Huawei Mediapad M3 4G LTE 4GB RAM 32GB ROM US $239 (~AU $334) Delivered @ GearBest

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NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 14:06 gearbest.com (747 clicks)
Last edited 02/09/2018 - 14:45 by 1 other user

This is a good deal on a great 8.4" tablet with LTE. I had one myself and loved it so much I dropped it into the washing up water. And then ordered another one. And then ordered a dishwasher.

They're snappy performers, lovely screen (crisp text, fine outside) and decent battery life. There's no QC so charging could be faster, but I got improvements using a Tronsmart Volte charger. Very good build quality. Good (for a tablet), loud speakers. Fast and accurate fingerprint scanner on the front. Can be used as speaker or bluetooth phones. Also make handy heavy duty portable 4G/wifi hotspots given the beefy batteries and LTE B28/Cat6 support. I found WiFi to be stable (much better than my new phone in fact) on both bands.

Huawei recently replaced this model with the Mediapad M5 LTE at twice this price, despite being really a relatively minor upgrade (with no B28). So the M3 LTE at half the price is a steal (imho).

It comes with Android 6 Marshmallow, but will upgrade itself to 7 Nougat. There aren't any custom ROMs due to the chipset used, and you can't unlock the bootloader any more due to Huawei's recent policy change (BOOOOO!!).

Specs

Key features:

• 4GB RAM
• 32GB ROM
• LTE Cat 6 (300/50 mbps) with B28
• 8.4" 1600 x 2560 pixels IPS LCD
• Kirin 950 CPU
• Android 7 Nougat
• MicroSD
• Wifi 2.4ghz and 5ghz (note: US bound models don't have 5ghz but this one definitely does)
• Front fingerprint scanner
• Li-Po 5100 mAh battery

Spotty kid review here

The flash sale lasts until tomorrow so move fast if you want one, or wait until it comes round again. This is the second time I've seen it at this 41% discount in a month or so, it's usually discounted at 25-30%.

Please note that GearBest definitely does ship this to Australia. I went right through the ordering process to payment, without complaints.

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• 

  Crusader on 02/09/2018 - 14:16

  Does this have Google Play support out of the box ?

  • 

    NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 14:18

    Of course, it's not a no name Chinaphone!

    • 

      Diji1 on 02/09/2018 - 15:10

      +2

      Flagship Chinese phones do not have Google Play either unless it's added for use outside China. Google is blocked in China.

      • 

        NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 15:14

        I meant Chinaphone = phone for Chinese market, but take your point that the manufacturer is irrelevant.

    • 

      breadylonglegs on 02/09/2018 - 15:42

      I have this tablet. Yep it has google play support out of the box

• 

  nandystam on 02/09/2018 - 14:28

  +2

  Upvote for spotty kid review :)

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  rungun on 02/09/2018 - 14:59

  any good price on the M5 lte at the moment? thanks

  • 

    NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 15:07

    Not that I've seen mate, I was specifically looking for the M3 LTE.

• 

  INFIDEL on 02/09/2018 - 15:31

  +1

  Use a non LTE Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite as GPS & media player in car. Still works (sluggish browser!) as kept it out of hot water💧 Bought in 2014 for $27 - with Google Play😀

  • 

    NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 15:49

    Karma will now ensure you forget to close the window when you go through the car wash tomorrow…

    • 

      INFIDEL on 02/09/2018 - 15:52

      Wash the car? I can't be bothered doing that😉
      It's a tough tablet to kill - I've tried.
      Besides I know a good deal on a replacement😁

      • 

        NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 17:10

        You're not trying hard enough then. Mine was dead in 7 days, all because I wanted to watch the cricket (actual cricket, not porn) while I was doing the washing up.

• 

  WhiskeyBurn on 02/09/2018 - 16:08

  -1

  If youre considering this I would highly suggest you look at the Mediapad M5 8.4.

  • 

    NeoX on 02/09/2018 - 16:46

    the M5 is quite a bit more than this with similar specs sort of. These specs are pretty powerful already.

  • 

    NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 16:57

    Yeah but it's twice the price! And I can't see any huge improvement to justify that. Yep, QC would be nice. USB-C would be nice. A slightly faster CPU would be nice. LTE cat 12 vs cat 6 would be nice. Oreo (vs Nougat) would be nice. An LED flash on the rear camera would be nice (as a torch).

    But do these add up to an extra $300 and the loss of B28? Are any of them even a tangible benefit?

    For double the price I'd want stuff like USB 3.1, AMOLED, UFS, massive performance, and a visit from Jennifer Lawrence every other Tuesday. And you can pry B28 out of my cold clammy hands.

    BTW the differences are laid out here

    • 

      WhiskeyBurn on 02/09/2018 - 17:14

      Youre right, it is a bit more expensive but not quite double. I got mine for $483 so its only an extra 50% compared to this and I think is well worth it. The extra performance and USB-C is the biggest advantage. I've had "good" devices slow down alot only after half a year of use, think of the performance difference between the M3 and the M5 after a years use. And if you forget to charge it one night you wont be tied to a wall like you will be with the M3's slow micro usb charging. Really depends if you're using it as just a TV remote or something you use like a phone when youre at home.

      It does have that Jennifer Laurence feature but its only monthly. Maybe for the M6….

      • 

        NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 17:15

        But that's the wifi only version, right?

• 

  lafriel on 02/09/2018 - 16:31

  how is this compared with the xiaomi mi pad 4?

  • 

    NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 17:03

    Like this

    I was really disappointed with the Mi Pad 4. That's the one I was originally waiting for. No B28, lower res screen, pricier than expected being the killers for me.

• 

  cptzz on 02/09/2018 - 16:31

  +1

  Before purchase just be aware there will be NO Android 8 update on M3 device

  • 

    NeBlackCat on 02/09/2018 - 17:05

    Sad but true. More chance of seeing a me and Jennifer Lawrence sex tape.

• 

  AlienC on 03/09/2018 - 05:13

  Bought this device 2017 February the WiFi version no 4G LTE for about $120 aud more than this price .. Has served me well but if I was in the market again now in mid 2018 I would try get a large 6 inch or larger phone instead with more ram and better SoC specs and stick in a 256gb micro SD card .. It was really great in early 2017..Very standard slowly becoming below average in mid to late 2018.

  I wouldn't even buy this tablet now if it was $200 aud just my two cents unless you don't own a laptop or phone atm right now and don't plan to in the next few months.

  Having said that it should last me quite a few years for basic duties and YouTube until a true 4k tablet comes out that can do everything this can and more with apps needing more power and newer apps coming out everyday.

  But it will last me a long time no doubt about it.

  Hard to really justify it now that I own a computer.. The difference is like night and day.

  • 

    NeBlackCat on 03/09/2018 - 05:57

    I've got a 6" AMOLED FHD phone and the difference between the M3's 8.4" 2K screen and that is like night and day. Sooo much easier to read stuff on the M3. For one thing the 16:10 aspect ratio is (IMHO) much better than the tall and skinny phones of today.

    The one I broke was bought only a month or so ago for $250 from a fellow Ozbargainer. I expected it to feel "last gen" but was pleasantly surprised by how current it felt. So no qualms about buying the same again (other than the need to, obviously).

    Each to their own though.

    PS did you upgrade it to Nougat and the later EMUI?

    • 

      AlienC on 03/09/2018 - 09:27

      I guess I just love my Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X too much atm haha lol.

      It does everything for me and doesn't hurt my hands with long usage.

      The Huawei is nice but after awhile I notice the strain.

      Will update you on the versions when I charge my tablet.

      The battery has been destroyed with excessive use I feel. Have not directly measured it could be a placebo effect but definitely feels like the charge is used faster.