When Huawei unveiled HarmonyOS 2.0, they also unveiled a new flagship tablet called the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6-inch, the biggest tablet by Huawei. With that in mind, it could be a tablet for those looking for a laptop replacement that’s more compact and lightweight.
With a price of RM3999, it comes with notable tech specs such as the Kirin 9000E chipset, 10050mAh battery, and 8GB of RAM. In this review, we’ll be taking a closer look at the tablet and see whether it is worthy of being a laptop replacement. With all that in mind, let’s have a look at how it performs, shall we?
You won't be able to tell that the back is plastic
The MatePad Pro OLED display is very bright and produces vibrant colours!
When it comes to the design, the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6-inch has a very premium looking design. Although the back is mainly made of plastic, Huawei seamlessly integrated it with the chassis.
Weighing at 609g and 6.7mm thick, the tablet is much lighter and thinner than most laptops currently available in the market. Unfortunately, due to how thin the tablet is, it does not come equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack slot, which is a bummer for those who prefer using a pair of wired headphones.
The tablet supports the M-Pencil and the Huawei Magnetic Keyboard
No function keys, unfortunately.
However, it comes equipped with a USB Type-C charging port that supports up to 40W fast charging, 4 speakers, and supports up to 256GB capacity Huawei NM Memory Card. When it comes to the display, the tablet has a 12.6-inch OLED with up to 90% screen-to-body ratio, which makes it perfect for watching movies while on the go.
Other than that, the tablet is also compatible with the Huawei Smart Magnetic Keyboard, which is an external keyboard that provides a more natural typing experience. However, if your work requires you to use functions keys like F1 to F12 frequently and keys like Print Screen, you might see a slight drop in productivity until you get used to it.
2 speakers and a power button on the left side
USB Type-C port at the bottom
Supports Huawei NM Memory card
In terms of the operating system, the MatePad Pro comes with HarmonyOS 2.0, which comes with all the basic apps you would expect from a typical operating system like a file manager, web browser, gallery, media player, and more. Not only that, but Huawei also has their very own navigation app called Petal Maps that can be found on the Huawei AppGallery.
However, the tablet comes with a lot of bloatware which you might want to consider removing if you don’t plan on using any of them. In addition, because of the large display, the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6-inch allows you to have up to 4 apps open simultaneously, allowing you to multitask with ease.
You can have up to 4 apps opened at the same time
This is how HarmonyOS 2.0 look like
It comes with a lot of bloatware, unfortunately.
If you own a Huawei smartphone, you’ll be able to take advantage of features unique to the HarmonyOS ecosystem, such as Mirror Mode, Extend Mode, and Multi-Screen collaboration, to increase your productivity. Not only that, but it’s also compatible with the Huawei M-Pencil that’s surprisingly responsive and smooth, which is great for drawing a quick sketch and jotting down notes which can be converted into text using the FreeScript feature.
When it comes to the battery, the MatePad Pro has a huge 10050mAh battery which is more than capable of lasting up to 3 days or more on a single charge. In addition, it supports up to 40W fast charging, allowing the tablet to be charged to full in more than 2 hours.
The M-Pencil can be attached to the side of the tablet magnetically
Similar form-factor to a typical pen
Here are some drawings done using the M-Pencil
It charges quite fast considering the tablet has a 10050mAh battery
Camera-wise, it has a camera module that’s similar to the Huawei P40 smartphone. To elaborate, the MatePad Pro comes equipped with a 13MP + 8MP + depth sensor at the rear, while the front has an 8MP front-facing selfie camera. Unfortunately, while the tablet has decent picture-taking quality, it does not have the same picture-taking performance as its smartphone counterpart.
However, it’s more than enough to take pictures of your assignments and work documents. The large size of the tablet makes it a little awkward to take pictures, and it looks a bit silly when you’re out and about if you ask me. Below are some of the picture samples taken by the tablet.
Above taken using the standard camera mode
Above taken using the wide-angle camera
Above taken using Night Mode
With all that being said, one of the biggest concerns of the Huawei MatePad Pro is that you will not be able to use Google Mobile Services, which means you might not be able to use the majority of the apps that are available on the Google Play Store. While it is still possible to use some of Google’s services like Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube, and more, you can only do so via a web browser.
To close things off, the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6-inch is a capable tablet that’s worth considering if you’re looking for a lightweight laptop replacement. However, the absence of Google Mobile Services and poor picture-taking performance might be a turn off for some.
If Huawei’s tablet doesn’t fit your requirements because of the lack of Google Mobile Services, you might want to consider getting the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 instead, which is priced at RM3299. Alternatively, you could opt for the 11-inch iPad Pro equipped with the M1 chip that’s priced at RM3499.
What are your thoughts on Huawei’s MatePad Pro 12.6-inch? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.
Tech Specs
- HUAWEI FullView 12.6-inch OLED screen, 2560 × 1600 resolution, DCI-P3 color gamut
- HUAWEI Kirin 9000E chipset
- 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, expandable with a 256GB NM memory card
- 13MP main camera + 8MP ultra-wide camera + 3D depth sensor, 8MP selfie camera
- 10,050mAh battery, 40W fast charging
- HarmonyOS 2
- HUAWEI Histen 7.0 Sound Effect speaker
- Dimensions 184.7mm x 286.5mm x 6.7mm
Pros and Cons
Pros: Lightweight and premium-looking design with a beautiful screen.
Cons: No Google Mobile Services. Not as great for photography.
Summary: Great choice if you're looking for a laptop replacement and don't mind not having GMS.
COMMENTS