Huawei MediaPad: 7-Inch Android 3.2 Tablet's Specs Announced (VIDEO)

China's tech giant Huawei on Monday took the wraps off a seven-inch tablet running a cutting-edge version of Android.

Engadget calls the MediaPad device "downright luscious" and marvels at the Android 3.2 software, which Hauwei said is an iteration of Android 3.1 that's optimized for seven-inch tablets rather than 10-inchers. the MediaPad is the first tablet to date running Android 3.2 software.

The device's display is reportedly one of its top highlights. "Currently, the Motorola Xoom has the highest pixel density of any mainstream tablet on the market at 160ppi. The Huawei MediaPad's 7-inch WSVGA display boasts a pixel density of 217ppi, which bests the iPad 2's pixel density of 132ppi by some margin," notes Electronista.

Powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, Huawei's upcoming tablet will feature a range of competitive specs, outlined by PCWorld:

The MediaPad is lighter than an iPad, coming in at 0.86 pounds, but it's slightly thicker at 0.4 inches, versus the iPad's 0.34-inches. Huawei's tablet also features dual cameras, one 5MP lens at the rear, which can record HD video (but no mention on whether it's 720p or 1080p), and a 1.3MP sensor on the front for self-portraits and video calls. [...] Along with 3G (HSPA+) and Wi-Fi support, the MediaPad can play 1080p videos and offers 8GB of internal storage, as well as microSD (up to 32GB) and HDMI slots.

Huawei also claims 6 hours of battery life.

The company expects the MediaPad to drop in the United States during the third quarter of 2011, though no specific date--and no price tag--were officially announced.

Visit Engadget for the MediaPad press release and photo gallery.

Comments

[David Chu]

09:34 AM on 06/23/2011

Regular people are not going to care that the outside styling is copied from Apple. They only care to see if this device will fit into their lifestyle. I'd like to see how much it's going to cost before considering it a competitor to the iPad.

[llibsetag]

05:48 PM on 06/22/2011

They have even copied the aluminum flat antennae edge frame from the Apple iPhone 4.
LAME!

[Wuud52]

12:26 PM on 06/23/2011

While Apple is one of the best companies from a design and marketing perspective, they have copied almost every solution they have developed, including music players, tablet computers, etc.

They are great at execution, but Steve Jobs himself has touted copying. Why shouldn't companies copy them?

[Mitchman57]

08:29 AM on 06/22/2011

They're all beginning to look the same and do the same things. They all connect to the same internet and call the same people in our contact lists. We're seeing the plateau, nothing special enough to trash the old and buy this year's 'new' thing.

The crash in sales is coming. With no reason to upgrade, I'll be sticking with last years' toy and so will everyone else.

[Aschwin]

04:03 AM on 06/22/2011

I fail to see why you would compare the weight and thickness to the Ipad. The Ipad has a 9.7 inch display to the 7 inch this Mediapad has, so of course it will be heavier and bulkier.

And my Ipad does 10 hours on it's battery which is absolutely great stuff.

[Shawn Wolfe]

05:37 PM on 06/21/2011

Battery life at 6 hours I do not care for..no model that I do not have to get reaped by a carrier over data on sucks.... and I am not familiar enough with Huawei that it won't bog down or lock up or have failed updates or just suck in general regardless of what Engadget says... But I guess price will tell if it is a decent product or priced too high

[CDL1]

03:00 PM on 06/21/2011

without usb connectivity its as worthless as the iPad.

[solid]

09:16 AM on 06/22/2011

Seriously, why do you need old fashioned usb for a mobile device like the ipad or any other tablet?

[MtnGeek]

11:19 AM on 06/22/2011

Do you have any idea how long it would take to transfer 16 GB to the iPad? With a USB slot I can get instant access with a thumb drive? Why do people think these devices will be useful if you have to do everything over wireless? If it is just for e-mail and surfing the web it needs to cost about $100, not the close to $1,000 for a well outfitted iPad.

[Sabum]

03:38 PM on 06/22/2011

usb? seriously? in 2011?
jeeeez....

[RayWes]

02:03 PM on 06/21/2011

It's amazing how the chinese and everybody else reverse engineer all the Apples products and call them their own.

Yeah, I know Apple does some of the same, but look at Apples products compared to the knock-offs.

[opressor]

02:18 PM on 06/21/2011

apple rarely "invents" anything, they buy start-ups and act like they came up with it. iphone style interfaces were around before the iphone...touch pad interfaces were around long before the ipad...who cares, it's BS anyway...they're toys

[Onutz]

11:04 PM on 06/21/2011

((iphone style interfaces were around before the iphone...t ouch pad interfaces were around long before the ipad..))

Don't forget electricity - stupid Apple copy-cats! ; )

[sj user1]

03:33 PM on 06/21/2011

Apple doesn't invent anything. They are just better at timing and advertising.

[Mitchman57]

08:21 AM on 06/22/2011

"They are just better at timing and advertisin­g." In other words....Hype.

[solid]

09:17 AM on 06/22/2011

timing and advertising are extremely important elements of any successful business. But Apple goes beyond that with a nice blend of hardware and software and usability.

[FreedomFighter2012]

01:45 PM on 06/21/2011

This is what happens when you allow another country to build your products.

[boilinabag]

01:34 PM on 06/21/2011

this is the shizzle! by this time next year, android tabs will be mature, with tons of apps. and way cheaper than the ipad..... now make it tether to my 4g cell, and i will be a happy guy, i dont want more than one cell account, and i dont want a two year contract with a single carrier.....

[P R R]

01:21 PM on 06/21/2011

Uh these have been available from china for years. Look ebay. there's thousands of them...

[opressor]

02:40 PM on 06/21/2011

thank you...all these fanboys with blinders on that think the USA is some leader in tech innovation are hilarious!!! this country is so caught up in image over substance it really hampers growth...$ spent on tech devices is not the same as Real innovation..humor me with this metaphor.. think of the US consumers love affair with tech as the most basic thing in our lives, eating. the USA worships McDonalds and 7/11, 'nuff said.

[Mummybadgers]

01:02 PM on 06/21/2011

Anyone else notice the uncanny resemblance to the iPhone 4?

[MtnGeek]

11:20 AM on 06/22/2011

It is flat ... with a screen ... uncanny!

[Mummybadgers]

01:36 PM on 06/28/2011

Someone obviously has a tenuous understanding of industrial design...

[CurrencyIsKing]

12:57 PM on 06/21/2011

How many more false Ipod/Iphone/Ipad killer devices do we have to endure before the media get it?

[jsgaetano]

12:56 PM on 06/21/2011

I have no idea why everyone keeps making these tiny pads.

[Brian in FL]

02:18 PM on 06/21/2011

For lighter days when you don't need a maxipad...

[Shawn Wolfe]

05:19 PM on 06/21/2011

PFFFF LOL FAV'd

[Onutz]

11:06 PM on 06/21/2011

Now THAT'S funny!

[apartoflife]

12:51 PM on 06/21/2011

Like everything chinese, another rip off. It looks just like the ipad!

[opressor]

02:20 PM on 06/21/2011

uuuhhhh...right. fanboys unite. ipad type devices existed before the ipad. maybe not in the USA where technology takes a backseat to industrial design..especially at Apple.

[apartoflife]

03:01 PM on 06/21/2011

Just so you know... I'm a sony fanboy. I'm saying they copied the style not the technology.

[wannabesmart]

12:39 PM on 06/21/2011

This is what happens when all these gadgets are made in one place China. They will eventually be running all tec related breakthroughs. Its called espionage. To bad you geeks don't vote.

[opressor]

02:28 PM on 06/21/2011

if i recall it was Ronald Reagen that started our China love affair not "geeks"...and for the record your "eventually"...has been happening for decades my friend...too late

[ConfuciusSay-]

03:51 PM on 06/21/2011

Nixon.

[MtnGeek]

11:21 AM on 06/22/2011

And how would voting keep companies from having their products manufactured overseas? Try making sense next time.