When it comes to tablets, should we get anything other than an iPad? Huawei’s tap on the shoulder comes in the form of the MatePad Pro and MatePad 11, their first range of tablets operating on Harmony OS. Huawei’s collaborative-friendly operating system was designed with the intent to make working across multiple devices seamless and efficient.
For example, the new home screen features a bottom dock that’s home to your most frequently used and recently used apps. This is complemented by widgets to display real-time information and provide access to certain app features without having to launch those apps all the time.
The Huawei tablets also support features that we now expect from a device with a large display – a secondary screen. As an extension of your laptop, the screen can function as a mirror so that you can leverage the tablet’s digital pen, or as an extended screen for your computer. The tablets also have an airdrop-like feature called Collaborate mode, which when enabled, lets you transfer files via a simple drag and drop action.
And of course, the MatePad Pro and MatePad 11 function much like a laptop when paired with the Smart Magnetic Keyboard. The folio keyboard is covered with vegan leather for comfort and a luxe feel, while the keys are designed to have a comfortable 1.3mm travel distance so that it feels closer to a laptop typing experience. The M-Pencil offers 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt support and enables features such as HUAWEI FreeScript, which transforms handwritten content into machine-encoded text in real-time.
HUAWEI MatePad Pro
A productivity device that is also catered to content creators, the tablet is understandably minimalist, while checking off all the usual buzz-friendly attributes; such as the ultra-wide FullView Display, which boasts a 90 per cent screen to body ratio on a tablet. The display measures 10.8 inches and is presented in a more work-friendly 16:10 screen ratio with a 2K resolution. Accompanying this is a quad-speaker array tuned by Harman Kardon, which is also able to pump out a virtualised 3D surround sound thanks to Histen 7.0 support.
And as you would expect from a productivity device, the 7,250mAh battery is large enough to deliver 11 hours of continuous HD video playback or non-stop web browsing. Suffice to say that it should be enough for a full workday. It comes with the 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge charger for fast charging too.
HUAWEI MatePad 11
The new MatePad is also Huawei’s first tablet to support a 120 Hz refresh rate. It also sports a display that covers the DCI-P3 colour space. Like the Mate Pro, it also comes with a quad-speaker system that’s tuned by Harmon/Kardon, making the tablet a great display for movies and video games.
The HUAWEI MatePad Pro ($998, 256GB) and MatePad 11 ($698, 128GB) will be available at all Huawei Experience Stores , selected consumer electronic stores including Best Denki , Challenger & Hachi.tech , COURTS , Gain City , Harvey Norman , Sprint-Cass Online as well as Huawei official online stores on Lazada and Shopee .
The MatePad Pro comes bundled with a 2nd Gen M-Pencil ($148) and Flip Cover ($58) as complimentary gifts, while MatePad 11 buyers will receive a 2nd Gen M-Pencil and a Smart Wireless Keyboard ($198). While stocks last, of course.
