CES 2019: The Huawei Mediapad M5 Lite

Back at MWC 2018 we saw the launch of the MediaPad M5 and M5 Pro: high-end tablets attempting to revitalise the premium Android tablet market. Today Huawei is announcing a cost-down version of those devices for the US market, in the MediaPad M5 Lite.

The M5 Lite sits between the two versions of the M5 at a 10.1-inch display, although with a smaller 1920x1200 resolution. The chipset is also lower down the stack, as rather than the Kirin 960 these parts have the Kirin 659: an octa-core A53 variant. This is valid in a cost-down model for sure, as the MediaPad M5 Lite, with a bundled 2048-level pressure sensitive M-Pen, will be $299.

Huawei MediaPad M5 Family
	8.4-inch	10.8-inch	10.1-inch Lite
SoC	HiSilicon Kirin 960 4 x A73 @ 2.36 GHz 4 x A53 @ 1.84 GHz		HiSilicon Kirin 659 4 x A53 @ 2.36 GHz 4 x A53 @ 1.70 GHz
Graphics	Mali-G71MP8 1037 MHz		Mali-T830 MP2 900 MHz
Display	8.4-inch 2560x1600	10.8-inch 2560x1600	10.1-inch 1920x1200
Storage	32 GB / 64 GB / 128 GB + microSD		32GB + microSD
Memory	4GB LPDDR4-1866		3 GB
Battery	5100 mAh Up to 11 hours	7500 mAh Up to 10 hours	7500 mAh Up to 10-12 hours
Wireless	LTE on select mdoels 802.11ac Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.2		No LTE 802.11ac Wi-Fi BT 4.2
Connectivity	Type-C Charging USB Type-C to 3.5mm Audio		18W Type-C Charging 3.5mm TRRS
Camera	13MP Autofocus +  8MP Fixed Focus		8MP Autofocus + 8MP Fixed Focus
Android	Android 8.0 + EMUI 8.0		Android 8.0 + EMUI 8.0
Price			$299

On the M5 Lite there is a quad speaker system developed in partnership with harmon/kardon, and the 3.5mm headphone jack supports Dolby Atmos. The M5 Lite will be offered as a Wi-Fi model only, but the large size allows for a 7500 mAh battery which should give 10-12 hours of video playback time and 40 days of standby. The port on board is a Type-C, and the unit comes with an 18W (9V/2A) charger. Memory and storage is fixed at 3GB and 32GB respectively, however there is a microSD card slot good for up to 256GB. Cameras are listed as 8MP for both front and rear.

User experience features on the device include an enhanced eye-comfort mode, user profiles based on finger print entry, the aforementioned M-Pen, and a ‘Kid’s Corner’ technology that allows parents to limit what applications their children can use and also fix time limits on various apps.

Dimensions for the device come in at 6.39 x 9.58 x 0.30-inches and 16.76 oz (475g). It is expected to hit the market early in Q1.