01 September,2013 08:11 AM IST | | Sameer Mitha
Priced at Rs 20,499, the MediaPad 10 link aims to take on the iPad Mini, the iPad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. The tablet is well built and quite slim, measuring in at 9.9mm in thickness. It is lightweight, weighing in at a mere 640 grams. The rear of the tablet has a dual-tone colour, silver and white, with a metal and plastic finish.
Overall, the design of the Huawei MediaPad 10 Link is good. It is much better built than the competing Samsung tablets and comfortable to hold and use. Huawei has its own custom-made Emotion user interface overlaying the Android OS. The first thing that you will notice about the UI is that you don't have the standard apps and widgets listing page that we are used to seeing on all other Android tablets. Instead, you have all the apps listed on the home screens, something we are used to seeing on iOS. You can also stack the apps into folders depending on your requirement.
When customising the home screen with widgets, the bottom half of the display has the widgets and the top half has the home screens making the interface quite seamless. To access the widgets, all you need to do is long press on the home screen. Taking a look at the real world performance of the Huawei MediaPad 10 Link, it is quite good. Browsing the Internet, playing games, watching movies and interacting with the touchscreen is good. The MediaPad 10 Link also has the ability to house a SIM card for data only. The tablet can't make calls. u00a0All the games and apps from the Google Play store run very smoothly on the tablet. The MediaPad 10 Link natively recognises video formats such as MKV, MP4 and AVI eliminating the need for third party video playing apps. The viewing angles of the display are good for consuming multimedia content.
The audio output from the speakers is loud. There are two speakers that are housed at the back of the tablet and boast of Dolby Digital Plus. You have the option to switch off Dolby Digital Plus or use it in movie or music mode. If you like loud and clear tablet speakers, then this is the device for you.u00a0If you are in the market to pick up an Android tablet and don't mind experimenting with a new user interface, we recommend you check out the Huawei MediaPad 10 Link.u00a0
Pros
>>u00a0Loud onboard speakers
>> Smooth multitasking
>>u00a0Interesting UI
>>u00a0Good build
Cons
>>u00a0Lacklustre camera
>>u00a0Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
>>u00a0Display has a green tint to it
Specifications
Processor: Quad-core 1.2GHz
RAM: 1GB RAM
Display: 10.1-inch (1280 x 800 pixels)
Battery: 6600mAh
OS: Android 4.1
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, 3G (no voice calling)
Camera: 3.15MP rear camera and a VGA video call camera
In-built memory: 16GB (expandable upto 32GB via MicroSD Card)
Price: Rs 20,499u00a0