HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition (2024) hands-on preview

Living in the United States, to be honest, I haven’t paid much attention to Huawei since then. US trade ban Back in 2019, I relied heavily on Google services, so without access to the Google Play Store or all the usual Google apps, it wasn’t worth trying to import one, even though I know Huawei’s hardware has always been excellent. However, let me take a look at the 2024 HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition. Upon opening the box, I was immediately reminded why I love Huawei so much, and why it’s such a shame that these devices don’t come with all software support and support within the United States. android tablet This level is worth it.

It wasn’t until I opened the package and got the HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte version that I remembered how much I missed HUAWEI. This thing is so gorgeous! The front has a simple appearance with narrow bezels. This is normal. Flip it over, though, and you’re struck by the “filigree design.” It’s by far the most elegant and sophisticated tablet I’ve ever seen.

Huawei didn’t get the texture of the metal back panel wrong either. It does feel “silky” and comfortable to the touch. Surprisingly, the manufacturer managed to achieve this smooth texture without making it too slippery.

Looks aside, the build of the HUAWEI MatePad Pro (2024) PaperMatte Edition feels very good. Although the weight of 508 grams is not heavy, it feels like a healthy weight, but it is not too heavy either; the weight gives a hint of quality. It’s also very thin, only 5.5mm. The weight is very balanced and you won’t feel tired even if you use it for one to two hours at a time.

I don’t want to sound like I’m giving this tablet too much praise, but it deserves it, at least in terms of hardware. Once you open the HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition, you’ll notice how superior this stunning display is compared to most tablets in its price range.

This tablet has an impressive 12.2-inch OLED panel. It has a crisp resolution of 2,800 x 1,840, equivalent to a pixel density of 275ppi. Top competitors in this segment include 2024 iPad Pro and Galaxy Tab S10 series, both of which have a ppi range of around 260.

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition also beats all tablets with a 144Hz refresh rate. Most major competitors top out at 120Hz refresh rates. The colors are vibrant, the blacks are deep, and the overall viewing experience is great. It’s also a very bright display, with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. It’s not good enough for comfortable reading in the Southern California sunshine, but its readability is decent, which is better than what I’ve rated for most other tablets.

The monitor’s PaperMatte finish also reduces reflections and adds a really lovely papery texture to the screen surface. If I had to complain about anything, it’s that the matte finish makes it a bit of a fingerprint magnet. As you can see in the photo above, the smudge is really noticeable. Not only that, but cleaning them is extremely difficult! It’s a bit annoying to have to keep cleaning your monitor if you don’t want it to feel dirty. For those looking to save money, there’s a lower-end, non-PaperMatte version, priced at £699 in the UK.

The sound is great too!

Another thing you will notice when you open the HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte version is that it makes a noise when starting up. Huawei seems to have gone out of its way to make this a showcase of what the tablet speakers are capable of, and I was immediately impressed with the volume and sound quality.

Of course, the first thing I tried after hearing the speech was to play the video on YouTube (unfortunately, using a browser, not an app). I turned the volume up to maximum and listened again, this time to real music. I’m used to the terrible sound from most tablet speakers, but the HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition takes the sound to another level. The bass is actually very noticeable and has surround-sound-like depth. I think it’s almost as loud as my MacBook Air M2, and probably beats it in sound quality.

Likewise, the HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition (2024) is a high-end device in the UK, priced at a whopping £799 (about $1,013), although that’s still less than the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and iPad Pro series. You can expect a great experience throughout (except for one area we will hit). The Kirin 9000S and 12GB of RAM performed well in terms of day-to-day performance, and I didn’t encounter any issues no matter how hard I pushed the tablet.

It also has a large 10,100mAh battery. In my experience, I get about two to three days of mixed use before I have to find a charger. It can also charge quickly at 100W, which is impressive for a tablet. I was never able to hit those speeds, though, because I couldn’t use the included charger due to US compatibility.

Comes with M-Pencil (3rd generation) and Huawei Gliding Type Cover, but typically the M-Pencil is sold separately unless you can get it through a sale. The accessories connect seamlessly to the tablet, which can detect them when in close proximity. I did have trouble getting the M-Pencil 3 to connect once, which was annoying, but after putting it in the slot, taking it out, and trying to use it for a few minutes, it started working again. The M-Pencil dock in the keyboard is very useful as it means you never lose your pencil and it’s always within reach when you’re setting up the tablet. The trackpad supports gestures, making it intuitive to use.

Given that we’re talking about a case, the keyboard’s feedback and travel are very good. I also like how it unfolds and allows you to set up the rear stand by simply lifting the tablet, much like you would a laptop screen. It has some resistance and has magnets in different locations so you can easily adjust it to your preferred angle. My only complaint about this keyboard cover is that it’s made of soft white material. It gets dirty quickly!

M-Pencil 3 has over 10,000 levels of pressure, supports hover, and you can even double-tap it to switch between the brush and eraser tools. I don’t consider myself an artist, but I’ve used it and it works fine with no detectable lag. I love using it to sign documents, take notes, and navigate the user interface. It’s great to use when I want to keep smudges to a minimum, and the subtle vibrations on the OLED PaperMatte display feel almost like writing on real paper.

Unfortunately, once you really start getting the hang of non-Huawei apps and Harmony OS 4.0, things get less intuitive. This is mainly because we are used to the Google Play Store, Google Apps, and a simplified UI. First, you’ll be greeted by a bunch of unknown apps you may not have heard of. Also, don’t go looking for Photos, Gmail, Drive, or any of the Google apps you already know and love, because they don’t exist.

Thankfully, Huawei offers similar apps, and they’re actually pretty good. After a while, they started to take an interest in me. Especially tools like GoPaint and M-Pen Zone, which make it easy to get the most out of the included stylus. Other common apps like Videos, Music, and Books follow a very clean design, with tabs on the left and tiled content covering most of the screen.

AppGallery is fine for most commonly used apps, as long as they’re not Google apps. If AppGallery doesn’t have the app you’re looking for, it’s easy to sideload the app, and the AppGallery search feature will actually include third-party APK sources in its results. Sometimes, though, Huawei does throw you some very annoying ads, and they often take up the entire screen.

Still, this is an Android device. As with all things Android, where there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s possible to run most Google apps on this tablet, and I did. It requires some tinkering and hoops to jump through, but you can use the Google app. But it’s not perfect. Some Google apps still don’t work, such as Chrome. I also experienced some game installation failures.

We won’t walk you through the steps to implement the Play Store on this device, as we don’t recommend this for most casual users. It can even be dangerous depending on what you install on your device and where you got it from. Just know it’s possible; proceed only if you know what you’re doing. Google is your friend.

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition (2024) is absolutely amazing, and it’s the first Android tablet I’ve really been excited about in a long time. Design and build quality find the perfect balance, providing an unrivaled elegance. Performance is great. The screen and speakers are stunning. The workmanship of the keyboard case and M-Pencil 3 stylus is very exquisite. Although there are obvious shortcomings, Huawei still pays great attention to the experience.

Huawei seems to have done everything right with this tablet, and I’d say it has everything it needs to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple. Still, the lack of Google support plagued it, and sadly, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, at least for most users.

Google services have become an integral part of the Android experience, and we’re in a weird situation: You get more official Google support and apps from an iPad than from a Huawei Android tablet. While you can find ways to get the Google Play Store and other apps on Huawei devices, the experience isn’t that intuitive and has some quirks. Huawei seems to be planning to ditch Android entirely Hongmeng OS next stepbut now its software is stuck between the past and the future.

I found myself in a difficult situation. If it had access to Google services, the HUAWEI MatePad Pro PaperMatte Edition would undoubtedly be my favorite tablet. Don’t hesitate; this one is worth it. With a gorgeous display, impressive sound, and great performance, it’s perfect for media consumption and gaming. It could also be a great companion for a digital nomad looking to replace their laptop, mainly because of the excellent keyboard case and stylus.