Last year, Huawei announced the MatePad Pro. While it has released other premium tablets before, the MatePad Pro raised the bar higher with its features and design. Huawei is set to announce a less powerful variant soon that ditches the “Pro” suffix and will have a more affordable price tag.

A report from China says the MatePad line may replace the MediaPad line. According to the source, the MatePad Pro was originally termed the MediaPad M7, thus lending further credence to the report.

The question is why is Huawei ditching MediaPad for MatePad? First, let’s go back in time to when the series was first announced.

Huawei announced the MediaPad tablet line in 2011 and its selling point was its audio and visual performance which is why features such as stereo and quad speakers were some of the top features of MediaPad tablets.

Now that tablets are serving as alternatives to PCs and MacBooks, the MediaPad name doesn’t fit for a tablet targeted at professionals. As we all know the MatePad Pro is advertised as a productivity device with a stylus and an optional keyboard. The upcoming MatePad is also being marketed as a productivity device and also has support for a stylus.

Does that mean, Huawei is no longer catering to those who just want to buy a tablet for entertainment?

Not really. Aside from the upcoming MatePad, there is also a third model that is called the MediaPad T that received Wi-Fi certification earlier this month. This model appears to be an entry-level model with modest specs that can be used for reading and entertainment but not productive work like the MatePad and MatePad Pro. Honor also seems to still be in the tablet game, so there should be more options to choose from if you want an affordable tablet.

Huawei should complete the transition from MediaPad to MatePad this year. It is reported that the MediaPad M6 8.4-inch is no longer available on Huawei’s Vmall online store. The 10.8 version may also be pulled down when the MatePad with its 10.4-inch screen is announced.

What do you think about Huawei’s ditching MediaPad in favor of MatePad? Let us know in the comment box below.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi has not yet given up on tablets: Senior Product Director

(Source)

The post Huawei may scrap the MediaPad line in favor of the MatePad series appeared first on Gizmochina.

The upcoming Huawei MatePad isn’t the only tablet the Chinese manufacturer has planned for release soon. The render for a second and smaller tablet called the MatePad T has been leaked. The said tablet was also certified a few days ago by the Wi-Fi alliance.

The MatePad T is an 8-inch tablet with pretty thick bezels unlike those of its siblings – the MatePad and the MatePad Pro. It has a single rear camera that protrudes and its charging port appears to be positioned on the right side at the bottom. The render of the tablet was posted by Evan Blass (@evleaks) and it shows it will come in Navy Blue. There should be other color variants when it launches.

The Wi-Fi alliance certified the tablet on Wednesday, April 8 and the certificate reveals the tablet has the model number KOB2-W09. It also supports dual-band Wi-Fi and runs EMUI 10.

A lot of the tablet’s specs are still unknown but it should be less powerful than the MatePad which has been confirmed to have a Kirin 810 chipset. It should also be pretty affordable.

There is no info on when Huawei will announce the MatePad and the MatePad T but it should not be far off.

UP NEXT: Huawei Sound X Platinum Edition officially launched in China; now up for pre-orders

The post Huawei MatePad T’ press render leaks; gets Wi-Fi certification too appeared first on Gizmochina.