The Huawei MatePad Pro 11 landed some time ago in my hands and from day one I understood that the best way to prepare this long review would be to make it my main study and work tool. So, after several days of forced coexistence, I’m finally ready to tell you everything about this branded tablet Huawei. Will it have satisfied my pretentious needs? Is the price justified? Let’s find out together in the full review!
Unboxing and features
As in any self-respecting review, before talking about the product, it is important to understand what you have in your hands. Here’s what’s hidden inside classic packaging from tablet accompanying Huawei MatePad Pro 11 :
- Huawei MatePad Pro 11
- Charger
- USB Type-C cable
- Fast guide
- Warranty certificate (depending on the market)
Much more engaging and interesting are undoubtedly the specifications of the Huawei MatePad Pro 11 that we will tell you about:
- Screen: 11-inch OLED, 1600 x 2560 pixel resolution and 274 PPI with 120Hz
- Processor: Snapdragon 870 (8 cores 3.19Ghz)
- RAM memory: 8GB
- Internal memory: 128GB
- Rear camera: 13MP (Up to 4208 × 3120 pixels for images and up to 3840 × 2160 pixels for videos) + 8MP (f/2.2 wide aperture, FF)
- Front camera: 16MP (Up to 4608×3456 pixels for images and up to 1920×1080 for videos)
- Battery: 8300mAh with support for 40W fast charging
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C 3.1
- Operating System: Harmony OS based on Android 12
- Others: Ambient light sensor Compass Gravity sensor Gyroscope Hall sensor M-Pencil holder (sold separately), 4 microphones 6 speakers.
- Dimensions: 160.38 x 249.23 x 5.9 mm with weight equal to 449 grams
After this long roundup, it’s time to get down to business, telling you about my experience with the Huawei MatePad Pro 11!
Eh but there are no Google services!
Real, there are no Google services! The Google-Huawei affair is very complex, it has been going on for years and we have already told you about it extensively. Certainly this is not the place to address it. Let’s stay practical, because one of the first brakes that a user could have in purchasing this Huawei MatePad Pro 11 is certainly the one concerning Google services.
For this reason I have chosen to start the review of the Huawei MatePad Pro 11 like this. Trying to explain to you why this, despite being a problem, it’s not that bad as one usually thinks. Given that there are ways (not so simple and within everyone’s reach) to install all Google services on these devices as well, we will not take them into account in this review. This is because I want to tell you about a stock and non-custom experience so that you can better choose what to do.
For starters I want to introduce you AppGallery and that is what Huawei offers us to remedy the great gap that has been created with Google. AppGallery is in my opinion a brilliant app. A sort of proprietary PlayStore that will allow you to get around most of the limits imposed by not having the Google PlayStore. To begin with, however, the Huawei MatePad Pro 11 is based on android, a free and free operating system that you will obviously know. This means that it is always possible to manually install any type of APK file (trivially apps).
Huawei then thought of collaborate with developers to enrich your official store. The most popular apps are easily downloadable and installable just like on the Google store. But, let’s say you’re looking for a particular app that isn’t officially listed in the AppGallery. This is where it comes into play Petal Search, Huawei’s search engine invented in 2020 and continuously developing. On the official store, in addition to the recommended results, you will find yourself in front of it also “external” results precisely produced by the search engine. By pressing one of them, you will leave the official store and you will be taken to the site of for example “ApkPure” (well-known site where apks are inserted) and you will be able to download the app on your Huawei MatePad Pro 11 on your own.
Obviously there is a whole safety issue to deal with. Because outside the glass dome of the AppGallery there is a jungle, but in any case, with a minimum of head it can be found in a simple and banal way virtually any content you are looking for. I loved this possibility that saves time compared to a trivial internet search.
But let’s get to the Achilles heel of not having GApps. For example, if you wanted to access Google Docs, then it would be impossible for you to install the app. Here, however, another Huawei tool called comes in handy Quick App Center which in simple terms opens the Google Doc browser link. In short, the alternative is almost always there. Although of course you have to give up all the apps that have integrated Google services. In daily use of my Huawei MatePad Pro 11 I have not suffered as much as this small Achilles heel that Huawei currently has might seem. This is certainly thanks to the enormous efforts that the company is making to become totally autonomous.
A really great tablet!
After the roundup of information about Google services, the time has finally come to talk about the daily use of this Huawei MatePad Pro 11. Let’s start by telling you about my first reaction when turning on the device: the “wow” factor caused by the screen beauty it is indescribable. Sharp, bright and bright colors, a resolution that, although not 4K but WQXGA, is truly excellent. Not counting the 120Hz that are felt at every interaction, making everything fluid and pleasing to the eye.
But why buy this tablet? For starters, as I mentioned to you in the introduction, Huawei has attempted to aim for a multiple target ranging from students to workers. Personally, as a student, I’m used to it quite well, having been a user of a Surface for years, the 2 in 1 par excellence. This Huawei however, has some advantages which I would pay gold to see on my Surface too.
Beyond the excellent screen, we certainly have first a really fantastic lightness. If you are a student, carrying around a Huawei MatePad Pro 11 will be a great pleasure. A featherweight that will make the difference. Without counting autonomy from tablet that can also reach 11 hours (and in the University the sockets are almost a miracle in some classrooms). What didn’t convince me, however, is the Huawei app dedicated to notes. Having also tested the Huawei pen (which we will talk about later) and knowing the incredible limitations of OneNote on Android devices, I wanted to try my hand at taking notes on what the device has to offer in stock.
The “Notes” app pre-installed on the Huawei MatePad Pro 11 is promising but has some significant weaknesses. In the first place there is no option to set a single infinite sheet like in OneNote. Secondly, the dark theme is not well implemented at all. Then there is an all too basic choice of tools. However, the design is clean and very noticeable. There is definitely work to be done though. If you want to make the device attractive to students, you need a system that guarantees as many job options as possible.
The multimedia sector is instead excellent. There was no shortage of Netflix evenings or dead moments on YouTube which were made even more engaging by a really well studied and created sound. Here too, compared to my Surface, the audio quality of the Huawei MatePad Pro 11 is really excellent. For reading lovers, there is also a really interesting option that I definitely recommend activating under certain conditions: I’m talking about “Ebook mode” which does just what it’s named after. Adjust brightness and tone, so as to make reading easier and tire your eyes as little as possible. Although it obviously doesn’t reach the tone of a Kindle, it’s perfect for reading articles or engaging in school research.
Although we have a long range available, sooner or later the moment of charging arrives. With a charger capable of maximizing the potential of the product (not included in the package) a super charge can take about 1:45 hours from 11% of remaining autonomy.
Almost essential accessories
Now let’s talk about the accessories of the Huawei MatePad Pro 11 that I had the pleasure of testing. We especially have the magnetic cover with lots of keyboard Built-in Bluetooth and the pencil. Let’s start right from the pen. The grip is good and the tip is replaceable. It is a product with a thousand functions that go beyond simple writing. With a 4096 level sensitivity, touch controls, and feel like a real pen is a student’s dream. If we then add that unlike my Surface Pen, this one comes recharged by attaching it magnetically to the tablet, you can only imagine the convenience! 30 seconds of charging equals about 10 minutes of writing, for a total of about 10 hours of writing on a full charge. Considering that no one will write for 10 hours in a row, I’d say that the company hit the spot!
As far as I’m concerned, there are only two major flaws in this tool for the Huawei MatePad Pro 11 and ironically they are related to each other. The first is given precisely by touch controls. I find super uncomfortable having to press down on the pen to change for example from pen to eraser. It is more the time lost in finding the right point than the time it takes to do it manually from the app on the Huawei MatePad Pro 11. The second criticality goes hand in hand with the first: it would have been much better to emulate the system studied by Microsoft to erase . And that is to use the back of the pen as an eraser. A pity that it was not designed for this instrument!
Now let’s talk about the magnetic cover of this Huawei MatePad Pro 11. I’ve always had huge doubts on magnetic covers and this test practically confirmed them all. The backcover is precisely interlocking magnetic and also features an adjustable stand to tilt the device. Then there is the keyboard that attaches (always magnetically) to the backcover. Being a Bluetooth keyboard it can be used both keeping it attached to the backcover and detached. The only problem with using it attached is that you cannot adjust the angle of the tablet but you can only count on a single slope which in most positions is uncomfortable.
That said, the keyboard is small but very functional and once you get used to it, it will always come in handy when writing short or long texts. There are hotkeys and in emergency situations I was able to correct numerous drafts using my Huawei MatePad Pro 11 and without using a PC. Speaking instead of the angles made available by the backcover, if like me you are spoiled by the stand of the surface, then unfortunately from the very first moment you will begin to suffer from its absence. I’ll reiterate as usual that even today I haven’t found a system as comfortable as the stand on the back of the surface that allows you to adjust it to practically any angle. However, this backcover also has several inclinations, all very solid and well thought out.
However, there is a problem and that is as I said initially that this cover is magnetic. Holding it the wrong way takes a moment for it to slip off and you risk breaking the tablet. Absolutely unsafe as far as I’m concerned!
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