Tablets are becoming increasingly popular as more people work from home. Whether you need a tablet for reading, entertainment, or just a tablet with longertablet battery life, the features the MatePad T 10s has to offer are irresistible.
For R4,500 you get a great screen, a decent tablet battery and great speakers. And, believe it or not, it’s actually worth it. The MatePad T 10s looks a lot like the MatePad 8. It even has the same color – ” Deep Sea Blue”. Although it’s not as thin as the competition, the MatePad weighs just 450g and is 7.85mm thick, making it feel more premium without any extra cost. The back panel is matte metal, with a thin plastic edge on top of the tablet.
Around the edges, you won’t find much other than a USB C 2.0 charging port, a headphone jack, and a slot that can accommodate a Nano SIM card and MicroSD expandable to 512GB. The speakers are on the top and bottom, and the power and volume buttons are where you might reasonably expect them to be.
While the metal back makes the tablet look and feel great, it can easily attract smudges. If you don’t want to wipe your tablet five times a day, a protective case is recommended.
It is easy to carry and is a good companion to carry around.
Smart bookingHuawei MatePad T10s features a 10.1-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200. If you just want to browse social media, browse the web, and watch videos, you’re all set.
The best feature of this display is the eBook mode. Turning on eBook mode filters out all blue light, helping to reduce eye strain while reading your next favorite book. Unfortunately the regular display mode can be a bit finicky.
Conventional brightness levels leave room for improvement. Sitting outside in a bright area is nearly impossible unless your brightness settings are set to maximum. At times, the screen also felt a bit blurry, and the resolution didn’t match the statistics displayed. the reason is simple. By default, Huawei adjusts the resolution based on user behavior. If you want the resolution to be always sharp, you must turn off smart resolution.
Fuzzy Logic If you’re looking for a tablet that can take great photos, this might not be the tablet for you. You need to get your head checked.
When using the MatePad in landscape view, the front-facing 2MP camera is centered. Its placement allows for easier video calls, although you’re probably better off sticking with your smartphone’s standard camera. There was nothing remarkable about the resolution.
The 5MP rear camera has been slightly improved. But only slightly. It does the job as well as it can – especially considering how cheap the MatePad is in the current market. A smartphone at this price point doesn’t mean a great camera. There’s no reason to expect any better from Huawei’s tablets.
A game for most thingsThe MatePad is powered by Huawei Kirin 710A core processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. If 64GB isn’t enough for your storage needs, you have the option of inserting your own 512GB SD card. Or smaller things, we won ‘t judge.
While not the best for gaming, the MatePad performs pretty well. While there will be slight stuttering in fast-paced games, it never feels slow. As long as there aren’t too many apps drawing power from the background, games like Asphalt 9 will run smoothly.
Gaming remains the hardware’s main stall – everything else runs and opens exactly as expected. Reply to the latest Snapchat without any delays. This is an absolute win for a budget tablet.
MatePad runs Android 10 and EMUI 10.1 versions, and its performance is not inferior at all. But there’s one major problem.
There is no Google Play Store. or any Google service. In contrast, Huawei’s own app library is… lacking. Due to current US restrictions, the MatePad cannot include any of Google’s major apps. You can still get along just fine with the web versions of missing apps; though it ends up making the AppGallery feel a bit empty.
When you first open your MatePad, you’ll see a ton of app shortcuts on the AppGallery. Essentially, they are just ads. Don’t worry – just tap a button and they’ll disappear.
Still, it’s still Android, it’s just Huawei adding its own twist to it.
load shedding partnerArguably one of the MatePad’s better features is the 5,100mAh battery. You’ll never be left in the dark (thanks Eskom). The MatePad will keep you busy for at least a few hours – with a network running, it’ll last you about five hours of intensive use before running out of juice. This can be prolonged by turning off internet access and turning down the brightness.
The only drawback in theHuawei Tablets battery department is the lack of fast charging option. Although some may find this a dealbreaker, most casual users will be content with charging it throughout the night. Well, what would you expect from a tablet that was first launched in 2020?Surprisingly, the speakers are where the MatePad shine. The audio quality is much higher than expected for a tablet in this price range. It’s loud enough to hear every lyric of your favorite tune and subtle enough to hear the whispers when watching videos.
With a budget in mind, it would be hard to close your ears to the MatePads excellent sound quality. Combine that with the display (suitably tweaked), brightness, and enough battery life to outlast all but the most determined of Eskom interruptions and we’ re looking at a slab of glass and plastic that is worth your time.
Huawei MatePad T 10s VerdictWhile the Huawei MatePad T 10s won’t be stepping into the ring with either Samsung or Apple anytime soon, it sets its sights on becoming the best ‘cheap’ tablet around. If you’re looking for a tablet that has a great battery along with great speakers, you’ve come to the right place.
You won’t trounce any kids in Fortnite, unless you don’t mind the occasional lag spike. But that’s fine. Weighing only 450g, the MatePad will be your best friend on your travels, being compact enough to easily slip in a carry-on. For a tablet newbie on a budget of R4,500, and as long as you’re not welded to the idea of Google’s services, it’s hard to go wrong with the Huawei MatePad T10s.