The best Chinese tablet today - Xiaomi, Lenovo or Huawei?

If when comparing smartphones, we usually complain that they all look alike. In the case of tablets, there is no such problem. Like it or not, but Xiaomi Pad 5 stands out a lot. It was this device that received the most narrow frame of the screen. However, it has not disappeared completely, so false positives of the touch display should not happen. And the tablet computer from Xiaomi is able to boast of a thin metal case, which shimmers nicely in the rays of the sun or the light of a lamp. It is impossible not to note the thickness of the gadget, not exceeding 6.9 mm. In a word, it is this model that is most convenient to hold in your hands.

All devices we have chosen have a screen diagonal of 10 or 11 inches. Therefore, they cannot be called small. And because of this, they turned out to be quite heavy. If you want to regularly take the tablet somewhere with you, we recommend that you look towards buying TCL 10. However, this model also weighs 458 g. You don’t want to hold the device in your hands in public transport at all. An airplane or a train is another matter, in this case you just need to get a cover-stand.

It should be noted that the manufacturing quality of Chinese tablets today is very high. None of the four devices we have chosen have backlash or any other problems. Even HUAWEI, whose body is made of plastic.

Chinese manufacturers do not have access to large AMOLED panels. Such screens are built into them only in smartphones, and their diagonal does not exceed 6.5 inches. Tablets also get the usual IPS-display. There is nothing to worry about, because such a screen does not suffer from insufficiently wide viewing angles. Yes, the color reproduction cannot be called ideal, but bad too. And only on the street there are problems - the brightness of the backlight is usually not enough to calmly see the displayed image.

As mentioned above, the diagonal of the LCD panel in the devices we have chosen varies from 10 to 11 inches. This means that it is comfortable to read books and watch movies on the device, and even keep several Internet pages open at the same time. But don't assume that all four models use the same screen. Two of them show a lack of resolution.And only for HUAWEI and Xiaomi this parameter is 2560x1600 pixels. It is on these devices that the text looks as clear as possible. Also, increased resolution allows you to see the photos in all details. And they are also able to boast an increased refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. This causes even more joyful emotions, especially when starting games.

There is a semiconductor crisis all over the world right now. This means that manufacturers of tablet computers and smartphones have access to a limited number of chipsets. If it were their will, the Chinese would be happy to build a top-end processor into their best tablets. Alas, but instead it is necessary to act according to the residual principle. As a result, TCL and Lenovo received mid-range chips. Their main cores operate at a frequency of no higher than 2000 MHz. At some point, this seems to be insufficient. Most upset will be people who are going to use their purchase, including for games. Lenovo stands out against the background of its competitor only in the amount of permanent memory. But if we talk about performance, then it is affected by RAM, and in this regard, both devices are equal.

Huawei and Xiaomi received 6 GB of RAM. Commendable. With them, Android functions without any problems, like all applications installed by the user. As for the permanent memory, two versions of both tablets can be found on sale. In the case of HUAWEI, you can get by with the 128-gigabyte version. If you are going to buy Xiaomi Pad 5, then we recommend to take the version with 256 GB of storage. The fact is that this device is the only one that does not have a slot for a microSD card.

All our readers are well aware of the main problem of modern flagship smartphones. It consists in the absence of a 3.5 mm audio jack. If you want to connect wired headphones, you have to use an adapter. It would seem that tablets are slightly thicker devices. This means that their manufacturers have no reason to refuse such a useful nest. However, our comparison shows that the creators of tablets have gone the same way. None of the four models received a 3.5 mm jack! All devices assume that you are using a Bluetooth headset.

In fact, you can listen to music and watch movies without headphones. Especially if you buy Xiaomi Pad 5 or HUAWEI MatePad 11. The fact is that these devices received four speakers! The sound is loud and rich - in this regard, tablets perform better than many laptops!

If we talk about wireless communication standards, then in three cases out of four, nothing unusual awaits you. The fifth version of the "blue tooth" allows you to stably transmit an audio signal to any headset or speaker. Tablets can also be connected to a router. And this is where Huawei differs from its competitors. It supports one of the fastest Wi-Fi standards 802.11ax today! But if you are not going to change your router in the coming years, then this advantage means nothing to you.

We draw your attention to the fact that some tablets exist in several versions. One of them has a slot for a SIM card. It seems to us that not every customer needs this, so we decided to compare versions without LTE support.

Most often, when comparing different devices, we strongly evaluate what their rear and front cameras are capable of. However, in this case it doesn't make any sense. One gets the impression that they were ordered by the creators of the tablets from one manufacturer. Whatever device you buy, you will find approximately the same quality of photo and video shooting.Even different versions of Android do not save - images are also processed in a very similar way.

In terms of numbers, there is a 13-megapixel camera on the back of each tablet. Don't expect any double modules. The most you can count on is an LED flash. Such a camera copes well with shooting outdoors, but the result is very mediocre indoors. And certainly you should not expect from the device the ability to write video in 4K resolution. As for the front camera, it also has the same resolution in all four cases. It seems that 8 megapixels is a worthy parameter. It is more than enough for organizing video calls.

As mentioned above, the tablets turned out to be quite large. This means that they could easily accommodate a capacious battery. Fortunately, Chinese manufacturers understood this, and they did not dare to save on this. As a result, even HUAWEI received a 7250 mAh battery. And this is the smallest parameter in our selection!

Lenovo and Xiaomi operate longer than others. A full charge of these devices is enough for 12 hours of video playback. If you want to play with good graphics quality, the result will be noticeably less. This is due to the fact that the processor in all tablets is not as energy efficient as we would like. And he has to strain a lot because of the high resolution of the display.Finally, Xiaomi's four speakers also play their role.

If smartphones now have very fast charging, then tablets in this regard do not look so attractive. Their manufacturers understand that you are unlikely to use their device outside of your home. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about the fact that the product takes about two hours at the outlet to fully charge. A little faster than the rest, the Xiaomi battery fills with energy, so it deserves a higher score from us.

If you do not want to run into problems during the operation of the "tablet", then we do not recommend buying HUAWEI. The fact is that this tablet computer is running Harmony OS. This is the same Android, but devoid of Google services. Installing applications that are not in the AppGallery is possible through APKPure, but it's still a "crutch". And if some program decides to display a Google map, then you start cursing. In a word, we have no right not to lower the rating of this tablet.

Competitors have no problems with Google services. Everything is in order with them and with speed. Perhaps the user should be most interested in Xiaomi firmware, based on a more recent version of the “green robot”. Recall that this tablet also sounds a little better than the others (the same four speakers are available only from Lenovo).

How I would like to go back a few years ... Alas, but today the situation is such that even Chinese tablets cost a lot of money. And there is nothing to say about the best of them. For example, Xiaomi Pad 5 is now asking for about 50 thousand rubles. However, the cost does not seem too high, especially if you compare the device with analogues from Apple and Samsung (they are very close in terms of characteristics).

The HUAWEI product is more expensive than the rest. If all the advantages of Google were available in it, then it could be recommended for purchase. But in the absence of those ... It is better to look towards Lenovo and TCL. Yes, they have wider screen bezels. Yes, their display has a lower resolution, and the processor does not have a particularly solid supply of power. But on the other hand, “pills” are able to boast a more adequate price tag.

This is one of those materials of ours where it is clear in advance who will take the lead. We wrote about Xiaomi Pad 5 right after its announcement. And even then it was clear that the tablet has practically no competitors. Let's not argue that you can find a device with a better camera, a smarter display, and an even more powerful processor. But such a device will cost much more. And if we talk about competitors in the same price segment, then they will definitely be inferior in certain characteristics.

If Xiaomi is not on sale, then buying Lenovo and TCL is also an option.But be prepared for the fact that they will not offer the same high resolution display, and their processor will not provide the ideal speed of the operating system and all applications.