Huawei announces the MediaPad M1, an aluminum 8-inch tablet with fast data connection and phone capabilities

At a thickness of 0.3 inches (7.9mm), the MediaPad M1 is one slim 8-incher. It weights 329g, and is constructed from aluminum. Software-wise, the M1 runs Android with Huawei's Emotion UI 2.0 on top. The UI offers "over 1000 diverse themes", so you'll have plenty of customization options before opting for a 3rd-party launcher.

Like its smaller, but burlier brother, the M1 supports LTE Cat4. Huawei says that the tablet can download a 1GB movie in one minute with speeds of up to 150Mbps. The software comes preloaded with voice dialing and SMS messaging apps to take advantage of the strong connection. Are the so-called "living room tablets" going to replace landlines? Also, the M1 features built-in 2.4/5G dual-mode Wi-Fi.

The MediaPad M1 will be available in the first quarter of 2014 across Europe, Russia, the Middle East, China, Japan, Asia Pacific, Australia, and Latin America. It seems none of Huawei's new devices will be reaching US customers. The official price is not revealed.