Huawei MatePad Pro Review

An iPad Pro Clone

Android tablets are constantly on the verge of losing market share once the main competitor, Apple, releases a new model. And yet, instead of giving up, companies like Huawei continue to create mid-range or entry-levels tablets to attract customers with attractive prices and features. Huawei has released their new flagship tablet, the MatePad Pro and we put it through its paces.

 

Overview

At first glance, you might be easily fooled into thinking this is an iPad clone but when you dig deeper and look under the hood you realize this is a really exciting tablet. The latest Huawei high-end tablet to hit the market, the Huawei MatePad Pro, is the first one to miss on Google Apps support due to the infamous international ban by the US administration. The US ban forbids Huawei to do any business with US-based companies, in this instance Google. So to make up for this, Huawei created its own version of Google Mobile Services in order to replace popular apps such as Gmail, YouTube, Chrome, and so on. With all of this in mind, we have to take our hat off to Huawei, the specs and functionality of the MatePad Pro are top of the line and can rival any tablet in the market.

Key Features

• EMUI 10 operating system
• Kirin 990 5G processor
• 10.8-inch IPS LCD
• 2560 x 1600 screen resolution
• 13 MP rear camera with flash and phase-detection autofocus
• 8 MP front-facing camera
• 7250-mAh battery
• 40-watt wired charging
• 27-watt wireless charging
• 7.5-watt reverse charging
• 6 GB, 8 GB RAM
• 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB storage
• 246 x 159 x 7. 2 mm dimensions
• 460 g weight
• USB-C 3.1 port
• Wi-Fi 802.11 ac
• Bluetooth 5.0

Features

Display

The Huawei MatePad Pro has a 10.8inch In-plane Switching LCD with a Quad High Definition screen resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels with 16:10 aspect ratio and ~280 ppi density. This ensures that you get consistently clear, sharp and colorful images at wider viewing angles. It offers DCI-P3 for a more vibrant and accurate color array and a peak brightness of 540 nits. We found the aspect ratio of 16:10 renders brilliant images, video and photos look superb and there aren’t any pixelated images. Overall, we were really impressed by the display screen, rendering really good quality pictures which were a really pleasant surprise.

The screen itself takes up 90% of the tablet due to its super-thin 4.9 mm bezels, which is great for holding it on one hand. One thing we found odd and slightly annoying is the placement of the front camera. Normally it is in the top middle but on the Huawei MatePad Pro, it is placed at the top-right corner, making it uncomfortable to look at for selfies or video calls. We just can’t work out what got to the designers as we can’t really see any benefits over the traditional top middle.

With so thin bezels the camera is visible in the display itself as there is no room anywhere else to fit it, and this is the reason why we think it was placed there and not in the middle. It would be quite odd to have a round camera in the middle of the display, in the corner is discreet and can be even forgotten about. It is a shame as we think a better implementation could easily be done.

M Pencil

A really nice addition to the Huawei MatePad Pro tablet is the support for the M-Pencil stylus. Although it is sold separately, the M-Pen is a fantastic tool for drawing, writing documents, or playing games. It actually is very well implemented it is also very responsive with less than 20-millisecond latency and 4,096 levels of pressure. We enjoyed using it and not once we experience any issues.

Just like the second-generation of Apple Pencil, Huawei’s M-Pen has its own battery that can be charged wirelessly. Magnets on either the side or top of the tablet mean the pen will be securely attached to the tablet and start charging automatically. A big plus is that the stylus pen lasts for a very long time because it automatically goes on sleep mode when not in use.

Smart Magnetic Keyboard

This is probably the best accessory for the MatePad Pro because although you can get a 3^rd party Bluetooth keyboard what makes this great about Huawei’s is that its magnetic case serves as a table stand also. The chiclet keyboard is ideal for regular use because it is faster, softer, and creates very little noise, unlike the old mechanical keyboards. However, for heavy use, we would recommend a more traditional keyboard. It all depends on your workload really. But bear in mind that it is not included in the tablet package so you need to buy it separately. Is it worth it? We think so. Especially if you write the here and there, sporadically. It is super quiet and the fact that serves as a stand for the tablet is great as it adds that extra level of stability.

EMUI 10

EMUI is a Huawei-designed user interface that sits on top of Google’s Android but unfortunately, you can tell it is in its early versions and as such, it is the tablet’s biggest drawback. The lack of Google apps and services affects its overall functionality. Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store have spent years developing their brand and app ecosystem. Huawei has created the App Gallery to compensate for this and looking forward into the future. It is a wise and bold move but it will take some time for their ecosystem to get close to what Google and Apple offer. However, as of today, it already has tons of apps like Tiktok, Snapchat, and Viber and there is a growing range of games. Although there is a lot still missing, it is growing every day and it won’t take too long for popular apps to make their way into the App Gallery.

The same applies to the SHAREit app, Huawei’s Phone Clone, which allows you to transfer data between Huawei devices (from your phone to the tablet ) such as apps, contacts, photos, messages, and documents. You also get the option to lock some apps and avoid transfer them across for safety and security purposes. However, in order to take advantage of the SHAREit feature you need a SIM card and turn the Wi-Fi hotspot before you start moving files. It would have been nice for the devices to recognize each other over Bluetooth or, as Apple does, Airdrop, but at least you get similar functionality over wifi.

Emotion User Interface 10 offers a computer-like experience that lets you switch from Tablet mode to PC mode with a single push of a button. This is actually really cool and very well implemented. Many people were expecting for gesture navigation, but sadly that is not included. However, having the ability to pair the MatePad Pro with a Smart Magnetic keyboard and a mouse is a welcome development, especially if you want to travel light and yet keep functional.

Camera

With an 8MP front and 13MP rear camera, it is fair to say that the Huawei MatePad Pro can take a decent photo. No tablet in the market today offers a great camera set up the allows you to take as clean and sharp images as you can take on a smartphone. However, the Huawei MatePad Pro’s 8MP gives you good enough for video calls and the rear camera at 13MP will definitely give you nice and sharp images. I mean, 13MP is not bad at all although these days, will you really be taking many photos holding a 10.8inch screen? You most likely won’t and will use your phone for it. However, it is always good to know you have a couple of decent cameras in case you need to take a photo.

In terms of video recording, the MatePad Pro supports full HD video but there is quite some room for improvement as you can only record video at 30 fps and to be honest, that is not the best frame rate. We are sure they will address this in future firmware releases.

Sound

Having four speakers that are specially tuned by Harman Kardon means that you get an excellent audio experience. Two speakers at the top and two at the bottom pack quite a punch and give you pretty rich and loud sound. The experience is even better when using headphones but following the trend with other tablets, there is no headphone jack so you need to use the USB-C port or connect your headphones or a pair of Bluetooth headphones will do too.

Design

In terms of the design, we think Huawei nailed the overall looks of MatePad Pro. It looks fabulous, sleek and feels sturdy and well made. With an extremely thin and super lightweight body that measures 7.2 mm and weighs 480 grams, holding it in your hand feels really comfortable. One other thing we appreciate is the fact the tablet has a metal and glass fiber case, it feels really nice to the touch.

Performance

Using their latest chip, the Kirin 990 with a 6 GB or 8 GB RAM, and Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.0, is a bold move from Huawei. This means that the Huawei MatePad Pro runs smooth and overall performance is fast and stable. The Huawei MatePad Pro can handle multitasking pretty well, opening apps don’t show any signs of lagging, and playing games from the AppGallery is quite an experience as the whole thing works so well. We couldn’t find any issues with the hardware itself and as a matter of fact, it turns out that the Huawei MatePad Pro is actually one of the fastest in today’s generation. It can’t compare to an iPad Pro but then again, this tablet is aiming at a different market.

Battery Life

When it comes to the battery life, the Huawei MatePad Pro features a 7,250mAh battery capacity that on average can last up to 3 days. This is as long as you stick to basic tasks such as web browsing, writing documents, and playing several games. You get a wide range of charging options available to you. The first option is a 40W wired super-fast charging allowing you to get a full charge from 0-100% in just over 90 minutes. The second option is the slower 15W wireless charging, and lastly, a 7.5W reverse wireless charging that is primarily used for recharging your phone, wireless earphones, smartwatch, or any devices supported by wireless charging.

Conclusion

To be honest, it is quite surprising that an Android tablet can stand on its own without Google apps or services. Though it is the not best software integration at the moment, Huawei MatePad Pro is a well-built tablet that comes with quite powerful external and internal hardware. In addition to this, you get great features such as the M-Pencil, Smart Magnetic Keyboard, Harmon-Kardon quad speakers, a gorgeous 10.8-inch display, and a selection of charging options. This is not your average tablet, Huawei has created a really excellent tablet. If you are the owner of a Huawei smartphone already, it is a no-brainer, this tablet will be awesome as you will get a lot of interactivity between tablet and phone. We just hope over time it can catch up with Google in terms of apps and developers designing apps for their operating system.

If however, this tablet is not what you are looking for and want something different, maybe a little more oomph, why don’t you check out other tablet reviews in our Tablets Reviews section? We’re sure that there is something for you in there.

Buy it now in USA – Amazon