Huawei’s stylus-equipped MediaPad M2 10 brings mid-range specs in a luxurious body

If you needed more confirmation that HUAWEI is serious about conquering the West, the telecom giant revealed at its CES 2016 event several devices that will be hitting the US market soon. These are the gold version of the Nexus 6P, two women-focused HUAWEI Watch versions, the Mate 8 flagship, and two new devices: the 10-inch MediaPad M2 tablet and the GX8 mid-range smartphone. That’s an almost complete range of Android devices, ready to show Americans that HUAWEI means business.

MediaPad M2 specs, features, and price

The MediaPad M2 features a sleek Mate 8-inspired metallic construction, in a 7.35-mm body weighing a little over a pound. The 10-inch display is a Full HD IPS LCD panel, which isn’t bad for a device that seems to target the middle of the market. The processor is Kirin 930, designed and manufactured in-house by HUAWEI’s HiSilicon unit. The same chip ticks inside the P8 and some of the other mid-range smartphones that HUAWEI launched last year.

Depending on the color version you’re opting for (silver or gold), you get either 2GB or 3GB of RAM. The specs difference carries over in the memory department, where the silver version gives you 16GB of storage, while the gold model jumps to 64GB. Either way, there’s a microSD card slot to satiate your storage needs.

The cameras are, at least in terms of resolution, unusually good, with a 13MP sensor on the back and a 5MP shooter up front. Despite how silly they can look, people love to take pics with their tablets, and HUAWEI seems to get that. Kudos. The battery is a decent 6,600 mAh, and LTE connectivity is available for an extra $50.

The gold model has one other perk, compared to its silvery sibling: an active stylus, creatively dubbed M-Pen. It’s not clear for now if this stylus is bundled or costs extra.

In a befuddling move, HUAWEI equipped the MediaPad M2 10 with Android 5.1. Even more worrying, HUAWEI has a lousy track record of keeping its devices up to date, so, if you care about that a lot, the M2 may not be a great choice for you.

The MediaPad M2 will launch in the US in the first quarter (January-March). Here’s the pricing grid:

• Silver (2GB + 16GB) WiFi – $349
• Silver (2GB + 16GB) LTE – $399
• Gold (3GB + 64GB) LTE – $419
• Gold (3GB + 64GB) LTE – $469

Interested in this tablet from HUAWEI? Why? Why not?