Introduction
Let’s face it. Android tablets have become a somewhat niche product these days. Usually, you’ll find one used by children for their games and videos. I have even seen a few who really use it like a phone.
Huawei is one of those companies which still show focus in this market, and the MediaPad T3 is a perfect case in point.
Considered as a budget tablet, MediaPad T3 is primarily geared for basic day to day use. That means social media, music, video, maybe email, and some light games. Some of its apps are also designed for children.
Specifications
| Material | Metal |
| Dimensions | Height: 211.07 mm |
| Width: 124.65 mm | |
| Depth: 7.95 mm | |
| Weight | Approx 350 g (Battery Included) |
| Color | Space Grey |
| Display | 8.0″ IPS Display, 1280 x 800 HD+ |
| Processor | Snapdragon 425 |
| OS | Android 7 + EMUI 5.1 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB (Expandable up to 128GB) |
| Rear Camera | 5MP |
| Front Camera | 2MP |
| Connectivity | LTE |
| Battery | 4,800mAh |
| SRP | PhP6,490 |
Design and Build Quality
The Huawei MediaPad T3 is built from a single piece of Aluminium, to ensure that it can endure a few bumps and falls. This also produces a metallic finish that exudes elegance and strength.
Since it’s designed with kids in mind, the materials used are non-toxic and safe.
Weighing in at 350 grams, and being only 7.95mm thick, this tablet can easily fit in small bags and can be carried around effortlessly.
Both the power button and volume rocker are located on the right side. The buttons don’t feel cheap, and exhibit decent responsiveness. There’s also a dedicated SIM card slot, for those who want to use it on a mobile network in case Wi-Fi isn’t available.
The rear houses a single 5MP shooter, along with some branding.
At the bottom, you’ll find a microUSB port, along with the microphone. Up top is a 3.5mm headphone jack.
MediaPad T3 boasts an 8-inch with HD+ resolution. While it’s bright enough, detail is only average. You’ll be able to spot rough edges on some of the icons. Color Saturation is also decent.
Performance
MediaPad T3 runs on a Snapdragon 425, an old processor that really shows its age. There are occasional stutters in the UI, and everything slows down when you start doing a lot of things at the same time.
- Geekbench 5 – Single Core – 120 | Multi-Core – 435
- Androbench – Sequential Read – 254.36MB/s | Sequential Write – 67.26MB/s
Once apps are open, things are pretty smooth. Things don’t seem snappy when scrolling your Netflix home page, but again, it does the job.
Another letdown here, is the amount of storage that you get – 16GB. Add the OS to that and you get less. Now, if a kid was using this tablet, that would be fine. Otherwise, that really isn’t enough. Thankfully, you can put in a microSD card.
Can it game? of course it can. It just depends on which games we’re talking about. AAA titles? nope, but Mobile Legends, yes! (It even supports HFR mode!)
Camera
Android tablets aren’t really known for sporting great cameras, but this one is an exception
Suprisingly, sample shots show a good amount of detail, sharpness and texture.
Software
MediaPad T3 runs on EMUI 5.1.3 on top of Android 7. Yes, it’s pretty outdated. Maybe the company thought, since this tablet is going to be used mainly by kids, there’s no need for an update.
But still, kids can just tap on anything they fancy, and without the latest security patches, that leaves the device vulnerable to online threats.
Speaking of being kid-friendly, the MediaPad T3 has a feature called Children’s Corner, which is basically a sandbox with a suite of apps tailored for…. kids.
There’s also parental controls, which means you can schedule when your kids can use the tablet, among other features.
Battery
Playing a 1080p video at 50% brightness and 80% volume, the MediaPad T3 managed to churn out around 13 hours of continuous playback. Impressive.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
