Huawei’s new affordable tablet has a great screen, but there’s still one big problem that keeps me from recommending it.
The MatePad 11.5″S appears to be good value at just £349/$399, with its screen a real highlight. As the name suggests, it is an 11.5-inch LCD panel, with a high resolution of 2800 x 1840 and a refresh rate that can automatically shift between 30 and 144 Hz .
However, it’s the screen coating that really helps the MatePad stand out from its competitors. Huawei calls it “PaperMatte” 2.0, but the significance here is that it’s matte rather than the usual glossy one.
The big advantage is the reflections, or lack thereof. According to Huawei, the surface reflectivity is less than 2%, and 99% of light interference is eliminated. Along with a peak brightness of 500 nits, this means you can comfortably use the MatePad in any environment, including direct sunlight.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
The sheltered environment of a demo room wasn’t the best environment to fully test this, but the visibility, detail and clarity were all excellent. And the bright, vibrant colors were just as good as their non-matte competitors, without the usual strain on your eyes.
Another advantage of the MatePad is the anti-fingerprint coating. It’s a real novelty to be able to use a tablet for several minutes without there being any visible stains on the screen.
It’s worth noting that Huawei isn’t the only company using matte displays on its tablets – TCL’s Nxtpaper is equally impressive – but I’m happy to see it coming at such an affordable price.
Huawei didn’t reveal which processor powers the MatePad 11.5″S, but it didn’t feel slow when I was swiping. And the 8,800 mAh battery is generous for a device of this size and price.
Its aluminum unibody design feels premium, but at 510g it’s still relatively light. However, you can combine it with a dedicated magnetic keyboard accessory, which offers 1.5mm key travel and a good angle range.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
It is also compatible with the third generation of Huawei’s M-Pencil, capable of detecting over 10,000 pressure levels.
The big problem
However, given all these good things, why do I think you shouldn’t buy it?
Unfortunately, it has much of the same HarmonyOS 4.0 software as the Pura 70 smartphones, which means you still don’t get any Google services, including the Play Store.
This means that all of Google’s apps, as well as popular third-party options like WhatsApp, Facebook, Netflix, and Disney+, are unavailable unless you want to find a way to download them via the web. Even then, they might not work properly.
Huawei’s US trade ban has been in effect since 2019 and there is no indication that it will be lifted in the near future. Until then, devices like the MatePad 11.5″S have very limited appeal in Europe, regardless of the quality of the hardware.
If you still want to buy it, sign up to the UK Store newsletter before June 3 to get a 10% early bird discount. Pre-orders will then go live on June 4, ahead of an on-sale date of June 18.
Do you prefer a device that we can recommend? Check out our roundup of the best Android tablets available right now.
