Huawei MediaPad X2 is a 4G LTE 7-inch stunner
A sleek design and dual-SIM capabilities make this Huawei phablet distinct.
Huawei is calling its MediaPad X2 a phablet -- a divisive term for a tablet with phone capabilities. Pegging the device as a phone conveniently makes it the "world's slimmest 7-inch phablet" at 7.3mm thick, but the MediaPad X2 is far from being all beauty and no brains.
The dual-SIM-packing Huawei gadget houses a powerful 2GHz Kirin 930 chipset with a 64-bit eight-core CPU and Mali-T628 GPU. It comes in two versions: a model with 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage that dons a sliver aluminum back, and a gold version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
The 7-inch IPS screen features a crisp 1,200x1,920-pixel resolution with 323 pixels per inch and wide 178-degree viewing angles. According to Huawai, its 5,000mAh battery lasts an entire day with heavy use -- pretty impressive for any mobile gadget, especially one running on a LTE network.
There's even an impressive pair of cameras on the MediaPad X2 -- on paper, that is. Most tablet cameras slack behind the superior quality of smartphone cameras, but the 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera sound promising. Both attempt to better tackle low-lighting situations with a f/2.4 aperture and the front-facing camera rocks a 22mm wide angle that'll give your selfie stick a run for its money.
Thanks to a steady influx of 8- to 9-inch tablets and the increasing presence of large-screen smartphones, 7-inch tablets have dwindled in availability. The Huawei MediaPad X2 is a nice revival of the once popular form factor and its 4G LTE capabilities are the icing on a cake of solid specs. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced, but check back with CNET for updates and read up on the rest of the goodies coming out of Mobile World Congress 2015.