We sensed that today would be a big day for Huawei expecting HarmonyOS to be one of the highlights and it certainly has been. Several new devices already start with the new Huawei operating system and two of them are the Huawei MatePad 11 and Huawei Mate Pad Pro.
Two high-end tablets that integrate the brand’s software and integrate both in-house and Qualcomm processors. The new MatePad is a model with higher aspirations than the more basic MatePad, and the Pro edition updates the 10.8-inch Huawei MatePad Pro, with a larger diagonal screen, more RAM, and a bigger battery.
Huawei MatePad 11 and MatePad Pro Datasheet
| Huawei MatePad 11 | Huawei MatePad Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | IPS 10.95 inches 2,560 × 1,600 px, 276 dpi, 120 Hz | OLED 12.60 inches 2,560 × 1,600 px, 240 dpi, 60 Hz |
| Processor | Snapdragon 865 | Kirin 9000E |
| RAM | 6 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 64 GB / 128 GB + microSD | 256 GB + microSD |
| Software | HarmonyOS | HarmonyOS |
| Front Camera | 8.0 MP, f/2.0 | 8.0 MP, f/2.0 |
| Rear Camera | 13 MP, LED flash, f/1.8, AF | 13 MP, LED flash, f/1.8, AF GA 8MP |
| Battery | 7,250 mAh, fast charge 22.5 W | 10,050 mAh, fast charge 40 W |
| Connectivity | 802.11 a/b/g/n/c/ax, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth 5.1 GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | 802.11 a /b/g/n/ac/ax, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth 5.2 GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS |
| Others | Support for M-Pencil, 3.5 mm minijack | Support for M-Pencil, 3.5 mm minijack |
| Dimensions and Weight | 253.8 x 165.3 x 7.25 mm 495 g | 286.5 x 184.7 x 6.70 mm 609 g |
| Price | €399 / €499 | €799 |
Thin bezels and high-resolution displays
The tablet screens will mark the dimensions, seeing in the MatePad Pro a 12.6-inch OLED screen in 16:10 format and with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. It is a screen that, according to the company, covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color space and achieves a brightness of 400 nits.
The MatePad 11 is smaller and lighter, although somewhat thicker, and its screen is a 10.95-inch IPS panel with the same resolution. Of course, although in this case there is no OLED technology, it is this tablet that reaches 120 hertz, while the Pro has a 600 Hz refresh rate.
In both cases, there are very thin bezels and a 3.5 mm mini-jack, as well as a similar design based on simplicity and sobriety. But it is on the back where we see another of the main differences: in the rear module of the MatePad 11, there is only one main camera, while in the Pro there is a main camera with a 13-megapixel sensor and a wide-angle 8-megapixel sensor, as well as a ToF sensor, a microphone, and an infrared sensor.
HarmonyOS from the hand of Kirin and Qualcomm
The MatePad 11 integrates Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865, one of the manufacturer’s 2020 high-end processors, while the Pro edition goes from the Kirin 990 of its predecessor to the Kirin 9000E, of 5 nanometers.
The RAM is 6 GB for the MatePad 11 and 8 GB for the MatePad Pro. Storage is what differentiates the two MatePad 11 variants, with 64 GB and 128 GB, while the MatePad Pro only has the 256 GB option, all three with the option to expand with microSD (up to 1 TB).
The novelty that stands out above all, however, is not in the hardware (without detracting from it, of course). As we also mentioned in the introduction, Huawei’s tablets are part of the first batch of devices with HarmonyOS from the manufacturer, although the brand promised that its recent ARM laptop would also support it and some TVs had already been seen at least in demos.
The operating system was officially presented two years ago and we have been seeing preliminary versions, appearing to be very similar to Android at least in its mobile version. As for these devices, some of the functions that we will see in these tablets are already known:
- New productivity-oriented interface: similar to what we saw in Apple’s iPadOS.
- Content preview of recent apps: to see which apps are open.
- Multi-screen split screen with a laptop.
- Extended projection: to use the tablet as an external monitor.
- Mirror projection: to mirror the screen on the tablet.
- You can share content from one device to another between a Windows laptop, as well as share the keyboard and mouse.
As for the new MatePad, the battery increases in the pro reaching 10,050 mAh, taking advantage of the screen being larger than that of its predecessor, also having 40 watts fast charging. The MatePad 11 is left with a 7,250 mAh battery with 22.5 watts fast charging.
Both models feature a front-facing camera and Bluetooth, though it’s 5.1 on the MatePad 11 and 5.2 on the Pro. And they come hand in hand with the new M-Pencil, with wireless charging, more accurate, a latency of 9 milliseconds, a transparent platinum-coated tip, and functions such as the automatic conversion of handwritten text to plain text or refining drawn geometric shapes.
Pricing and availability of the Huawei MatePad 11 and Huawei MatePad Pro
For now, we know that the two new Huawei tablets will be available in Germany from July 13, so perhaps this is similar or equivalent in the international market. For now, we indicate these prices already in euros:
- Huawei MatePad 11 (64 GB): €399
- Huawei MatePad 11 (128 GB): €499
- Huawei MatePad Pro: €799
For this market, there are launch offers that include either or both accessories (M-Pencil and keyboard case) as a gift. Huawei has also presented the Huawei Watch 3 and 3 Pro, the Huawei MateView monitors, and the Huawei FreeBuds 4 headphones.
