Dutch tech blog LetsGoDigital has just revealed a new entry-level tablet that Huawei is working on, and it could well be the MatePad 8 with a single camera and dual speakers.
With the expanding smartphone screens in recent years, the weakness of the tablet market has become quite evident. Meanwhile, manufacturers, including Huawei, continue to release new portable PCs, making the position the tablet is in even more awkward.
(Photo: LetsGoDigital)
Huawei unveiled the MatePad Pro at the end of 2019, while the MediaPad series began to exit the stage. As Huawei's first 5G-equipped tablet, it also features a perforated front camera, followed by the more affordable MatePad T model.
Last week, some images of the MatePad T started circulating on the internet. Today, however, Dutch tech blog LetsGoDigital also shared a set of multi-angle images of the machine, which can be seen in either regular or specially textured backplates.
The top and bottom have one speaker each, compared to the Pro model which uses a four-speaker configuration. The USB-C port remains at the bottom, with the solid buttons for power and volume adjustment visible on the right and the SIM card slot on the left.
(Photo: LetsGoDigital)
Unlike the MatePad Pro, it doesn't use the more costly perforated screen scheme and instead mounts the front-facing camera in the upper bezel of the screen.
There is also a camera in the upper left corner of the back of the fuselage, supplemented by a flash (not in the earlier renderings). The details of the camera's parameters are not yet known, but given the entry-level positioning, it obviously won't go much higher.
The images are from Huawei's new TELT design patent filed with the State Intellectual Property Office in May 2019 (published April 14, 2020), and the filing also includes 15 color renderings.
(Photo: LetsGoDigital)
Earlier, the Huawei MatePad T had already received Wi-Fi certification, hinting that the company is building six derivative models that differentiate themselves mainly in terms of storage capacity and Wi-Fi/4G/5G connectivity.
Shortly afterwards, Evan Blass, a well-known expositor, shared the first images of the product again, noting that it's an 8-inch tablet (the MatePad Pro has a 10.8-inch screen).
The opportunity is expected to be powered by the Kirin 810 chipset, which offers storage options of 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM / 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM, and comes pre-installed with Android 10-based custom EMUI 10.
