Latest Huawei Mobile Phone and Tablet – Honor Holly 2 Plus and MediaPad M2 10.0
With the release of new excellent smartphones last year such as Mate 8, Mate S, and Nexus 6P, Huawei proved that they are one of the mobile industry’s tech giants.
Just last February 2016, they released again a new Huawei mobile phone and tablet, the Honor Holly 2 Plus and MediaPad M2 10.0.
What are the features of these newly released devices? Let’s find out.
Honor Holly 2 Plus
Device Type: Smartphone
Display: 5.0 inches (720 x 1280 pixels)
Camera: 13MP (1080p)
Hardware: Mediatek, Quad-core 1.3 GHz, 2GB RAM
Battery: 4000 mAh
Price: Rs. 8,499 (approx. US$ 127.56)
The 5-inch display of Honor Holly 2 Plus uses IPS LCD display technology, which is also used by most flagship phones today like LG G5. The display resolution with 296 ppi pixel density is what you would normally get from the best smartphones within its price range like LG Magna and LG Spirit.
It’s not Full HD and the sharpness is just okay, but you will certainly get the best display quality for your bucks.
It is 9.7 mm thin and weighs 160 g. It is not very thin, just as thin as any normal phone. The weight is just light enough and within the average weight of most 5-inch mobile phones. It is close to the weight of the 5.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S7 which is 152 g.
It runs on Android OS 5.1.1 (Lollipop) with 16GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB using a microSD card.
When it comes to performance, the Quad-core 1.3 GHz is also what you can find in the best smartphones below US$150. But the 2GB RAM of this smartphone puts it on top, because almost all phones under $150 only have 1GB RAM. The extra RAM will let you smoothly multitask more apps and games.
The 8MP rear camera resolution is also the best of what you would normally get for a US$150 budget. The front camera has a 5MP resolution.
One of the best features that puts this smartphone above the best phones within the US$150 budget is the battery life. For a 5-inch phone, a 4000 mAh battery capacity is outstanding. Other good 5-inch smartphones only have 2500 mAh (or lower) and will just last for up to 12 hours of talk time (3G). The Honor Holly Plus can last longer, up to 18 hours with the same use. The battery is non-removable though.
Other features are LTE capability, Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS, and FM radio. It comes in gray, gold, and white color variants.
MediaPad M2 10.0
Device Type: Tablet
Display: 10.1 inches (1200 x 1920 pixels)
Camera: 13MP (1080p)
Hardware: Hisilicon Kirin 930, Quad-core 2.0 GHz + Quad-core 1.5 GHz, 3GB RAM (Wi-Fi only) | 2GB RAM (LTE)
Battery: 6660 mAh
Expected Price: $349 (16GB Wi-Fi only) | $469 (64GB LTE version)
The MediaPad M2 10.0 comes in two versions: (1) Wi-Fi only version with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage and (2) Wi-Fi + LTE version with 3G RAM and 64 GB internal storage.
The display uses IPS LCD technology with 224 ppi pixel density. The display size, Full HD resolution, display technology, and pixel density are exactly the same with the Lenovo Tab3 10 which is soon to be released and the LG G Pad II 10.1 released last September 2015. Based on the display quality alone, the US$ price should not be more than $300. The LG G Pad II 10.1 can even be purchased on Amazon for as low as US$269.99.
According to Huawei, the screen is more responsive that you can write text, draw pictures, and navigate using a stylus. The stylus called the M-Pen is available with the Premium edition (Wi-Fi + LTE) package. You need to buy it separately if you will be getting the Standard edition (Wi-Fi only).
It weighs 500g and only 7.35 mm thin. The weight is not too heavy for its size and it’s very thin compared to other tablets. The dimensions are close to the LG G Pad II 10.1 which weighs 489 g and only 7.8 mm thin.
Aside from being ultra thin, the MediaPad M2 10.0 has an all metallic unibody. This makes the form more beautiful and more sturdy. The LG G Pad II 10.1 has a metallic look to it, but it’s still made of robust plastic.
The MediaPad M2 10.0 runs on Android OS 5.1 (Lollipop) with an excellent processing power that can closely compete with the best tablets under US$300.
Huawei did not disclose any microSD slot so we can safely assume that the internal storage is not expandable. Unlike the LG G Pad II 10.1 which can be expanded up to 2000 GB when a microSD of that size becomes available. Currently, the largest microSD storage available is 200 GB.
The 13MP rear camera resolution puts it above the Lenovo Tab3 10 and LG G Pad II 10.1 with only 8MP and 3MP camera resolutions, respectively. The 5MP front camera resolution also exceeds its close competitors. Huawei also claims better quality pictures in a low-light setting.
When it comes to audio, the MediaPad M2 10.0 has four powerful surround sound stereo speakers. It has treble and bass configuration and Huawei SWS 2.0 (Super Wide Sound) that provides a 180-degree sound field for a more realistic sound experience.
Like the latest flagship devices, the MediaPad M2 10.0 has an enhanced fingerprint sensor for security.
Like most tablets, it has a non-removable battery. The battery capacity is a little below the Lenovo Tab3 10 and LG G Pad II 10.1 with 7000 mAh and 7400 mAh battery capacity, respectively. Since the LG G Pad II 10.1 can last up to 13 hours of Wi-Fi use, we can safely say that the MediaPad M2 10.0 will most likely last less than that.
The MediaPad M2 10.0 comes in moonlight silver and luxurious gold color variants.
What do you think of these latest Huawei devices? I would love to hear from you.