Skip to main content

Huawei's new budget T3 and M3 Lite tablets now up for sale at online retailers

huawei tablet
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Back in May, Huawei unveiled a new tablet to compete with Amazon’s popular Fire 7: the MediaPad T3 7. At $90, the 7-inch Huawei offered a solid alternative to Amazon’s budget darling, with a few small improvements in specs and build quality to justify a slightly higher price. Now, Huawei has returned with two more tablets in the T3 line — 8-inch and 10-inch models — as well as a moderately more powerful series known as the MediaPad M3 Lite. They’re now available online from Amazon and Newegg.

Huawei MediaPad T3 10-inch Huawei

First, let’s talk about the new T3 models. Both the 8-inch and 10-inch variants receive Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 425 system-on-chip alongside 2GB of RAM. It’s a worthy improvement over the MediaTek MT8127 and 1GB RAM found in the 7-inch T3. Both tablets come with 16GB of storage on board, 4,800mAh batteries, and 1,280 x 800 LCD displays. They’re wrapped up in a Space Gray anodized aluminum chassis, and run $140 and $160 for the 8- and 10-inch versions, respectively.

Huawei MediaPad M3 Lite 8-inch Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you need a bit more of everything, the M3 Lite might be a better fit. Huawei has upgraded the processor in these tablets to a Snapdragon 435, and added an extra gigabyte of RAM for a total of 3GB. If you opt for the 10-inch model, you’ll get a significantly larger battery, too — 6,600mAh, versus the 4,800mAh unit in the 8-inch M3 Lite. The 8-inch will cost you $200, while the 10-inch is priced at $250. Both benefit from the inclusion of full HD displays — a step up from what you’d find in the T3 series.

Huawei is also touting improved sound in the M3 Lite, thanks to a partnership with Harman Kardon. Like the standard MediaPad M3, these devices feature Huawei’s SWS 3.0 Smart Sound technology, which differentiates between music and video to deliver the proper audio experience for the content on screen. Each one of these tablets runs Android 7.0 Nougat, though Huawei isn’t specific as to the revision. On top of that, you’ll find the company’s EMUI 5.1 interface.

The budget tablet market is a very busy one, and four new models within the space of $200 might seem like overkill. Fortunately, at the very least it means you’ll have a plethora of choices in finding the device that ticks all your boxes. For more info, check out our always-updated guide on the best inexpensive tablets on the market right now.

Adam Ismail
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Adam’s obsession with tech began at a young age, with a Sega Dreamcast – and he’s been hooked ever since. Previously…
The new Insta360 X4 looks like the ultimate action camera
Insta360 X4 mounted on a car.

Insta360 just announced its new X4, which will be one of the first cameras to bring 8K to 360-degree videos. The new Insta360 camera lets you capture its highest resolution at 30 frames per second (fps) for detailed and sharp output. You can reframe the footage after shooting, and the company claims that it remains “detailed and sharp after reframing.”

The Insta360 X4 also features the ability to shoot in 4x slow-motion at 4K 100 fps, which sounds tremendous in theory. For 360-degree action shots, you also get a new 5.7K resolution at the same 60 fps for smoother and sharper shots. As with all 2024 tech hardware, the X4 includes a touch of AI – with one of the AI features letting you shoot 72MP 360-degree photos with the AI denoising feature.

Read more
3 reasons why I’ll actually use Anker’s new iPhone power bank
A person holding the Anker MagGo Power Bank.

Power banks are a necessary evil, and even if you don’t consider yourself a “power user” who's likely to drain a phone’s battery in less than a day, there will be times when one comes in handy. And when I am forced to carry one, I want it to be as helpful and versatile as possible.

I’ve been trying Anker’s MagGo Power Bank 10K -- meaning it has a 10,000mAh cell inside it -- and there are three reasons why I'm OK with it taking up valuable space in my bag.
It has a screen on it

Read more
HMD’s first phones just leaked, and I’m mighty disappointed
HMD Pulse leaked image in black.

At Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, Human Mobile Devices (HMD) – the maker of Nokia-branded mobile phones – announced plans to make “affordable, beautiful, desirable, and repairable” phones. We also got our first look at the new HMD logo for phones, but what truly set the hopes high were the teaser images (like the one shown above).

The visual assets released by the brand showcased phone concepts in yellow, green, and pink, among other colors that brought back the sweet memories of the Lumia-Windows Phone days. The bright colors, flattened edges, and palm-friendly rounded sides had me more excited for these upcoming HMD phones than for some flagships lined up for a 2024 reveal.

Read more