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MagyarHuawei MatePad T8 Tablet Review - Is the 99-Euro (~$117) tablet worth it?
The T8 rounds off Huawei’s low-priced MatePad series. The Wi-Fi version of the tablet costs only 99 Euros (~$117). The LTE variant costs 20 Euros (~$23) more (MSRP: €119/~$140). On paper, the MatePad T8 looks as if it were released years ago. It features a microUSB port and a 5-watt charger to charge its 5100-mAh battery. This is why charging times are very long.
The T8 features an 8-inch LCD screen with a native resolution of 1280x800 pixels. The front-facing camera has a resolution of 2 megapixels and the rear camera offers a 5-megapixel image sensor. The system is powered by the MediaTek MT8786. The T8 offers 2 GB of RAM and 16 or 32 GB of internal memory.
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.5 % | 09/2020 | Huawei MatePad T8 Helio MT8768, PowerVR GE8320 | 310 g | 8.55 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 80.6 % | 08/2020 | Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 MT8168, Mali-G52 MP1 | 355 g | 9.7 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 80.8 % | 08/2020 | Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 MT8168, Mali-G52 MP1 | 355 g | 9.7 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 81 % | 01/2020 | Lenovo Tab M8 HD Helio A22 MT6762M, PowerVR GE8320 | 305 g | 8.2 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 79.6 % | 01/2020 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 SD 429, Adreno 504 | 345 g | 8 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 |
Case - MatePad T8 with a mix of metal and plastic
The MatePad T8 comes in the colour scheme known as Deepsea Blue and consists mostly of glass and metal. However, there are plastic inserts around the sides. There are no chinks or gaps at the junctures where different materials meet.
The bezels of the 8-inch tablet are very big, which is why it has a screen-to-body ratio of 76%. Thanks to its relatively compact size and low weight of 310 grams (0.7 lbs) the tablet is easy to hold in the hand.
There is nothing to criticise about the overall build quality, especially given the price. However, we do have to point out that the plastic buttons do not sit very firmly in their cutouts, which is why they wobble slightly. The housing is quite rigid. Moreover, there is no screen-rippling effect when the tablet is being twisted.
Hardware Configuration - Huawei tablet with a microUSB port
The specifications sheet of the cheap Huawei slate does not seem very complicated. The T8 offers neither a fingerprint sensor nor an ambient light sensor for automatic brightness control. However, it features a 3.5-mm headphone jack, an FM radio tuner and an LED indictor.
The 5100-mAh battery is charged via the microUSB port on the bottom of the device. The port supports USB OTG functionality, which means that users can connect external keyboards and USB drives to the tablet. However, it is worth noting that the microUSB port operates at only USB 2.0 speeds.
Our review model offers only 16 GB of internal eMMC memory, of which only 9 GB is available to the user. Huawei claims that the storage capacity can be expanded with either a proprietary Huawei NM memory card or a standard microSD card. Memory cards cannot be formatted as internal storage. However, they can be used as default storage devices. The tablet supports the following file systems: exFAT and FAT32.
Software - MatePad T8 with Android 10
The Chinese-made tablet runs an open-source version of Android 10 with a custom launcher known as EMUI 10.1. The security patches are up to date. That being said, the Huawei tablet shipped with the security patches from April 2020. However, on the last day of our review, which lasted from the beginning to the middle of September, the security patch level was updated to August 1. It is likely that with the Huawei slate users will not receive the security updates just as soon as they are out.
Huawei is no longer allowed to use Google Play services, which is why Google or banking applications do not work on the Huawei tablet. The Google Play Store cannot be installed without rooting. The missing Google Play services also make using third-party applications harder. The slate allows users to install applications from unknown sources. However, this presents a security risk not only for casual users but also for hard-core Android fans, because no-one can tell what kind of code an APK file might contain.
Huawei’s AppGallery and AppSearch, which offer users an option to download applications from websites or alternative stores, help things a little. Finding applications for the T8 is not as easy as for a certificated Android tablet, because Huawei’s AppGallery offers very few popular applications. Messengers and social media applications are missing, because most of these belong to US-based companies.
Unlike its bigger brother in the MatePad series, the T8 does not offer a desktop mode. Because the Huawei slate does not have a Google certification, it can only stream DRM-protected content at 540p/480p. This is something that streaming fans should be aware of.
Communication and Geolocation - Huawei tablet with fast Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi module supports the following IEEE-802.11 standards: a/b/g/n and ac. It can also operate in the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands. The T8 achieves great data transfer rates when paired with our reference-grade router Netgear Nighthawk AX12. The low-priced tablet offers upload and download speeds of about 350 Mb/s, which is why it takes the top spot in our comparison chart. The transfer rates are also quite stable, at least when it comes to data reception rates.
The LTE modem of the low-priced Huawei slate operates at LTE Cat.7 speeds and supports only 13 LTE bands. However, it supports all frequency bands that are relevant in Germany, including Band 20 and Band 28.
For short-distance communication, our review device relies on Bluetooth 5.0. It also features an NFC chip.
Those who would like to use the Huawei tablet as a car navigator can do so without getting an LTE version, because our review model comes with a GNSS module. For geolocation, our review device relies on the following global navigation satellite systems: GPS, Galileo, Beidou and GLONASS.
In order to determine how accurate our review device is when it comes to geolocation, we take it with us on a bike ride. During this ride, we are also accompanied by the professional navigator Garmin Edge 500. There is only a 130-metre difference between the low-priced tablet and the Garmin Edge 500 at the end of our 12-km ride. The T8 did not deviate too much from the professional navigator and had no trouble accurately mapping the route we took. This is why we think that the Huawei tablet is suited for navigation when driving.
Telephony & Call Quality
Tablets are often used to make video calls. However, because the T8 does not support Google Play services many messaging applications simply do not work. What is more, Android 10 does not support web versions of messaging platforms. To test the sound quality of the built-in microphone, we installed Skype from the Amazon AppStore. The voices sound rather quiet and there is some background noise. However, our call partner had no trouble understanding us.
We cannot say whether or not users will be able to make phone calls with an LTE version of the MatePad T8, because our review device does not have a cellular modem.
Cameras - MatePad T8 with a single camera
The 2-megapixel front-facing camera produces photographs with a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels. The images have a 4:3 aspect ratio. The Chinese manufacturer does not provide any detailed information about the built-in camera modules. The 2-megapixel selfie camera with a fixed focal length provides an image quality that is good enough for video calls. However, selfies look overexposed, blurry and washed-out.
The 5-megapixel main shooter offers more weaknesses than strengths. Because the rear camera supports autofocus, the pictures look less blurry. However, they are still washed-out. Moreover, the photographs are marred by a reddish cast.
The rear camera can record video at 1080p, while the front-facing camera can only shoot video at 720p.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Wide-angleLow-light photography4X zoomWide-angle
What we saw under natural lighting conditions is also true under controlled lighting conditions. Because of the unreliable autofocus feature, the photograph of our test chart appears relatively blurry. Moreover, it is somewhat grainy and has a reddish cast.
Under good lighting conditions, the T8 produces relatively colour-accurate images. However, most colours are overbrightened and light and dark tones are not very well-reproduced.
Accessories & Warranty - Huawei tablet with a 5-watt charger
The box contains the MatePad T8 and a 5-watt modular charger with an appropriate cable.
The T8 comes with a 24-month warranty.
Input Devices & Handling - Huawei tablet with facial recognition
The capacitive touchscreen of the T8 functions well, except in the very corners. The display has no problems with accurately registering inputs and the screen surface is quite smooth. We believe that the screen is laminated, because there is no perceivable air gap between the panel and the glass. However, the response times are rather poor.
The Huawei tablet does not offer a fingerprint sensor. However, its front-facing camera supports facial recognition. The 2D face unlock works very reliably under good lighting conditions. Howbeit, it is neither fast nor secure.
Display - MatePad T8 with an IPS panel
The 8-inch LCD screen of the T8 has a native resolution of 1280x800 pixels and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The IPS panel has a very low pixel density (below 200 PPI), which negatively affects the user experience. The display struggles with small fonts in particular.
According to our brightness measurements, the entry-level tablet has a maximum screen brightness of 343 cd/m² and a respectable brightness distribution of 92%. In our realistically oriented APL50 test, in which the screen displays a pattern that consists of evenly distributed dark and bright areas, the brightness amounts to only 300 cd/m². However, our measurements show that the T8 does not utilise pulse width modulation (PWM) for brightness control.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 331 cd/m²
Contrast: 2069:1 (Black: 0.16 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.1 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.93
ΔE Greyscale 3.9 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
85.1% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.31
| Huawei MatePad T8 LCD, 1280x800, 8" | Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 IPS, 1280x800, 8" | Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 IPS, 1280x800, 8" | Lenovo Tab M8 HD IPS, 1280x800, 8" | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 TFT, 1280x800, 8" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 10% | 12% | -7% | -33% | |
| Brightness middle | 331 | 490 48% | 501 51% | 379 15% | 377 14% |
| Brightness | 326 | 447 37% | 463 42% | 346 6% | 372 14% |
| Brightness Distribution | 92 | 88 -4% | 85 -8% | 88 -4% | 87 -5% |
| Black Level * | 0.16 | 0.23 -44% | 0.25 -56% | 0.21 -31% | 0.29 -81% |
| Contrast | 2069 | 2130 3% | 2004 -3% | 1805 -13% | 1300 -37% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.1 | 4 2% | 3.6 12% | 3.8 7% | 6.1 -49% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.2 | 8.3 -15% | 8.4 -17% | 7.5 -4% | 10.9 -51% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.9 | 2 49% | 1 74% | 5 -28% | 6.6 -69% |
| Gamma | 2.31 95% | 2.29 96% | 2.17 101% | 2.23 99% | 2.13 103% |
| CCT | 7355 88% | 6618 98% | 6473 100% | 7514 87% | 7861 83% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17146 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
The MatePad T8 has a very low black value of 0.16 cd/m², which is why the screen offers a superb contrast ratio of 2069:1. The black value (0.18 cd/m²) is a little lower in the APL50 test. However, the contrast ratio is much lower (1667:1).
Our CalMAN test reveals that the Delta E 2000 colour deviations are significantly higher in Standard
mode, which is selected by default, than in Warm
mode. Both the grayscale tracking and the colour-space coverage are on a good level. However, there is a noticeable colour cast.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 31.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 12.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 84 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 47.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21.2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 26 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 80 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33 ms). | ||
Despite a good contrast ratio, the T8 is not usable outside on sunny days. Because of a low display brightness, the screen content is simply not readable.
The viewing angles of the IPS panel are relatively stable. However, there is a noticeable drop in brightness when the device is viewed at extreme angles. There are no colour distortions, though.
Performance - Huawei tablet with the MediaTek MT8786
The T8 comes with the MediaTek MT8786, which offers four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5 GHz. Just like the A25, the SoC is likely produced using the 12-nm FinFET process. The low-performance IMG PowerVR GE8320 serves as the GPU.
Subjectively, the performance is on a decent level. However, because of slow eMMC memory, loading times are very long. The system is not always responsive. Users are likely to experience some slowdown when multi-tasking. In the benchmarks, the MediaTek MT8786 in combination with 2 GB of RAM performs about as well as the MediaTek MT8168 in the Amazon Fire HD 8. The IMG PowerVR GE8320, which was released years ago, offers a very similar level of performance to the Mali-G52 MP1.
| Geekbench 4.4 | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (745 - 5713, n=15, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 () | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (1418 - 15310, n=15, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 () | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Compute RenderScript Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (2128 - 10799, n=8, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 () | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (4.8 - 120, n=67, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (7 - 13, n=3) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
| Average of class Tablet (5 - 400, n=67, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (6.9 - 8.3, n=3) | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (89714 - 91467, n=2) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | |
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (19.9 - 334, n=69, last 2 years) | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (14 - 23.3, n=3) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4 ) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4 ) | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (22.1 - 23, n=2) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Tablet (34 - 435, n=48, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (24 - 39, n=4) | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4 ) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Tablet (2.59 - 572, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (13.3 - 17.3, n=2) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4 ) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (763 - 105178, n=85, last 2 years) | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (4070 - 6281, n=3) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4 ) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Huawei MatePad T8 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4 ) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Average Mediatek MT8768 (10163 - 12342, n=4) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 (Silk Browser) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Average of class Tablet (319 - 34733, n=74, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
| Huawei MatePad T8 | Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 | Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 | Lenovo Tab M8 HD | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | Average 16 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 15% | 16% | 12% | 17% | -41% | 589% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 274.1 | 314.2 15% | 315 15% | 297.1 8% | 291.9 6% | 164.5 ? -40% | 928 ? 239% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 67.4 | 100.2 49% | 103.9 54% | 79.6 18% | 108.5 61% | 43 ? -36% | 616 ? 814% |
| Random Read 4KB | 57.5 | 69.1 20% | 67.6 18% | 77.4 35% | 57.8 1% | 21.7 ? -62% | 182.5 ? 217% |
| Random Write 4KB | 14.63 | 15.62 7% | 15.72 7% | 15.84 8% | 16.89 15% | 8.08 ? -45% | 173.7 ? 1087% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 82.9 ? | 84.9 ? 2% | 84.1 ? 1% | 83.8 ? 1% | 87.1 ? 5% | 59.1 ? -29% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 62.4 ? | 61.5 ? -1% | 62 ? -1% | 64.3 ? 3% | 69.9 ? 12% | 39.8 ? -36% |
Gaming - MatePad T8 is not a gaming beast
Thanks to its size and weight, the 8-inch tablet seems well-suited for gaming. However, users should not have very high expectations. The IMG PowerVR GE8320 cannot provide a smooth gameplay experience in more-demanding 3D titles.
The T8 manages to achieve 20 to 25 FPS in PUBG Mobile on low settings. We saw frame rates between 20 and 30 FPS in Real Racing 3. We saw drops in performance while parts of the game were loading. We use Gamebench to record frame rates.
PUBG Mobile
Real Racing 3
Emissions - Cool Huawei slate
Temperature
The surface temperatures of the Huawei tablet are basically identical when it is under load and when it is idle. This is why it always feels pleasantly cool.
We use a battery testing utility known as GFXBench
to examine how well our review device performs under continuous load. The battery benchmark is run three times in a row, and both the frame rates and the battery level are recorded. The T8 manages to maintain its full performance in the Manhattan section (Open GL ES 3.1) of the GFXBench benchmark.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 27.8 °C / 82 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 26.7 °C / 80 F, compared to the average of 33.2 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.9 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Speakers
The mono speaker on the bottom has a high maximum volume of 94 dB(A) and provides a sound quality that is quite good for such a cheap device. The lows are almost completely missing. However, the frequency response is rather linear and the highs are reasonably well-reproduced.
For a better listening experience, we recommend you use a set of headphones, which can be connected to the device via either the 3.5-mm audio jack or Bluetooth 5.0. The headphone jack offers a good volume and a low level of background noise.
Huawei MatePad T8 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (94.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 19.1% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (2.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.6% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 8.5% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 38% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 54% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 34% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 59% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Lenovo Tab M8 HD audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.9% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 12.3% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (27.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 83% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 14% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 82% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 14% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy Management - MatePad T8 with great battery life
Energy Consumption
The power draw of the T8 is on a normal level for such a device. Competing tablets have a similar power draw.
| Off / Standby |   0.01 / 0.17 Watt |
| Idle |  0.68 / 2.24 / 2.27 Watt |
| Load |
3.06 / 4.45 Watt |
    
| |
| Huawei MatePad T8 5100 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 4850 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 4850 mAh | Lenovo Tab M8 HD 5100 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 5100 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -19% | -23% | 10% | -8% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.68 | 0.74 -9% | 0.72 -6% | 0.66 3% | 0.62 9% |
| Idle Average * | 2.24 | 2.81 -25% | 2.97 -33% | 2.15 4% | 2.68 -20% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.27 | 2.83 -25% | 2.99 -32% | 2.18 4% | 2.7 -19% |
| Load Average * | 3.06 | 3.73 -22% | 4.02 -31% | 2.48 19% | 3.61 -18% |
| Load Maximum * | 4.45 | 4.97 -12% | 5.1 -15% | 3.49 22% | 4 10% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In our Wi-Fi test, the T8 lasted for almost sixteen hours. The 5100-mAh battery took more than five hours to fully charge.
| Huawei MatePad T8 5100 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus 2020 4850 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 8 2020 4850 mAh | Lenovo Tab M8 HD 5100 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 5100 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -8% | -8% | 30% | -1% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2393 | 2661 11% | 3581 50% | 3132 31% | |
| H.264 | 1137 | 949 -17% | 1696 49% | 934 -18% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 949 | 869 -8% | 902 -5% | 1124 18% | 831 -12% |
| Load | 359 | 286 -20% | 374 4% | 342 -5% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict for the MatePad T8 - Huawei’s work-arounds do not make up for the loss of Google Play services
When it comes to performance, build quality and battery life, the T8 is very competitive. The Wi-Fi module of the Huawei slate achieves the best results in our Wi-Fi test. For a small premium of 20 Euros (~$23), buyers can get a version with an LTE modem.
The IPS panel has relatively stable viewing angles and the colour reproduction is on a good level for a 100-Euro (~$118) tablet. However, the screen is not bright enough for outdoor use on sunny days. Whether or not any device should ship with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of eMMC memory in 2020 is open to debate. Howbeit, in our opinion, the fact that no device should come with a microUSB port and a 5-watt charger is no longer debatable.
Because of the Google situation, it is very difficult to reach any sort of conclusion about the low-priced MatePad T8. You can easily watch YouTube videos, surf the web or read pdf files with the T8. Applications that do not require the use of Google Play services will run well. However, if your favourite applications rely on Google Play services, then you are out of luck. Moreover, Huawei’s AppGallery does not feature a wide selection of applications.
Huawei fails to offset the loss that many users will experience due to the fact that its entry-level tablet does not support Google Play services. The T8 does not offer any killer features that would set it apart from the crowd.
Huawei MatePad T8
-
09/18/2020 v7 (old)
Marcus Herbrich
Price comparison
