Review-comparison of Huawei MediaPad X2 and M2 tablets. Review and comparison of Huawei MediaPad X2 and M2 Screen tablets. Graphics capabilities

Most tablet buyers use them as an additional screen for watching movies and TV series, as well as listening to music. At the same time, almost none of the equipment manufacturers think about equipping their gadgets with high-quality sound. It was all the more interesting to test the Huawei MediaPad M2 tablet in an aluminum case with high-quality stereo speakers developed jointly with Harman/Kardon.

This time I had at my disposal a compact 8-inch Huawei MediaPad M2 tablet. What distinguishes it from many other models is the presence of two stereo speakers, the design of which uses proprietary technologies from Harman, one of the leaders in the market of acoustic systems and sound. Looking ahead, I will note the surround and high-quality sound of the Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0. In this parameter, the tablet competes on equal terms with the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Apple iPad mini, but costs significantly less. Also, MediaPad M2 8.0 received a stylish aluminum case, a high-performance chip, and 4G support.

Technical specifications Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 (M2-801L)

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Characteristic	Description
Operating system:	Android 5.1.1 with EMUI 3.1 shell
	IPS, 8.0 inches, resolution 1920×1200 (283 ppi), recognition of up to ten simultaneous touches, protective glass with oleophobic coating
CPU:	64-bit Hisilicon Kirin 930, 4 x 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 and 4 x 2 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU:	Mali-T628 MP4 680 MHz
RAM:	2 GB / 3 GB
Flash memory:	16 GB / 32 GB
SIM card type:	one - microSIM
Mobile connection:	2G/ 3G/ 4G
Communications:	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2 bands), Bluetooth 4.0
Navigation:	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU
	Light sensor, proximity sensor, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass)
Main camera:	8 MP, autofocus, f/2.0, optical stabilization, LED flash
Front-camera:	2 megapixels
Battery:	non-removable, 4800 mAh
Dimensions, weight:	214.8 × 124 × 7.8 mm, 343 g
Materials:	Aluminum, glass, plastic

Delivery package and first impressions

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The smartphone comes in a black box made of thick cardboard. At the top there is an inscription with the name of the model.

In addition to the device itself, the box contains a synchronization and charging cable, an electrical adapter, instructions and a warranty card.

As for the tablet itself, it is very compact and quite thin. I believe that models with an 8-inch screen are the most convenient to use. They make it easy to read text information, websites, and watch movies comfortably. At the same time, the dimensions and weight are not as large as those of devices with a screen of 10 inches or more. The dimensions of Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 are 214.8 × 124 × 7.8 mm, weight 343 grams.

The tablet can be grasped with one hand. Of course, you will have to control it with both hands. In general, I did not notice any shortcomings.

Design and appearance

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The appearance of the Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 makes a purely positive impression. The tablet is thin, compact, with a metal back cover and glass on the front panel. The body shape is rectangular, aspect ratio is 16:9, sloping corners, smooth edges.

A thin plastic border runs along the perimeter of the screen, protecting the display surface from damage. The front panel is covered with glass. There is an oleophobic coating, it is quite effective. The finger glides across the display easily, and any fingerprints that appear are erased quickly.

The back of the case is made of aluminum. There is a 2mm thick plastic strip at the bottom. Antennas for receiving and transmitting data from cellular networks, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/GLONASS are located here. Side edges made of ribbed plastic. The plastic has 7 grooves, which, according to the manufacturer, indicates the number of horizontal lines of the staff.

The 8-inch M2 tablet is available in two color options - silver and gold. I tested the device in silver. He looks very interesting.

Above the screen you can see a 2 megapixel front camera, as well as various sensors: light, position. A little to the right is a dot LED that starts blinking when messages, emails, etc. arrive.

On the right side you can see the power/lock button and the volume key. Just below, under the plastic plug, there is a slot for a microSIM-type SIM card, as well as a slot for a microSD memory card. At the top end there is a microUSB port and a 3.5 mm jack for connecting headphones. There is a microphone on the bottom edge for phone calls.

On the back there is a camera with LED flash, as well as the “HUAWEI” logo and the inscription “harman/kardon”.

In general, the MediaPad M2 8.0 performed well. There are no questions about the assembly, it is of high quality and reliable.

Stereo speakers and sound

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The MediaPad M2 8.0 tablet received an audio system consisting of two stereo speakers. They are located on the upper and lower ends. Huawei states that Harman/Kardon specialists worked to improve the audio system in this model, and a separate Hi6402 DAC developed by Chinese engineers is responsible for sound reproduction.

The main advantage of stereo speakers is very high volume. The speakers produce a wide range of midrange frequencies without whistling, wheezing or other delights. The volume of sound does not excite the imagination, but it is nobly felt both in music and when watching films. Don't expect a tablet to be able to replace a boombox and amaze its owner with deep bass, because such miracles don't happen in mobile gadgets. However, the device plays many times better than other models even in a higher price category.

Screen. Graphics capabilities

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Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 is equipped with an 8-inch screen made using IPS technology. Resolution - 1920×1200 (283 ppi). Quite standard characteristics for a modern tablet.

The picture on the display looks realistic, with high contrast. The screen has a high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so readability even in conditions with very bright external lighting is at an acceptable level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. The mode with automatic brightness adjustment works adequately. Viewing angles please with maximum values. There are no questions here.

If we talk about the sensitivity of the screen, it responds quickly to touches and recognizes gestures without problems. In total, the device supports up to ten simultaneous touches. The gadget also easily understands touches with loose gloves. In the settings, you can activate the increased sensitivity mode for operation with gloves. For the Russian winter, this function may be useful.

On the outside, the display is covered with protective glass with an oleophobic coating.

In general, the screen can be given a solid “four plus”.

Hardware platform: processor, memory, performance

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MediaPad M2 8.0 is equipped with a 64-bit Hisilicon Kirin 930 chip with an octa-core processor: 4 Cortex-A53 cores (1.5 GHz) and 4 Cortex-A53 cores (2 GHz). Graphics subsystem (GPU) - Mali-T624. Tablet options are available with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of flash memory, as well as 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of flash memory. You can expand the memory using microSD memory cards. The device has a corresponding slot for this.

If we talk about the interface, I didn’t notice any glitches or slowdowns. The picture and transitions are smooth, launching applications is fast. Browser, video - everything works stably. Typically, Android smartphones begin to slow down after a while, when the device is filled with data. But this did not happen during two weeks of testing.

I’ll tell you separately about the gaming component. Productive games run on this smartphone, but it is clear that the quality of their rendering suffers. This shows the relative low cost of the hardware. The performance margin here is an order of magnitude lower than in tablets from Samsung and Apple.

Communication capabilities

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The tablet supports all modern communication networks: 2G/3G and 4G on Russian frequencies. The quality of signal reception is not satisfactory; the device confidently maintains communication indoors and does not lose the signal in areas of poor reception.

The device supports telephone calls over a mobile network. To do this, it is more convenient to connect a headset and talk through it.

MediaPad M2 8.0 can work with all modern wireless networks. Among them is dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct; you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. All modules work quickly and without failures.

Among the additional communication tools, it is worth noting GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou (standard Google Maps cartography is built into the smartphone). The navigation error radius during testing was about 10 meters, which is very little. The gadget copes well with the role of a navigator.

Duration of work

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The tablet has a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 4800 mAh. The tablet's battery life is good, but not outstanding. The battery capacity is average, and as a result, the results are average. In continuous reading mode, the device worked for 14.5 hours, in video viewing mode - about 7 hours. This is already a good result, although not a record one.

With an average usage scenario (the Internet is turned on, browsing the Internet 3 hours a day, watching a movie for 2 hours a day, playing games for up to 30 minutes a day), the tablet worked for two days. These indicators are typical for many mid-level devices.

User Interface and Operating System

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MediaPad M2 8.0 runs the original Android 5.1.1 operating system with Huawei's proprietary shell installed - EMUI 3.1.

The appearance of the icons in this shell has been changed. Most of them are made in a single golden-brown color scheme. In addition, there is no “Applications” section, and all programs are displayed in one list on the main and adjacent screens.

In the settings of the MediaPad M2 there is an option for eye protection (it is turned on only during reading - the amount of blue color decreases, that is, the picture becomes warmer).

Camera. Photo and video capabilities

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Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 is equipped with two cameras. Main - 8 megapixels, f/2.0, autofocus and flash. The camera is typical average. Outdoors, in good lighting, it takes high-quality pictures with a minimum of noise. But in difficult lighting, in rooms with difficult light, the photos turn out to be unrealistic.

The main camera of the smartphone can record video with sound in the maximum FullHD resolution. The quality of the video can be rated as “C”. In good lighting, the videos look bright, without changes in light. In low lighting conditions, the video looks a little blurry.

I will also mention the front camera for selfies. It is 2 megapixels. The pictures are clearly of mediocre quality.

Results

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After two weeks of active use of the MediaPad M2 8.0 tablet, I can say that it claims to be a workhorse. For comfortable work, the 8-inch M2 has everything: a SIM card with 4G support, a memory card, a large high-quality screen, sufficient performance for office applications and video, very cool speakers for watching movies, TV series and listening to music.

But the MediaPad M2 8.0 is not suitable for serious games, although the simplest puzzles or arcade games will work here without any problems. The main camera here is of average quality or slightly lower by tablet standards, the front camera is mediocre. As for battery life, the Huawei tablet will have to be charged every two to three days under average load.

Advantages

Metal body

High quality build

Excellent sound quality from speakers

Good screen

High quality sound from external speakers

LTE support

Flaws

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Mediocre quality of front and rear cameras

No headset included

Hardware is weaker than competitors from Apple, Samsung and Sony

On the day of publication, the 8-inch Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 with a memory capacity of 16 GB could be purchased at a price of 19,990 rubles, with a memory capacity of 32 GB - 21,990 rubles.

The productive and relatively inexpensive Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 is a mid-level tablet. It was announced in May 2015. The device has powerful hardware and a truly stylish design.

Appearance and ergonomics

The elegant metal body harmonizes well with the completely black frames around the screen on the front panel. If the display is turned off, it appears that there are no body elements on the sides. The back part is made entirely of aluminum. But the side edges are made of plastic with a textured coating, making the device pleasant to hold in your hands. The navigation keys are virtual here, so there is nothing superfluous under the screen. The front part is covered with glass, and with an excellent oleophobic coating. This tablet PC is incredibly compact and truly comfortable to use. A 4800 mAh battery is hidden inside the device; it is non-removable. Dimensions of Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0: height - 214.8 mm, thickness - 7.8 mm, width - 124 mm, weight - 330 g. Color - gold, silver.

Display

The built-in IPS screen has an 8-inch diagonal and an excellent resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels. This means that the display stands out with excellent detail, as well as the widest viewing angles. The touch coating can be called very sensitive. The picture on the screen is full of bright colors. The only complaint relates to the automatic brightness, which clearly does not work correctly, especially outdoors. But manual settings quickly solve this problem.

Hardware and performance

The MediaPad M2 8.0 runs Android 5.1 OS with a unique EMUI 3.1 interface. Icons and the entire menu are now stylized to match the appearance of the gadget. Inside the device lies a three-dimensional accelerator Mali-T624. An eight-core Kirin 930 processor provides the system with the necessary performance, and it can operate at a frequency of 2000 MHz. Next comes a certain choice, since the manufacturer gives you the opportunity to choose a modification with 2 or 3 GB of RAM. The amount of free file storage - 16 or 32 GB - depends on the choice of device with different amounts of RAM. But in both cases, microSD cards will help you instantly expand the memory up to 128 GB.

MediaPad M2 8.0 feels confident and comfortable in a wide variety of situations. The tablet allows you to run any games and programs, and the interface does not slow down at all. For example, in 3DMark the device reaches 11,000 points, in AnTuTu (version 5.7) - 49,000 points. Asphalt 8 and Dead Trigger 2 launch quickly and run at maximum settings without any noticeable lag.

Communication and sound

High-quality acoustics are made possible with the help of technology from Harman Kardon. Therefore, the speakers in the Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 sound powerful and clear. Even the bass is quite pronounced. And in headphones the situation is even better, because this is where the low frequencies are at their best. The device supports not only LTE Cat 6, but also micro-SIM for calls and messages.

Camera

The Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0 houses an 8-megapixel camera with flash. This module shoots equally well at night and during the day. Of course, it is very difficult to take a high-quality photo at home, but otherwise there are no special problems with photographs. It’s worth adding some functions here, as well as modes that help make your shots more picturesque and beautiful. In this regard, the HDR and Panorama modes are very helpful. But the front 2-megapixel camera is not able to boast of anything.

conclusions

Since the MediaPad M2 8.0 costs about 20,000 rubles, it completely earns its money. The tablet is equipped with modern and powerful hardware, has a nice appearance and a beautiful interface, as well as an advanced audio system. The kit includes: charger, instructions, cable, documentation.

Pros:

• Powerful filling.
• Attractive design.
• Great sound.
• Reliable metal case.
• Good screen.

Minuses:

• Quite a simple front camera.

Technical specifications of Huawei Mediapad M2 8.0

General characteristics
Model	Mediapad M2 8.0/M2-801L/M2-802L/M2-803L
Date of announcement/start of sales	May 2015 / May 2015
Dimensions	214.8 x 124 x 7.8 mm.
Weight	230 g
Case color range	Gold, Silver
operating system	Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop) + EMUI 3.1
Connection
Number and type of SIM cards	Micro-SIM
Communication standard in 2G networks	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Communication standard in 3G networks	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 – M2-801L, M2-803L HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - M2-802L TD-SCDMA—M2-803L
Communication standard in 4G networks	LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 38(2600), 40(2300) - M2-801L LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 19(800), 26(850), 28 (700), 40(2300), 41(2500) - M2-802L LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) - M2-803L
Display
Screen type	IPS LCD capacitive, 16 million colors
Screen size	8.0 inches
Screen resolution	1200 x 1920, 283 ppi
Multitouch	yes, up to 10 simultaneous touches
Screen protection	Glass with oleophobic coating
Sound
3.5mm jack	There is
FM radio	No
Additionally	Harman Kardon
Data transfer
USB	MicroUSB v2.0
Satellite navigation	A-GPS, GLONASS
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot
Bluetooth	v4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE
Internet connection	LTE Cat4, HSPA+, EDGE, GPRS
NFC	No
Hardware
CPU	Hisilicon Kirin 930 Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Cortex A53 & 4×1.5 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU	Mali-T628 MP4
RAM	2GB RAM / 3GB RAM
Inner memory	16 GB / 32 GB
Supported memory cards	MicroSD up to 256 GB
Camera
Camera	8 MP, autofocus, LED flash
Camera functions	Geo-tagging
Video recording	1080p@30fps
Front-camera	2 MP
Battery
Battery type and capacity	Li-Po 4800 mAh
Additionally
Sensors	Illumination, proximity, compass, accelerometer
Browser	HTML, HTML5, CSS 3
Email	IMAP, POP3, SMTP
Other	-Google Search, Maps, Gmail -MP3/WAV/FLAC player -MP4/H.264 player -Organizer -Document viewer -Photo/video editor -Voice dialing
Equipment
Standard equipment	Mediapad M2 8.0: 1 USB cable: 1 User manual: 1 Warranty card: 1 Charger 5V/2A: 1

2 years ago 0

Noble light gold color of the case. The case is metal. Feeling of good quality assembly. There is no play, no creaking, no visible gaps between parts. Great sound from the speakers. Excellent screen and color rendition, speed of operation (I specifically took the “gold” version of the tablet with 3 GB of RAM - and you can really feel it).

2 years ago 0

Excellent speakers and sound in general; - stylish, body made entirely of metal; - good screen.

2 years ago 0

Sound, no brakes, auto brightness can be turned off for those who write about the disadvantages, the tablet is normal, I run World of Tanks on it at maximum speed, no brakes were found

2 years ago 0

characteristics, fits comfortably in the hand, very stylish design.

2 years ago 0

Price-quality, characteristics, everything corresponds.

2 years ago 0

Well made, but the most important thing is the sound! Even so SOUND! It really sounds head and shoulders above other smartphones and tablets; iPads and other backgrounds were not close. Proof: I easily pumped up my 300-ohm German Maestro, producing a sound comparable to the AK 100. I recommend it to all true music lovers!

2 years ago 0

1. Appearance, metal body 2. Loud speakers, excellent sound quality 3. Branded shell in gold design 4. 3 GB of RAM 5. Resolution 1920x1200, image quality on the screen 6. Build quality

2 years ago 0

Indeed, quite fast. Beautiful, good screen and viewing angles, pleasant, no backlash anywhere, thin and not bad hardware. But...

2 years ago 0

RAM. frame. quality.

2 years ago 0

Performance, sound, battery, screen

2 years ago 0

A little expensive (I bought it a week ago for 22,000 rubles). When I brought the tablet home, I saw a small scratch on the side of the gold-plated frame around the glass (I didn’t notice it during inspection in the store under artificial light) - a trifle, but unpleasant, it slightly spoiled the joy of the purchase for me. Maybe the battery is a little weak (I have nothing to compare it with - this is my first tablet). But the advantages more than cover these minor shortcomings; overall, I’m very pleased with the purchase!

2 years ago 0

The battery discharges faster than we would like;
- low performance in games;
- automatic brightness adjustment works crookedly;
- overcharge.

2 years ago 0

While I can’t find covers on the open market, I ordered a bumper and armored glass from Ali.

2 years ago 0

2 years ago 0

The battery is weak. For intensive use (games, videos, surfing) 12-14 hours. Maybe it will swing, we'll see.

2 years ago 0

I've only been using it for 2 weeks and haven't discovered it yet.

2 years ago 0

No obvious shortcomings

2 years ago 0

I bought a Chinese one for the first time, before that there were only Samsungs, but for the same model they will have to pay a little more money, and before the new year I don’t want to cut the budget too much. I have something to compare with, tab 7.7, about 8.4, and apple..., 8 pixels, the camera reaches a maximum of 4-5... the picture is just fucked up... but just this fact is not important to me, I never thought, Tablets and phones are at least close to capable of something other than capturing a two-dimensional picture :) everything else is ok. It picks up satellites quickly, 4ji does not slow down very well.

2 years ago 0

1) Mediocre front and rear cameras;
2) Non-movable control panel (3 on-screen buttons);
3) The light sensor is too sensitive (if automatic brightness adjustment is turned on, the screen often changes illumination... for example, when turning the tablet, or using it outdoors).

2 years ago 0

Representative of the premium tablet segment of the Chinese brand. Its body is made of metal, has an excellent display, has a SIM card slot and it sounds great.

The heart of the tablet is the HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor, which has 8 cores with a frequency of 2 GHz and a Mali-T628 MP4 graphics processor. Half of the processor cores operate at a maximum frequency of 2 GHz, and the other half at a reduced frequency, which allows you to reduce battery consumption and use full power only when necessary. Thanks to the Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system with the proprietary Emotion UI 3.1 shell and a full 3 GB of RAM, the user will not encounter such “surprises” as freezing or slow operation of applications and games.




Display Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0" 32Gb LTE Gold 8 inches in size has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and is made using IPS technology. High contrast and pixel density per inch allow you to enjoy the image to the fullest. There is also a special mode that allows the display to remain bright and clear, even under direct exposure to the sun. You also don’t have to worry about eye fatigue when browsing the Internet or reading for a long time; blue light filtering technology will reduce it by 50%.




Stereo speakers created in collaboration with the famous company Harman Kardon will truly surprise you with rich and clear sound, which will delight music lovers and movie lovers. And to store all this data, the device has a sufficient amount of 32 GB of internal memory and a slot for expansion using MicroSD cards up to 64 GB. And the built-in 4800 mAh battery will provide up to 30 hours of music playback.




Huawei MediaPad M2 8.0" 32Gb LTE Gold is equipped with a 4G LTE high-speed mobile Internet module, which will allow you to always be online. Wi-Fi (all modern ac/a/b/g/n standards), Bluetooth version 4.0 and the ability to make calls (using a headset) make the tablet one of the most versatile devices in its class.




A digital compass, GPS and GLONASS will make navigation easy and convenient, and A-GPS technology will also be fast. An 8 megapixel camera with autofocus will help you capture memorable moments in the form of pictures and videos. You can make a video call thanks to the 2 megapixel front camera.

The user has hidden his data

Verified buyer

Problem solved

Advantages: The tablet was purchased for the following purposes: watching videos, surfing the Internet, photographing text and, possibly (at that time it was only a backup option), for use as a phone. He copes with all these tasks perfectly. Disadvantages: Heavy. Do you think that 330 g is not enough? Well, try holding the tablet in one hand. Very tight micro USB socket. The sad practice of using an e-reader with the same tight m-USB socket suggests that sooner or later it will have to be repaired. The camera is sometimes very reluctant to focus on an object; you have to select the desired point with your finger - otherwise the photo will be unsuccessful. When the battery charge is low (less than 15%), the flash turns off and does not work together with the camera in any mode (only separately in flashlight mode). An extremely strange and dubious engineering solution. The poor built-in launcher and the lack of some basic functions (such as locking/unlocking the screen with a double click) force you to waste time searching for normal software. Not critical, but unpleasant. The "two windows" mode was disappointing. Unfortunately, not all applications support working in this mode, for example, drawing applications. The battery could be more powerful. Feel free to inspect your tablet EVERYWHERE you can before picking it up from the store. I didn’t peel off the protective film with the logos, but in vain. Having peeled it off at home, a few hours later, I discovered a small scratch exactly in the center of the screen. Comment: I would like to note the high quality of sound from the built-in speakers - the sound is clear, without distortion and powerful. You can watch movies without headphones, which is a definite plus. I need the camera to take pictures of text and it copes with this task “perfectly”. Moreover, even in complete darkness, due to a good flash. Instantly, without several minutes of waiting, it recognizes the connected external hard drive (for me it was Western Digital My Passport 1 Tb). True, the battery discharges quite quickly in this mode. To connect, you will need to purchase an OTG micro (not mini!)-USB cable. At some point I decided to insert a SIM card into the tablet and realized that I no longer needed a smartphone. I don’t make and receive calls very often; a tablet is quite suitable for these purposes, but otherwise it is much more convenient. Now there is no desire to use smartphones at all; their screens seem too small. And 8 inches is not small, but not too much either; the screen is larger, but at the same time the device is still quite compact. As for games. Games such as: The Room 1-2, Machinarium, Syberia 2, Nihilumbra, Limbo, Ninja Arashi, Deus Ex: The Fall work without any problems. Heroes Reborn: Enigma and Ravensword 2: Shadowlands (on the standard graphics preset) experience noticeable stuttering, but are generally playable.