable of producing good photos in good lighting condition; but it's taking some time in actually taking the shot itself. The rear camera is a 5MP sensor, it has autofocus but I could tell that it definitely struggles in focusing objects. Check out some of the camera samples below.
Front camera quality is a 2MP fixed focus sensor. Though the quality is a bit questionable, it would always be a great idea for a tablet to have front cameras. It's important for video calls or video messaging.
Software
The tablet boots with an older version of EMUI - version 5.1. This is based on Android 7.0 Nougat. If you have used Huawei smartphones three years ago, you will be familiar with the interface. It would have been great if Huawei released the handset with newer version of Android.
EMUI is a customized skin of Android operating system so expect to have a number of bloatwares pre-installed. However, there are also several great features that come with it. For one, there's a smart app access and content control feature which gives you full control of the device while sharing it to others or your family. Google suite of apps also comes pre-installed which is also a great thing; and of course, you'll have full access to Google's Play Store.
Android still tries hard to adapt with tablet-sized interface. But it's always a breath of fresh air not having to scroll down to see items in your Settings app. I love how you can manage your device's controls in one glance.
As to a software update, I am not sure if Huawei will push an Oreo update to this device anytime soon. But I am hoping.
Battery
The Huawei Mediapad T3 8 is powered by a 4800 mAh battery. With the handset's HD display and power-efficient Cortex-A53 cores, the tablet can last for almost two days with fair to moderate use.
In our video loop test, we played an HD movie with 50% brightness and volume; and hooked the slate to a WiFi network. We got roughly 12 hours.
Should You Buy The Huawei MediaPad T3 8?
Aside from Apple, there are only few players in the Philippine tablet market. For the Android ecosystem, Huawei is one of the top players; and MediaPad T3 8 solidifies that standing especially in the entry-level department.
The slate's design gives off a premium feel. And with its decent computing power, battery life and affordable price, the Huawei Mediapad T3 8 is not hard to recommend for someone who's in the market for a quality tablet that does not break the bank.
