Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4" - Won't Turn On or Charge / No Power

[KindaIrish]

I bought my Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4" android tablet back in 2019. It has given me almost no issues other than it started to slow down recently.
Before a trip I took, I fully charged it, powered it off, and put it in my bag. This was on a Thursday. A few days later on Sunday I went to use it and it would not power on. Plugging it into multiple known good chargers does nothing. It is showing zero signs of life (no vibration, no screen power). There is zero physical damage that I can see - no bends or cracks or anything. And the USB-C port still feels solid.

I've tried...

• Holding the power button for 15-20+ seconds.
• Holding the power button and volume down for 15-20+ seconds.
• Holding the power button and volume up for 15-20+ seconds.
• Holding the power button and volume up+down for 15-20+ seconds.
• Tried charging it with multiple known good chargers.
• Tried leaving it plugged into known good chargers for hours.
• Tried the button combos above while plugged in.
• Tried wiggling the power button, volume rocker, and the physical "home" "button" in case they were stuck and causing issues...
• Even tried flipping the USB-C cable...
• Tried adding some very light pressure to the power cable (like up/down/left/right) to see if it would give me a sign that the charging port was loose.
• Have tried googling it, a lot, but seems like no one else has run into this issue.

I've tried all of the above many many times, on different days just hoping for any signs of life and got nothing.

Anyone else run into this and figure out what the issue is?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice!

 

[goattee]

First off hats off to you for posting the perfect model of how to troubleshoot and then post your experience!

Sad to say I don't have / haven't had this issue. But I do want to ask obvious questions (at the pain of seeming obtuse) and propose one more (probably futile) step and one possibly fruitful.

Questions:
- You've wisely tried swapping chargers. Have you tried multiple cables? (I bet you did.) And did you try both USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C cables?

- Can I safely assume that when you call a charger a known good one have you used the same cable and charger combo with a different Android device (such as a USB-C equipped phone) to attempt charging the tablet?

- Do you feel as though the power button is actually moving when you press it?

Suggestions:

• Try using a toothpick immersed in rubbing alcohol and gently probe around the USB connector. (Maybe there's some dust or crud blocking the contacts.)
• This seems dopey but how long have you plugged in using a known good charger? I have succeeded with a hoplelessly old Samsung S3 and Nexus 7 tablet by leaving them charging for 24 hours.
  
  In each case I walked away from the seemingly defunct device with a sense of resignation and disgust. Boy was I surprised to see that they were alive again! In those cases the devices had weak batteries and it took massive charging to get them to boot again-- and the battery life was poor once they actually booted. (My Nexus 7 is on my desk here begging to be put out of it's misery. It has a replacement screen, so it's been through rough times.)
  

FYI:

You mention that the tablet was gradually slowing down. If you ultimately succeed in breathing life back into it: have you periodically cleared the cache partition by booting into recovery. (I have to bet you did 'cause you have tested with the volume up + power key combination in troubleshooting.)

P.S.

I have also had mine since 2019. I have not noticed any significant degradation of battery life or unusual decline in performance. Periodic cache clearing has helped me. (And I think that silly defrag notication is probably an act of superstition. But I do let it function anyhow.)

Even if nothing I've said turns your day into sunshine, I hope at least it's reassuring that you're not screaming into the dark alone. Feel free to ask for more ideas if you have any more evidence to work with.

 

[KindaIrish]

1st - Thanks for the quick reply! Definitely appreciate it!

- You've wisely tried swapping chargers. Have you tried multiple cables? (I bet you did.) And did you try both USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C cables?

- Can I safely assume that when you call a charger a known good one have you used the same cable and charger combo with a different Android device (such as a USB-C equipped phone) to attempt charging the tablet?

• Yeah, tried different cables and power adapters and wall outlets. All are known to be good by plugging my phone in and getting it to charge. I did not try a USB-C to USB-C - I actually don't think I own one, hah. If I come across one I'll give it a try and update if that fixes it. Kinda tempted to go find one - maybe the extra juice will give it the extra kick it needs?? I've seen weirder things...

- Do you feel as though the power button is actually moving when you press it?

• Yes. All of the buttons still have that tactile/responsive/click feel when pushing it in.

• Try using a toothpick immersed in rubbing alcohol and gently probe around the USB connector. (Maybe there's some dust or crud blocking the contacts.)

• Good idea! Will give this a try but currently out of rubbing alcohol. I did try (and forgot to list even tho I did this whilst making the list) using some compressed air around the buttons and around the charging port (making sure to keep the can up-right so I'm not freezing anything)

This seems dopey but how long have you plugged in using a known good charger? I have succeeded with a hoplelessly old Samsung S3 and Nexus 7 tablet by leaving them charging for 24 hours.

• I didn't leave it plugged in overnight since the tablet isn't functioning properly and don't want to leave it charging whilst I'm sleeping in case it shorts or whatever. But I did have it on the charger, multiple times, for 2-6(?) hours at a time. It is plugged in now.

You mention that the tablet was gradually slowing down. If you ultimately succeed in breathing life back into it: have you periodically cleared the cache partition by booting into recovery. (I have to bet you did 'cause you have tested with the volume up + power key combination in troubleshooting.)

• I have not cleared the cache partition via recovery. IF I get this thing alive again, will give it a try. I only mentioned it to highlight how little issues I've had and how completely out of the blue this no power issue is.

(And I think that silly defrag notication is probably an act of superstition. But I do let it function anyhow.)

• Lol, yes. "We have cleared up 42kb of defragmented files" ... thanks MediaPad! /s lol

Even if nothing I've said turns your day into sunshine, I hope at least it's reassuring that you're not screaming into the dark alone. Feel free to ask for more ideas if you have any more evidence to work with.

• Thanks again! I really appreciate you! The world needs more of you!!

 

[tnli]

I can report to have had the exact same issue with my Huawei MediaPad M5 8.4", battery went empty when the device was in the bag over a weekend, and I have not been successful in recharging or starting the device with any of the trouble shooting given in the above messages. The USB-C connector on the device doesn't feel any looser than on any other USB-C device that I own, and all the other devices recharge from all of the charger + cable -combinations that I've tried on this device.

 

[edenc]

Same device, same problem. Have tried all the above with no joy. Wondering if the battery has gone into deep drain so currently trying 4.2v @ 600mah 'trickle' for 24 hours. My device was new 1/1/20. Best tablet I've owned for performance, display resolution, battery life () and aesthetics. Damn shame if dead. There is a useful teardown vid here here but I can't find a replacement battery anywhere. If I have any luck on any front I'll post back.

 

[etraga]

Hello,
Same problem with same tablet. I've tried to replace battery and USB c connector and my tablet doesn't start.
I've tried many cables, many adapters, nothing work...
Did you find a solution with your problem?

 

[etraga]

@KindaIrish Did you find a solution?

 

[KindaIrish]

@KindaIrish Did you find a solution?

Sadly no. If you or anyone does, I'd love to resurrect it!

 

[etraga]

Thank you for your answer. I've tried to change USB port and battery and still not working. I will test with another battery (the seller will send me another one).

 

[KindaIrish]

Hello,
Same problem with same tablet. I've tried to replace battery and USB c connector and my tablet doesn't start.
I've tried many cables, many adapters, nothing work...
Did you find a solution with your problem?

You even replaced the battery AND USB-C connector and that didn't give it any life?!? That's surprising to me! Thanks for trying that and reporting results... the mystery continues...

A buddy of mine mentioned another piece of hardware that could have failed, I'll report back if he remembers what that was.

@etraga When you had it open, you obviously didn't see anything bad but did you take a real good close look around specifically checking for any signs of a short or corrosion or anything like that? Sometimes they are not always obvious or easy to see.

Two Questions for everyone having this issue:
1 - When was the last time your device worked? For me it was a few days before my original post; around March 24, 2022. Curious if all of ours died at basically the same time, but maybe didn't try using it for a few weeks/months?
2 - What country are you located? USA for me. Asking because I wonder if there is ANY relation to the Huawei ban in the US. Highly doubtful, but at this point who knows...

 

[etraga]

You even replaced the battery AND USB-C connector and that didn't give it any life?!? That's surprising to me! Thanks for trying that and reporting results... the mystery continues...

A buddy of mine mentioned another piece of hardware that could have failed, I'll report back if he remembers what that was.

@etraga When you had it open, you obviously didn't see anything bad but did you take a real good close look around specifically checking for any signs of a short or corrosion or anything like that? Sometimes they are not always obvious or easy to see.

Two Questions for everyone having this issue:
1 - When was the last time your device worked? For me it was a few days before my original post; around March 24, 2022. Curious if all of ours died at basically the same time, but maybe didn't try using it for a few weeks/months?
2 - What country are you located? USA for me. Asking because I wonder if there is ANY relation to the Huawei ban in the US. Highly doubtful, but at this point who knows...

Yes I've replaced both, I found a battery from Deutschland and USB-c connector from China on AliExpress. Maybe one of them don't work, it's really weird...
I didn't find anything special when I open the tablet.

I'm from France and my tablet doesn't work since May or June.

 

[MediaBad]

Found this thread after replacing the battery of a Huawei AGS-W09 MediaPad did not change the symptoms:

Red LED is on, close to the selfie cam when plugged into charger.

LED goes dark when disconnected.

No other form of life provokable from the machine.

Last summer (I think it was August 2022) I realized a sharp drop in battery capacity that soon resulted in the status quo described above.

Pretty sure a battery change should fix it, but no, it didn't. Just saw naive me got the battery from Aliexpress, however, so maybe I got a bad one.

Your symptoms are little bit different aren't they?

FYI: I'm located in Austria, central Europe

 

[Hansie13]

Here another one , Huawei Mediapad 8.4 SHT_W09 . It wont turn in anymore
i was busy with loading a stock rom from Sd Card, but i think it had a lack off power, i had it frequently on the charger.
It was functioning well but i was playing around with other roms
It was unlocked and by far a great tablet, very solid and no loose connector or something like that
if i connect it to my pc i can hear that the USB connects.
hope to bring it alive and kicking...
Hans from Netherlands

 

[bluedragon38]

Damn , no fixe for this so ... my neighbor bring me a mediapad 5 .. and same symptoms. he took it in a suitcase for 3 days , don't use it during these . came back to home and... the tablet dont want to charge or boot anymore...