The Huawei MatePad T10s is the company’s latest Android tablet released for the Malaysian market. Not to be confused with the MatePad T10, the “s” version has several upgrades and we’ll be testing if the tablet is any good. Priced at RM999, the Huawei MatePad T10s can be a great contender in the mid-range tablet segment. But first, let’s talk specs.
Huawei MatePad T10s – Specifications
CPU | Kirin 710A |
RAM | 3GB |
Storage | 64GB |
Display | 10.1-inch FHD+ |
Camera | 5MP Rear Sensor 2MP Front Sensor |
Battery | 5,100mAh |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.0 USB Type-C 3.5mm Audio Jack |
OS | EMUI 10.1 Android 10 Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) |
Colour | Deepsea Blue |
Price | RM999 |
What’s In The Box?
- Huawei MatePad T10s
- USB Type-C Cable
- Charging Adapter
- SIM Pin Ejector
- Quick Start Guide / Manual
Design
The Huawei MatePad T10s comes in only one colour – Deepsea Blue, though it’s no fancy colour, it actually looks pretty good. All four sides of the tablet have curved edges, and they fit just comfortably in the hands. The tablet also has a decent weight of 450g. It isn’t that heavy, and I think it’s great to carry around in your backpack or handbag.
On the front, you’ll find the display that is covered with some rather thick bezels. On the top, there are two microphones, with the power and volume buttons. On the left, you’ll find the first speaker grille, while the right side houses the USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, the second speaker grille, and a SIM tray slot.
Yes, you read that right. The Huawei MatePad T10s does have LTE connectivity, so you can connect to mobile data and even make calls.
Display
The Huawei MatePad T10s has a large 10.1-inch FHD+ display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 in a 16:10 aspect ratio. Picture quality is clear and bright, but the colours may seem a little dull at some angles. If you’re watching videos straight on, colours do turn out a lot more vivid.
Seeing how this is a tablet that’s made for student and working class individuals, the display does have HUAWEI ClariVu Display Enhancement Technology with TÜV Rheinland certification. There is the usual Dark Mode that turns the UI black, and the Eye Comfort mode that turns on a “Sepia” filter to protect the reader’s eyes.
But what I actually like is the eBook mode. Essentially, what it does it turns the display into black and white, kind of like what an eBook would look like. Navigation is still the same, it’s just the colour that’s changed. This is useful when you’re going through long form documents, articles, notes, or eBooks (obviously). Not to mention, the eBook mode also preserves battery life in the long run.
User Experience
The Huawei MatePad T10s is a great tablet that’s comfortable to hold. Because of the bezels around the display, you actually have a place where you can rest your thumb. Because of that, your fingers would also be positioned slightly further from the tablet so it doesn’t cover the speaker grilles.
The tablet’s display only has a 60Hz refresh rate, so navigation does appear sluggish at times. The screen is responsive, but I just don’t like the screen tearing up from the low refresh rate. Button placement is alright, but I wished that the power button and volume buttons could have been swapped. The power button leans too far to the centre, so I’d have to lift my hands to reach it. I may sound lazy, but we’re talking about user convenience here.
Just like the Huawei MatePad Pro we had before this, I’m glad Huawei decided to bring over the App Multiplier and Multi-window feature. The App Multiplier enables the tablet to show a smart split screen of the same app. For example, when I’m shopping on Lazada, clicking on a product would open a split window. That way, I can view the product without ever leaving my browsing list. As for Multi-window, it’s pretty self-explanatory. Two apps can be opened at the same time, and you can even drag and drop content from one app to the other. Its seems like the Multi-screen collaboration feature is reserved for the higher end tablets. Otherwise, it could allow me to use my Huawei smartphone right from the tablet itself.
Huawei could’ve added a fingerprint sensor to the Huawei MatePad T10s, embedded within the power button. But, it doesn’t have one, so the next fastest way for you to login is to use your face. Facial recognition is fast, but you’d still have to swipe to unlock.
Performance
The Huawei MatePad T10s is powered by a Kirin 710A processor, paired with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. For me, the processor is a mid-range chip so I was expecting some slowdowns here and there. A 4GB RAM could’ve improved the performance a little, but the 64GB is more than enough for my usage. The SIM tray slot can also house a microSD card that lets you expand the storage with an additional 512GB.
Apps launch with a decent speed, but the loading speeds of the content does take a while – as expected of a mid-range chip. Gaming wise, you will notice a little screen tearing here and there, and the loading speeds are a little slower. But, you will still get to enjoy your games on a beautiful larger screen.
Camera
As a productivity tablet, the Huawei MatePad T10s also comes with a 2MP sensor on the front and a 5MP sensor on the rear. The cameras are nothing to shout about, they tend to get overexposed and the viewfinder is a little laggy. But, for video calls and a quick document snap, the cameras work just fine.
Audio
Tuned by Harman Kardon, the dual stereo speaker system on the Huawei MatePad T10s can get really loud without distortion. The treble can be a tad bit too much, but the mids are really clear so vocals come off nice and crisp. When it comes to bass, you can definitely hear a nice thump when the bass drops, especially while listening to EDM tunes.
Most of the time, I hover around the 20% volume level for the best experience. Of course, when I’m doing some tasks and need some music, I’ll increase the volume to about 50%, and that’s already quite loud.
Battery
The Huawei MatePad T10s has a large 5,100mAh battery. Most of the time, I would use the table for more leisurely activities like social media surfing, reading articles, gaming, online shopping, watching videos, and listening to music.
With my usage on Wi-Fi only, the tablet can last for 2 and a half days on a single charge. However, putting a SIM card in, and with the same usage scenario on mobile data, the tablet lasts about a day and a half. To charge the tablet from zero to full, it takes about 2 hours via USB Type-C.
Conclusion
The Huawei MatePad T10s is a great tablet for budget-oriented students, or working class men/women. For the price of RM999, it can handle all your daily work and entertainment tasks, albeit with Huawei AppGallery. The large 10.1-inch screen offers a larger canvas for you to work with, and all your data can be organized and stored away nicely on the cloud. That definitely beats the traditional pen and paper.
However, if you do miss using a pencil for note taking, the MatePad T10s does support Huawei’s M-Pencil. Unfortunately, the M-Pencil isn’t included, but you do get a free flip casing with every purchase. Not only that, you will also get:
- HUAWEI Mobile Cloud: Free 15GB cloud storage for 12 months
- HUAWEI Video: Free 3 months dimsum entertainment VIP
- HUAWEI Books: Free books worth RM14