Despite the rumours suggesting Huawei would use MWC 2018 to launch the much-anticipated Huawei P11, it instead used the conference in Barcelona to refresh its range of tablets alongside the launch of a new laptop.
READ NEXT: MWC 2018 highlights
The stand-out attraction is the Huawei Matebook X Pro, but the Chinese firm also revealed a range of tablets under the MediaPad M5 name. This family includes an 8.4in device, and two 10.8in models.
Huawei Matebook X Pro
The Matebook X Pro is a follow up to last year’s Matebook X and is the closest we’ve seen to a bezel-less laptop with a frame measuring just 4.4mm.
Available in two tiers – the i5-8250U with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD configuration; or the i7-8550U with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD – the 14in Windows 10 laptops come with a 3,000 x 2,000 LTPS panel. Huawei claims the built-in 54.7Wh battery will last a day, but a bundled USB Type-C fast charger offers an extra six hours from just half an hour of charging if you start running short.
To make sure the laptop still features a webcam, despite its tiny frame, a small headlamp pops up from the keyboard which can be pushed back down when not in use.
Read our Huawei Matebook X Pro hands-on review
MediaPad M5 series tablets
Each of Huawei’s tablets form part of the MediaPad M5 Series and run on Android Oreo.
The MediaPad M5 family includes an 8.4in device alongside a 10.8in model. There is then an additional 10.8in tablet, called the MediaPad M5 Pro. Each is powered by the Kirin 960 processor, comes with a 2K screen and has speakers tuned by Harman Kardon.
The 8.4in and 10.8in MediaPad M5 tablets have curved edges, support 4G and Wi-Fi and come in either gold or grey. They have 13-megapixel cameras on the rear and 8-megapixel cameras on the front.
The smaller of the two has a quoted battery life offering up to 11 hours of 1080p video playback and it charges in less than two hours. The larger model will give up to 10 hours of 1080p video playback and charges in less than three hours.
MediaPad M5 Pro
The 10.8in Huawei MediaPad M5 Pro comes with a stylus in the box, called the Huawei M-Pen, as well as an optional keyboard (sold separately, price TBC). This keyboard works with the Pro and the regular MediaPad M5 10.8in tablet.
When the MediaPad M5 Pro is plugged into a dock, it additionally switches to a special desktop version of Android, a bit like the desektop environment embedded into the Huawei Mate 10 Pro smartphone. This could prove all-important to those who want the convenience of an Android tablet but the productivity of a Windows device.
Elsewhere, the tablet’s display has 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, especially good for tilting and shading, but it doesn’t come with a 3.5mm headphone jack, sadly.
Images: Jon Bray
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