Huawei MatePad, analysis: A tablet that stands up to the iPad

The Chinese company Huawei continues with its foot on the accelerator in order to keep its launch calendar impassive. Recently it was the turn of the Huawei MatePad, one of the firm's "star" products and which has continued to be renewed in order to continue maintaining the good reputation that precedes it.

On this occasion, Huawei has wanted to emphasize the student sector and the range of access to this product, which due to its characteristics points quite high. Discover with us the new Huawei MatePad, what are its characteristics and the tests that we have carried out to tell you everything.

As is often the case in our in-depth reviews, this time we have also included a new video in which you can see the complete unboxing of the new MatePad in its standard edition, as well as our extensive tests where you can take a look at its performance. I recommend that you go through our YouTube channel, subscribe and of course leave us a like if you liked the video. Now let's continue with the in-depth review.

Materials and design

Let's start with the design. In this case, Huawei has opted for a 10,4-inch product that stands out mainly for how small its front frames are, something that I really liked a lot. In front we have the camera for video conferencing, while in the back we have a single sensor protruding from the chassis.

• Size: 245 x 154 x 7,3 mm
• Weight: 450 grams

We have accessed the Midnight Gray color version, with aluminum on the back and a peculiar result when it comes to avoiding footprints. In terms of materials, it seems like a real success. In this regard, I have found myself comfortable with daily use and handling, yes, we have to remember that we find an ultra-panoramic format that can become strange for those who are used to somewhat more "square" tablets.

Technical characteristics

On a technical level, this product leaves practically nothing behind, We highlight its 4GB of RAM memory in the tested unit, as well as the more than ratified processor of its own manufacture by Huawei. These are all the details:

• Processor: Kirin 810
• Conference proceedings RAM: 4 GB
• Storage: 64 GB with microSD expansion up to 512 GB
• Display: 10,4-inch IPS LCD panel at 2K resolution (2000 x 1200)
• Frontal camera: 8MP Wide Angle with FHD recording
• Rear camera: 8MP with FHD recording and LED flash
• Battery: 7.250 mAh with 10W load
• Connectivity: 4G LTE, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C OTG, GPS
• Sound: Four stereo speakers and four microphones

Undoubtedly in the technical section we are going to miss few things in this tablet that seems to be prepared for a good dose of work and development. Without a doubt it becomes a good everyday companion thanks to its hardware. It is clear that when playing video games we are not going to find high-end results, but as you have seen in the test video we have enough. For his part the rest of the applications dedicated to consuming multimedia and office automation content have performed correctly.

Compatibility with own accessories

We highlight in this case that although we have not been able to test them beyond the small pre-breafing of months ago, this MatePad is fully compatible with the Huawei M-Pencil that will allow us to draw and write with considerable quality.

For its part, it is also desirable to use accessories such as its own cover / keyboard, which although it does not have a trackpad system, will help us perform better office automation tasks and of course work with the tablet. This case fits you with a glove and the key travel has shown itself to be sufficient in our tests.

Multimedia experience

One of the key points of this type of product is precisely that of consuming multimedia content, and that is usually quite clear to Huawei. We have a 10,4-inch panel in ultra-wide format. This is how we have a panel IPS LCD at 2K resolution (2000 x 1200) that is capable of offering 470 nits of brightness. The result has been good in almost every aspect. The Chinese firm usually adjusts its panels well and the case of the MatePad is no exception, we really liked this section.

While the brightness of 470 nits may not seem surprising, it is more than enough to deliver multimedia content in harsh environments such as bright sunlight. We also highlight the sound with its four speakers, it sounds strong, the bass and the mids stand out and the experience with movies and YouTube videos is quite favorable. We do not have a 3,5mm Jack port, but Huawei includes a USB-C to 3,5mm Jack adapter in the box for the most classic ones. Even so, the experience of multimedia consumption is round, it seems to me without a doubt its most remarkable point.

General usage experience

As has happened on other occasions, we again have the "problem" of the absence of Google Apps, something that especially penalizes the tablet considering its sense of productivity (Google Drive… etc) and of consuming content (Netflix, YouTube…). If you follow us you will know that Huawei has little fault in this section, where the political veto of Donald Trump (USA) is still in force.

However, it is still possible and easy to take the necessary steps to make it a fully compatible product with Google Apps. For its part, the Huawei App Gallery continues to grow, although it does not fully satisfy our needs. This being the section that most ends up clouding an experience that with the exception of this section was still good. Regarding autonomy we have found an experience close to 9 hours of screen, Depending on the content we consume and the "cane" that we give to the processor. We must never forget that we lack fast charging, the 10W of the charger will take us more than two hours to charge.

Editor's opinion

We are facing a product that currently It is not for sale in Spain, its sister the MatePad Pro, but the main attraction of this MatePad is the price, which has been officially established at 279 euros, very competitive taking into account all its characteristics and the fact that in certain points of sale it will be at lower prices even with certain offers. Without a doubt, the Huawei MatePad stands up to the competition offering features that are difficult to match.