Huawei’s latest tablet, the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite, brings users an immersive entertainment experience, enhanced by the new M-Pen Lite stylus. It features a full metal body for a premium feel, and while not ultrathin at 7.7mm, its weight of 475 grams is manageable.

This portable tablet is equipped with a brilliant 10.1-inch Full HD screen and a quad-speaker setup by Harman Kardon, making it an excellent choice for people on the go. But wait, there’s more! The included M-Pen Lite stylus unlocks a world of creative possibilities. Whether you’re jotting down notes, sketching ideas, or marking up documents, the M-Pen Lite offers a natural and precise pen-on-paper feel.

In this comprehensive review, we’ll take a deep dive into the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite, exploring its performance, design, features, and overall value. We’ll put the display, audio, and M-Pen Lite to the test, helping you decide if this tablet is the perfect fit for your needs.

What’s inside the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite box?

The box is rather simple with the familiar white box with Huawei and Harman Kardon logos. Inside the box contains the Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite, charger, USB Type-C power cable, SIM ejector pin, and the M-Pen lite stylus.

Design and Construction

It is a portable tablet equipped with 10.1 inch FHD screen and a quad-speaker setup by Harman Kardon. Aside from being a multimedia-centric tablet, the MediaPad M5 Lite is an excellent choice for people on the go.

The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite boasts a sleek design, featuring a 2.5D curved glass edge nestled within a thin aluminum alloy unibody. Its minimalist curves create an elegant aesthetic, contributing to a slim-looking profile. While the bezels are on the thicker side, they remain acceptable for a mid-range tablet. Despite its sizeable 7,500mAh battery, the device maintains a remarkable slimness at just 7.7mm, measuring 243.4 x 162.2 mm.

For audio, the MediaPad M5 Lite boasts quad speakers co-engineered with Harman Kardon, delivering professional-grade theater sound on its 10.1-inch display. This impressive audio setup is further enhanced by Huawei Histen 5.0 technology, which not only reduces background noise but also deepens the bass for a truly immersive listening experience.

Display and Multimedia

The MediaPad M5 Lite exudes a premium aesthetic with its 10.1-inch IPS display showcasing vibrant colors, sharp details, and ample brightness. This immersive viewing experience is complemented by strategically placed Harman Kardon quad speakers in each corner, top and bottom. This thoughtful placement ensures the speakers remain unobstructed, regardless of whether you’re holding the tablet in portrait or landscape mode, perfect for uninterrupted entertainment.

The well-positioned speakers are arguably the highlight of the MediaPad M5 Lite. They deliver a captivating and almost 3D-like soundscape, making it the ideal device for binge-watching your favorite shows on Netflix or getting lost in a YouTube marathon.

Stylus

The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite comes with the HUAWEI M-Pen Lite, designed to feel like an extension of your thoughts. Boasting 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, it allows for natural note-taking and memo creation with impressive responsiveness.

While the M-Pen Lite is a simplified version of the M-Pen found on the MediaPad M5 Pro, lacking buttons and relying on a replaceable battery, its performance remains impressive. I didn’t notice any noticeable difference in pressure sensitivity compared to higher-end options unless you’re a frequent and discerning stylus user.

The only issue I have about this pen is the lack of dedicated storage like competitors such as the Galaxy Note 9’s S-Pen slot or the magnetic attachment on the iPad Pro. This means the M-Pen Lite is prone to getting misplaced when not in use. Additionally, a rechargeable battery would be preferable to the current AAAA battery, as acquiring replacements can be inconvenient.

Camera

While both the front and rear cameras offer an 8-megapixel resolution, image quality falls short, making them suitable for basic video calls but not ideal for capturing photos. However, considering the awkwardness of using a tablet for photography, this might not be a dealbreaker for everyone. After all, your smartphone is always readily available for high-quality pictures.

Battery Life

Huawei equipped the MediaPad M5 Lite with a massive 7,500mAh battery, ensuring it can handle extended multimedia and gaming sessions throughout the day. During our testing, continuous Netflix binge-watching yielded an impressive 10 hours of playback before needing a recharge. Additionally, the tablet supports fast charging, eliminating the wait for lengthy charging times. I even had enough time to grab a snack before diving back into my favorite Netflix series, thanks to the device’s impressive battery life.

Conclusion

I started this review with a question—are tablets still useful? In my personal opinion, the MediaPad M5 Lite won’t definitively answer that question, but it can offer some valuable insights. While it may not compete with the absolute top contenders in the tablet market, I found this device surprisingly enjoyable, especially for media consumption.

Binge-watching bliss: The sound quality is truly impressive, and the screen quality elevates the experience further. Add in solid battery life and a user-friendly interface, and you have a compelling option for entertainment on the go.

The verdict: The Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite offers a good balance of features at a competitive price point of Php 18,990, available at Huawei concept stores nationwide.