Besides launching the Huawei MateBook 16s and D 16 for the region, Huawei also introduced its new MatePad Pro 11″ for 2022. This is their all-new “compact” flagship tablet which replaces the previous LCD-based MatePad Pro 10.8″ that was released in Malaysia in 2020.
The biggest upgrade for the new MatePad Pro 11″ is the display which now features an 11″ OLED screen that offers a 120Hz refresh rate for a fluid visual performance. It has the same resolution of 2560×1600 pixels as before but it now boasts a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 1.07 billion colours with a P3 colour gamut.
According to Huawei, this is currently their lightest and thinnest 11″ premium tablet measuring 5.9mm in thickness and it weighs 449g. As a comparison, the 11″ Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 which uses an LTPS TFT display is 6.3mm thick and it weighs 503g. At the moment, the MatePad Pro 11″ that’s coming to Malaysia is only offered in a single Golden Black colour option and it is a WiFi only device which supports 802.11ax WiFi 6.
Under the hood, it runs on either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor or a Snapdragon 870 unit. There’s no mention of the RAM but the device comes in either 128GB or 256GB of storage. In case you need to take pictures, the rear gets a dual-camera setup consisting of a 13MP main camera and an 8MP wide-angle shooter.
Upfront, the MatePad Pro 11″ gets a 16MP HD camera housed in a punch-hole on the top left corner of the screen. There’s also a FollowCam feature which sounds a lot like Apple’s Centre Stage. The feature automatically zooms in and out to keep you in the centre of the frame during a video call.
Just like its predecessor, the MatePad Pro 11″ comes with a host of accessories for a more productive “laptop” setup. There’s the Huawei Smart Magnetic Keyboard with 15mm key caps that offers 1.5mm key travel, and it can be adjusted at various angles. The rear also gets a M-Pen holder to keep your stylus securely.
The new MatePad Pro uses a “newer” 2nd gen M-Pencil that still supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and it can be charged wirelessly by attaching it to the top frame of the tablet. Huawei claims you can get 10 minutes of writing with a quick 30-second charge, and up to 10 straight hours of writing when it is fully charged in an hour.
Interestingly, the new tablet no longer feature Harman-Kardon tuned speakers. The new MatePad Pro 11 is the brand’s first tablet with Huawei Sound and it comes with a total of 6 speakers which are said to be fine-tuned to extract as much detail from your music with clear high and low frequency division.
Powering the device is a 8,300mAh battery which supports 66W SuperCharge via USB-C. On a full charge, the tablet can last up to 11.5 hours of continuous local video playback. For the Snapdragon 870 version, it supports a lower 40W SuperCharge which is still pretty decent for a tablet. As indicated on their spec sheet, the SuperCharge power adapter and cable are sold separately.
If you’re looking for an Android tablet with Google Mobile Services and access to the Google Play Store, this isn’t the tablet for you. The new tablet runs on Huawei’s new HarmonyOS 3 and you’ll have to discover and download apps on Huawei’s AppGallery. While there are workarounds, it isn’t recommended to sideload applications outside the official app stores as it is a security risk to install apps from unknown sources.
Like most new Huawei device, it also has the Super Device feature which allows you connect to other Huawei compatible devices for a seamless multi-screen collaboration experience. This includes using the tablet as a secondary monitor for your MateBook laptop, seamless drag and drop as well as answering calls and messages from your smartphone.
So far there’s no local pricing yet but it should be going on sale in Malaysia pretty soon. The previous MatePad Pro 11″ was priced at RM2,998 with the keyboard and stylus combo. Meanwhile, the larger MatePad Pro 12.6 released last year was priced at RM3,999.
