Which tablet offers better value for money?
Despite the diminishing market for tablets, there are some people who still look for them, especially the budget-centric ones. Aside from having sizeable displays perfect for binging TV shows and movies, tablets are also used for educational purposes as well. For this article, we compare the Huawei MediaPad T3 8.0 with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0—two of the most affordable tablets in the market today.
Huawei MediaPad T3 8.0 Specs and Price Philippines
- Snapdragon 425 processor
- Adreno 308 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 8-inch IPS display, 800 x 1280 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio
- 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
- 5-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera with AF
- 2-megapixel front camera
- WiFi, Bluetooth, LTE, GPS
- 4800mAh battery
- Android 7 Nougat with EMUI 5.1
Price: PHP6,490
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 Specs and Price Philippines (2019)
- Snapdragon 429 processor
- Adreno 504 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 8-inch TFT display, 800 x 1280 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio
- 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
- 8-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera with AF
- 2-megapixel front camera
- WiFi, Bluetooth, LTE, GPS
- 5100mAh battery
- Android 9 Pie with OneUI.
Price: PHP8,990
Build
Despite both tablets having roughly the same dimensions, the MediaPad T3 8.0 has the upper hand for its aluminum back. Even more impressive is that the MediaPad T3 8.0 is a few grams lighter than the Galaxy Tab A 8.0—despite the latter sporting a polycarbonate back and a thinner frame.
With an aluminum back, the MediaPad T3 8.0 sports a unibody design, adding style points to the budget tablet.
Display
Both tablets have similarly sized 8-inch WXGA displays, though the MediaPad T3 8.0 uses an IPS panel while the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 settles for a TFT panel. Between the two display technologies used, the MediaPad T3 8.0 offers better viewing angles and color reproduction compared to the Galaxy Tab A 8.0.
Aside from using a better panel, the MediaPad T3 8.0 has an eye comfort feature to protect you from eye strains when using your tablet at night.
Internals
While the MediaPad T3 8.0 has the advantage when it comes to build and display panel used, the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 comes with a better processor, more internal storage, and a slightly bigger battery.
The Galaxy Tab A 8.0’s Snapdragon 429 is more power-efficient due to its 12nm process and higher clock speeds. While the Galaxy Tab A 8.0’s Snapdragon 429 scores higher than the MediaPad T3 8.0’s Snapdragon 425 in terms of synthetic benchmarks, both tablets have limitations when it comes to multi-tasking, as they only come with 2GB RAM.
In terms of storage expansion, both the MediaPad T3 8.0 and Galaxy Tab A 8.0 come with a MicroSD card slot, letting you add up to 128GB of storage.
Camera
While both tablets come with a 2-megapixel front camera, they differ when it comes to the rear cameras. The MediaPad T3 8.0 has a 5-megapixel snapper, while the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 comes with a higher-resolution 8-megapixel sensor—both of them equipped with autofocus. Both budget tablets have the same f/2.2 aperture though overall image quality all boils down to the post-processing of their respective camera software.
Verdict
While the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 offers a better processor, a bigger battery, and more internal storage, the MediaPad T3 8.0 can match Samsung’s budget tablet with its better build, better display panel used, and a hard-to-beat price.
At Php 6,490, the MediaPad T3 8.0 is a steal, as it is more affordable than the Galaxy Tab A 8.0, which retails for Php 8,990. In fact, the MediaPad T3 8.0 is arguably one of the most affordable tablets currently in the market.