Huawei MatePad Pro Unboxing and First Impressions
One of the most promising Android-powered tablets right now is the Huawei MatePad Pro and it has officially arrived in the country back in February.
Armed with a fresh design, powerful specs, and a competitive price tag of PHP 32,990, this device aims to be the more affordable Android alternative to Apple's iPad Pro in the productivity and multimedia tablet space.
While what we got is not the 5G edition of the said device, it still brings a breath of fresh air as high-end Android tablets are a dying breed even if there is still a market for it.
Is it for you? Read on!
If you are one of those who pre-ordered the device from April 15 to 24, you probably got freebies worth PHP 13,990 includes a Huawei Keyboard, M-Pencil, and Huawei Member Center Rewards.
The first we unboxed is the device itself. Apart from the tablet, you'll see 20W USB-C charger, USB-A to USB-C data/charging cable, SIM ejector tool, and USB-C to 3.5mm female dongle.
We just find it weird that our unit didn't arrive with a 40W power brick. Normally, those types of chargers are included on Huawei devices with 40W SuperCharge support. It would have been nicer if it has that power brick out of the box.
The next we unboxed is the M-Pencil. Huawei's M-Pencil is a stylus with a pressure sensing level of 4,096, Bluetooth, and wireless charging support. Huawei said that 30 seconds of charging will allow the pen to work for 10 minutes.
Apart from the M-Pencil, those who pre-ordered this device got the Huawei Keyboard.
The Huawei Keyboard acts as a protective cover and keyboard with NFC in one. You can also use it to enable the Multi-Screen Collaboration. It'll allow your tablet to access your Huawei phone with NFC.
All you need to do is by putting your phone on the right-side Shift button to enable the connection.
Design-wise, the tablet arrived with a Fiberglass material with matte-like finish in different colors. The frame is made out of polycarbonate material with nice curves and comfortable to hold finish. In the front, it comes with a large glass display.
There's no pre-installed screen protector and mention of glass protection on the screen. Like most tablets, there's no water resistance as well.
While the tablet feels premium and durable enough, it'll be better if you will put a case on it.
In terms of design, it sports a minimalist look at the back showing the protruding single camera with LED flash and microphone. In the middle, you'll find the Huawei logo and the Sound by Harman Kardon text.
The back panel also serves as a wireless charging pad when needed.
In front, this is the first tablet that we are reviewing with a punch-hole display. Inside the punch-hole is an 8MP shooter that you can use for selfies, video calls, and even face unlock.
Huawei opted for this design to allow the tablet and its users to enjoy a display with slim bezels. The bezels are thick if you will compare it to a phone, but when you put alongside other tablets such as the Galaxy Tab S6 and iPad Pro, the MatePadPro's bezels are noticeably slimmer.
The punch-hole design is not for everyone though. Personally, a pop-up cam would have been nicer to give the tablet a truly all-screen design. But still, this still gives more screen-to-body ratio for a more immersive viewing experience than most high-end tablets out there at 90 percent.
Even if the bezels are slimmer than your traditional tablets, Huawei still managed to prevent accidental touches.
The result? The tablet isn't too big even if it sports a pretty large 10.8-inch display at 246 x 159 mm. For a tablet with a 7,250mAh big battery, it is quite slim at 7.2 mm.
On landscape mode, you'll find the volume keys and the next four microphones on top. Below, there is a slot of the 4G LTE SIM and NM card.
On left, you'll find the power key and the first two speakers. On right, you'll see two more speakers along with the USB-C port. Sadly, there's no 3.5mm headphone slot anymore.
You'll need to use the USB-C to 3.5mm dongle to enjoy audio using your favorite wired headphones.
Since this is a tablet, the device is nearly half a kilo heavy at 460 grams.
 |
| Meet the MatePad Pro |
Armed with a fresh design, powerful specs, and a competitive price tag of PHP 32,990, this device aims to be the more affordable Android alternative to Apple's iPad Pro in the productivity and multimedia tablet space.
While what we got is not the 5G edition of the said device, it still brings a breath of fresh air as high-end Android tablets are a dying breed even if there is still a market for it.
Is it for you? Read on!
Unboxing/Accessories
 |
| MatePad Pro and M-Pencil boxes |
If you are one of those who pre-ordered the device from April 15 to 24, you probably got freebies worth PHP 13,990 includes a Huawei Keyboard, M-Pencil, and Huawei Member Center Rewards.
 |
| Inclusions inside |
The first we unboxed is the device itself. Apart from the tablet, you'll see 20W USB-C charger, USB-A to USB-C data/charging cable, SIM ejector tool, and USB-C to 3.5mm female dongle.
 |
| 20W charger only |
We just find it weird that our unit didn't arrive with a 40W power brick. Normally, those types of chargers are included on Huawei devices with 40W SuperCharge support. It would have been nicer if it has that power brick out of the box.
 |
| M-Pencil unboxed |
The next we unboxed is the M-Pencil. Huawei's M-Pencil is a stylus with a pressure sensing level of 4,096, Bluetooth, and wireless charging support. Huawei said that 30 seconds of charging will allow the pen to work for 10 minutes.
 |
| Huawei Keyboard for the MatePad Pro |
Apart from the M-Pencil, those who pre-ordered this device got the Huawei Keyboard.
 |
| The keyboard itself |
The Huawei Keyboard acts as a protective cover and keyboard with NFC in one. You can also use it to enable the Multi-Screen Collaboration. It'll allow your tablet to access your Huawei phone with NFC.
All you need to do is by putting your phone on the right-side Shift button to enable the connection.
Build Quality/Design
 |
| Fiberglass back |
Design-wise, the tablet arrived with a Fiberglass material with matte-like finish in different colors. The frame is made out of polycarbonate material with nice curves and comfortable to hold finish. In the front, it comes with a large glass display.
There's no pre-installed screen protector and mention of glass protection on the screen. Like most tablets, there's no water resistance as well.
While the tablet feels premium and durable enough, it'll be better if you will put a case on it.
 |
| Single SIM + NM card slot |
In terms of design, it sports a minimalist look at the back showing the protruding single camera with LED flash and microphone. In the middle, you'll find the Huawei logo and the Sound by Harman Kardon text.
The back panel also serves as a wireless charging pad when needed.
 |
| Yes, a tablet with a punch-hole for the front camera |
In front, this is the first tablet that we are reviewing with a punch-hole display. Inside the punch-hole is an 8MP shooter that you can use for selfies, video calls, and even face unlock.
A rare tablet with slim bezels and a punch-hole for the selfie camera
Huawei opted for this design to allow the tablet and its users to enjoy a display with slim bezels. The bezels are thick if you will compare it to a phone, but when you put alongside other tablets such as the Galaxy Tab S6 and iPad Pro, the MatePadPro's bezels are noticeably slimmer.
 |
| The punch-hole houses its 8MP front camera |
The punch-hole design is not for everyone though. Personally, a pop-up cam would have been nicer to give the tablet a truly all-screen design. But still, this still gives more screen-to-body ratio for a more immersive viewing experience than most high-end tablets out there at 90 percent.
Even if the bezels are slimmer than your traditional tablets, Huawei still managed to prevent accidental touches.
The result? The tablet isn't too big even if it sports a pretty large 10.8-inch display at 246 x 159 mm. For a tablet with a 7,250mAh big battery, it is quite slim at 7.2 mm.
 |
| You can wirelessly charge the M-Pen on top |
On landscape mode, you'll find the volume keys and the next four microphones on top. Below, there is a slot of the 4G LTE SIM and NM card.
 |
| Left |
 |
| Right |
On left, you'll find the power key and the first two speakers. On right, you'll see two more speakers along with the USB-C port. Sadly, there's no 3.5mm headphone slot anymore.
You'll need to use the USB-C to 3.5mm dongle to enjoy audio using your favorite wired headphones.
Since this is a tablet, the device is nearly half a kilo heavy at 460 grams.
Huawei MatePad Pro Specs
Display: 10.8-inch IPS screen w/ WQXGA 2560 x 1600 resolution at 280 ppi
CPU: 2.86GHz 7nm Kirin 990 octa-core processor w/ Dual NPU (Big-Core + Tiny-Core)
GPU: Mali-G76 MP16 w/ GPU Turbo (New-Gen)
RAM: 6GB LPDDR4X
ROM: 128GB expandable via NM card slot up to 256GB
Back Camera: 13MP f/1.8 w/ PDAF and LED flash
Selfie Camera: 8MP f/2.0
Battery: 7,250mAh w/ 40W SuperCharge + 15W Wireless Charge + 7.5W Reverse Wireless Charge
OS: Android 10 w/ EMUI 10.0.1
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 700MHz 4G LTE Cat 21, Bluetooth 5.1 LE, aptX HD, LDAC, OTG, NFC, GPS (L1 + L5 dual-band), A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo (E1 + E5a dual-band), QZZS (L1 + L5 dual-band)
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure
Others: Fingerprint sensor, 4x speakers, 5x microphones, Colors: Orange, White, Green, Gray
Dimensions: 246 x 159 x 7.2 mm
Weight: 460 g
Price: PHP 32,990
At PHP 32,990, it is one of the most affordable to sport the flagship-level and speedy 7nm Kirin 990 chipset, big 7,250mAh battery with wired SuperCharge/wireless charging capabilities, 4x Harman Kardon speakers, and punch-hole 10.8-inch IPS screen with WQXGA 2560 x 1600 resolution and DCI-P3 wide color gamut.
So far, it is keeping me entertained and productive in this quarantine season. I find it handy for watching my favorite dramas, listening to music, playing games, jotting down notes, and more.
Note: By default, the MatePad Pro loads with Huawei Mobile Services and AppGallery. You can use AppGallery instead of Google Play Store to download the essential apps for this tablet. You may read this article to learn more about AppGallery.
Watch: Huawei MatePad Pro is a must-see do-it-all tablet and its AppGallery top apps!
As of the moment
There's no denying the fact that this is one of the most capable Android tablets in town and it is considered as affordable for a tablet with high-end specifications. |
| It is as fast as the Mate 30 Pro |
At PHP 32,990, it is one of the most affordable to sport the flagship-level and speedy 7nm Kirin 990 chipset, big 7,250mAh battery with wired SuperCharge/wireless charging capabilities, 4x Harman Kardon speakers, and punch-hole 10.8-inch IPS screen with WQXGA 2560 x 1600 resolution and DCI-P3 wide color gamut.
So far, it is keeping me entertained and productive in this quarantine season. I find it handy for watching my favorite dramas, listening to music, playing games, jotting down notes, and more.
Note: By default, the MatePad Pro loads with Huawei Mobile Services and AppGallery. You can use AppGallery instead of Google Play Store to download the essential apps for this tablet. You may read this article to learn more about AppGallery.
Watch: Huawei MatePad Pro is a must-see do-it-all tablet and its AppGallery top apps!
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