Huawei MediaPad M2 10 Tablet Review

Cameras & Multimedia

Huawei does not believe the saying "no one uses a tablet for photographing", and installs considerably higher-resolution modules in its tablet than the equally priced rivals. Photos with 13 megapixels are shot with the rear-facing lens, which is supported by auto focus and flash. A flash is not found in many other tablets, either.

Just how well does the unusually high-resolution camera for a tablet fare? It takes decent pictures, especially from the landscape and even low-light photos are surprisingly good. However, closer objects look unfocused and blurry in detail when zoomed. High-end smartphone cameras clearly have a lead here.

We also photographed a reference card with the primary camera in standardized light conditions. The result looks relatively sharp and the color reproduction good. Zoomed details also make a sufficiently focused impression although the outlines are blotted. A color comparison even displays somewhat stronger yellow tones than in the reference colors; many color hues are somewhat too bright.

Photos made with the front-facing camera with fixed focus and 5 megapixel resolution display pale colors and look slightly overexposed. Inaccurate outlines and color noise also becomes evident when zoomed. The front-facing camera can nevertheless be used for shooting a quick selfie.

The primary camera records videos in Full HD at 30 frames per second; the front-facing camera can create videos in 720p also at 30 frames per second. The primary camera's recordings look smooth and the auto focus adapts quickly enough when not moving too fast. The front-facing camera's videos are again more useful for social media with slightly noisy and pale colors.

The screen in the MediaPad M2 10 presents itself in the common 16:10 aspect ratio and a diagonal of 10.1 inches. The panel's Full HD resolution is standard in this price range; only Samsung's Galaxy Tab A 9.7 disappoints with a very low 1024x768 pixels here.

With an average of 383.2 cd/m², the MediaPad M2 10's screen is relatively bright. The illumination of 91% is also very even and large colored areas look homogeneous. We also measured the APL50 (average picture level) with equally distributed bright and dark areas since this evaluation usually produces an even more realistic rate: The brightness of 385 cd/m² in the image center is just as high, but the black level is a bit higher than in the normal assessment.

Temperature

An advantage of 10-inch tablets is that they offer enough room to cool the components decently even under stress. Huawei's MediaPad M2 10 is in fact quite successful here: A maximum of 34.3 degrees Celsius (93.74 Fahrenheit) is reached. Although that is palpable in the camera's area on the back, it is not problematic or unpleasant. The temperatures remain somewhat lower in idle mode; we measured up to 32.2 degrees (89.96 Fahrenheit) on the front. Especially when compared with other tablets from this price range, Huawei's MediaPad M2 10 always stays cool also on the outside.

However, the reason might be the SoC's limited performance after prolonged load. We tested this with the GFXBench battery test that runs the same benchmark thirty times and logs the frame rates. The frame rates began to drop with the twelfth run, and the system only managed to calculate 825 frames in the defined time in the twenty-fifth run. It was initially 975 frames and thus 150 frames more - a clear performance loss.

Huawei's MediaPad M2 10 sports a total of four speakers, and Huawei promises high-quality sound and even "an unprecedented sound experience". That might even be true for a tablet: Since the upper speakers always render the trebles and the lower ones the bass ranges - depending on how the tablet is held - a balanced sound is created and the tabletop sometimes even vibrates during bass-heavy playback.

Watching videos is especially enjoyable thanks to the widely spaced speakers and the decent stereo effect. Naturally, it cannot compete with a sound system in a good gaming laptop not to mention a home cinema system, but the sound will satisfy even more demanding users when on-the-go.

We measured 82 dB(A) in our "Pink Noise" speaker test, which is the maximum that the speakers can deliver. The lower speakers are somewhat louder, but the maximum volume should be enough to fill average-sized rooms with sound.

Software support for the speakers is naturally also present. The "Clar-Fi" software by Harman/Kardon is to re-add lost sounds in compressed audio files and thus produce a rounder and richer sound impression. Unfortunately, that can only be verified via the test app and it cannot be said to what extent the sample files have been optimized for the test. Nevertheless, a very good audio quality can be confirmed even when listening to music. Static-free and good sound is delivered via the 3.5 mm jack or Bluetooth in any case.

Even if the design is not awesomely unique: Huawei's MediaPad is something special. The rigid metal casing is just as compelling as the relatively bright screen, good speakers and battery life. Stylus inputs are possible, the fingerprint scanner can be used as an additional control for the tablet, and the software expansions seem useful and unobtrusive. It is almost a must to add the MediaPad M2 10 to the shortlist especially when high-quality cameras are wanted in the tablet. Even considerably more expensive devices rarely offer such high-resolution camera modules.

Huawei's MediaPad M2 10 barely shows any weaknesses, and it is therefore a good choice for everyone looking for a multimedia tablet with good speakers and mid-range performance.

Huawei could only improve one or two things in its tablet: The SoC throttles under load and it could perhaps provide gamers with a bit more power. The casing cracks loudly when twisted and clear color shifts (compared with the reference rate) and a bluish tint are visible on the screen.

Overall, those are only trifles and thus Huawei's MediaPad M2 10 has rightly earned a purchase recommendation.