Huawei MediaPad 7" Honeycomb Tablet Hands-on

Posted on 21 October 2011, Last updated on 28 December 2013 by

I managed to get a Huawei Mediapad for a few weeks to trial. I only managed to get a few hours in with the device today and snap off a couple of low res pictures from my phone but I’ll follow up with an in-depth overview and some high quality photos in a few days. In the meantime if you have any tests you want me to run on the Huawei MediaPad leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do.

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Before I give you a few quick thoughts, you can find full specs at the Huawei MediaPad tracking page in our mobile device database.

huawei mediapad

I compared it to an iPad 2 and like the Galaxy Tab found it to be roughly half the size of the Apple unit. The unit is pocketable, just, but cargo pant-pocketable none the less.

The screen is great — sharp, bright, and very responsive. The device itself is nicely built and feels solid in the hand. The Huawei MediaPad is heavier than the Galaxy Tab but it feels like the same form factor so if you are happy with the size and feel of the Galaxy Tab you’ll likely be happy with the MediaPad too.

I don’t have a lot of apps installed yet and not a lot of media on it to slow it down but I was pleasantly surprised by how fast it is. Everything is snappy and very responsive. Apps open fast, media plays almost instantly and overall the processor doesn’t seem to struggle with anything.

If the pricing comes in at the right level, I think this device will sell very well.


Chippy is also looking forward to the Huawei MediaPad, and is actually considering trading up his much-used and loved Galaxy Tab for it. Though the tab has treated him well for over a year, Chippy says that he’s overdue for the benefits of Honeycomb in a 7″ form-factor. The upcoming dual-core Galaxy Tab Plus is likely to be a potent competitor to the Huawei MediaPad, especially when it comes to availability.

8 Comments For This Post

  1. kubecz3k says:

    Can you check if MediaPad has got phone capability like samsung tab 7 plus?
    Thanks!

  2. kubecz3k says:

    And of course, how much time you can work on battery?

  3. Minriin says:

    did you ask if it will be receiving an ICS update?

    I think many people are curious if this unknown company can deliver.

  4. p33t says:

    Does it have usb host?

  5. Chippy says:

    My thought too. I want to be able to hang a full-size sdhc card on it.

  6. Damian says:

    no problems as all of the above is on my list to test.

  7. aludal says:

    I would also love to trade my SGT 7″ WiFi-only for this beast, LOL.
    Seriously though, I would love to see this MSM8260 device rendering nice and smooth L4 H.264 video (please load some clips of this and lesser bitrate on your SD card for your detailed video test.
    As for USB Host, there should not be a problem in A3.2, though we seem to getting this device as T-Mobile Springboard at $199…$229 w/contract and USB Host functionality is the serious breach in the eyes of a carrier. Chippy, full SDHC, or 3G dongle can be “hanged” on existent USB OTG. Might take some unlocking/rooting, but nothing serious. XDA-Devs would have the trick the day after the device appearance at the T-Mobile shops.
    Jokes aside, 217 DPI IPS screen is not a joke, so please record your video at your max resolution and ZERO holding your 1080p camcorder in your hands. Clips made by rear-cam of this beast are also of interest (anything on max resolution/quality, outside, with moderately fast panos).Thank you — can’t wait for your video review of HMP. Additional data for your DB can be found at http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=2950&c=huawei_mediapad

  8. fab says:

    have you been able to compare it to other android 3.0 devices like…well, the A100 from Acer?

    I had the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in my hands and it’s fantastically light. Anything heavier would simply be annoying for a tablet.

    The resolution is important as well, since this one should have 1280×800 it has the edge of the lower res of the A100. While you said the screen is sharp and bright, that’s something i would not question (high res), but what’s more important, are the viewing angles good, are the colors crisp? have a look at an archos tablet and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and you’ll immediately notice what i mean :-)

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