During its product launch event today, Huawei announced the new MatePad Pro, its latest tablet. The new tablet now runs the company"s HarmonyOS operating system.
The new MatePad Pro comes with a 12.6-inch AMOLED display, and Huawei touts a color accuracy of Delta E
With HarmonyOS, Huawei has designed a new home screen on the MatePad Pro, and it bears some resemblances to Apple"s iPadOS. Users can add widgets based on HarmonyOS" Service Widgets, giving them quick access to information with a customizable layout. Huawei says it hopes to add more of these widgets over time. The new MatePad Pro comes with improved multi-tasking, so you can open two instances of the same app side by side.
Huawei says the MatePad Pro can be used like a PC, with Bluetooth mouse support and the new keyboard cover, which now features a magnetic attachment mechanism and wireless charging capabilities. The keyboard now also has a full-size design, and you can use voice controls thanks to a new physical button for activating voice commands.
Continuing the theme of cross-device collaboration, the MatePad Pro can be used to answer calls from your phone, or just mirror your phone"s screen to the tablet. Perhaps more notably, though, you can mirror your PC"s screen to the MatePad Pro, letting you use the touch screen to make doodles or image edits. Otherwise, you can use the tablet to extend your computer"s screen.
Moving on to sound, the MatePad Pro is Huawei"s first tablet with eight speakers, promising "deep bass, sharp trebles" and overall detailed sound. It also has four microphones: three on the side of the frame and one on the back near the cameras, enabling 360-degree audio recordings at up to five meters away. The microphones also feature AI noise reduction algorithms to reduce microphone noise during calls.
The MatePad Pro also has three cameras on the back, including a 13MP main camera along with two other cameras. One of them is an ultra-wide-angle camera, and the other is a depth-sensing camera to enable AR experiences.
In terms of performance, Huawei is using the Kirin 9000E chipset inside the tablet, and it supports Wi-Fi 6 with speeds up to 1.8Gbps, with an antenna setup designed to get the best signal from any position. For battery life, Huawei says the 10,050mAh battery can last 14 hours on a charge.
Huawei also introduced the M-Pencil, its new smart pen for the MatePad Pro, with a new transparent tip that lets you see the inner workings of the hardware. The new stylus has some features like the ability to switch between a brush and an eraser by double-tapping the side of the pen. There are smart handwriting features, like converting hand-drawn tables and charts to more professional-looking ones.
The Huawei MatePad Pro will be available in three colors, including Silver Frost, Matte Grey, and Olive Green. The Olive Green color option uses a vegan leather backplate with a grainy texture for added comfort. Preorders start today starting at ¥4,999 (roughly $782) for the Wi-Fi-only model with 128GB of storage. The M-Pencil will be available for ¥599 ($93.80), and the magnetic keyboard attachment for ¥799 ($125.12).