HUAWEI MatePad Pro 11 Unboxing and First Impressions

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro 11 is arriving in the Philippines soon and we are our hands-on experience with the upcoming tablet!

HUAWEI MatePad Pro 11 with Keyboard cover and M-Pen

Originally announced for the Philippines during the smart office launch APAC, the new HUAWEI MatePad Pro 11 is finally in for review.

To recap, the new tablet features an 11-inch OLED display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Inside is the Snapdragon 870 octa-core processor, Adreno 650 GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB of storage, and a large 8,300mAh battery with 66W SuperCharge (in PH we will only get the 40W version).

It is compatible with the M-Pen and a separate case with a keyboard case.

In the Philippines, we expect the tablet to be priced in the 40K range.

Let's dive in.

Unboxing/Accessories

White Packaging

The device arrived in the classic HUAWEI white packaging. Printed around the box are the HUAWEI branding, key features, specs and regulatory information.

Box inclusions

Inside the box are the tablet, the 66W wall charger, the SIM ejector tool, and the USB-C cable.

The retail version will come with documentation.

There are no included earphones.

Build Quality/Design

Back design

The tablet is made of a combination of a glass front panel, polycarbonate inner frame, and fiberglass (glass fiber reinforced plastic) back panel. The back panel has a rough textured finish that has gained popularity in recent years.

Impressive lightweight and slim design!

Printed on the back panel are the HUAWEI branding and regulatory information. The circular camera module has a gold trim that helps the camera stand out.

What is impressive is the lightweight and slim design of the tablet.

WQXGA Display

In front is the 120Hz 11-inch OLED display 2560 x 1600 with a 600 nits peak brightness, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming. It passed the TÜV Rheinland Full Care Display 3.0 Certification which means that performs well and will last a while.

Around the panel are super slim bezels which are visually eye-catching but can be a concern when holding the tablet with one hand where the user has to find a bezel to hold it properly.

Top and bottom

On top of the tablet is the volume rocker while at the bottom is the SIM tray.

The SIM tray can carry one nanoSIM or one nano Memory card. 

Left and right

On the left side are the power button and two sets of speaker grills while on the right side are two more sets of speaker grills and the USB-C port.

It also has over four microphones for improved noise cancellation and audio pick-up.

The tablet measures 160.38 x 249.23 x 5.9mm and weighs just 449 grams.

Selfie camera

On the top-left corner of the display is the front-facing 16MP f/2.2 selfie camera while at the back is the 13MP f/1.8 primary camera with AF and the 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with an LED flash.

M-Pencil

It is compatible with the latest version of the M-Pencil. The M-Pencil can magnetically stick to the side of the tablet where it automatically pairs the peripheral to it. This is how users can charge the battery of the M-Pencil too.

This keyboard is special

This even has a compatible Smart Magnetic Keyboard with Laptop Form, Split Form, and Studio Form. It also has a removable magnetic case where you can store the M-Pencil stylus.

By the way, HUAWEI claims that this case has an Enhanced Signal technology that can increase the WiFI signal of the device using its hidden floating antenna embedded at the back of the keyboard.

As of the moment

Handheld in Portrait orientation

If priced competitively with a FREE M-Pencil and Smart Magnetic Keyboard,  HUAWEI MatePad Pro 11 may be a good deal.

There are a ton of benefits like the stunning 120Hz OLED display with TÜV Rheinland certification. It also comes with 6 speakers and 4 microphones which should make it a competent audio experience. The body design is beautiful and sleek while being light weight.

Looking at the track record of HarmonyOS, we can expect the 8,300mAh battery to last a long time and with the 66W charger, it should charge fast too. It features the ever-reliable Snapdragon 870, but it has no 5G this time.

Its compatibility with the M-Pencil and Smart Magnetic Keyboard may also help you be more creative and productive on whatever you do with the tablet as well.

We will have to see how it performs in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for our full review!