When it comes to tablets, Huawei has a pretty messy history, and since they had to give up Google services, it seems they have become even more ambitious. Huawei MatePad 11 is the result of that ambition. 
For a moment, the tablets seemed to be less relevant. Phone screens got bigger and bigger, tablets didn't get much cheaper, and their niche seemed pretty obscure. That momentary reality has only made the giants in the field want to make memorable gadgets, useful in a wide variety of scenarios.
In 2021, you might have a generous screen phone, but if you want to watch a podcast while you cook, read a book in digital format, or play a Call of Duty, you might like a tablet to make your life easier and your experience more enjoyable. For these reasons and more, I thought that tablets would never die and I was the proud owner of one from 2010. There is no point in insisting that a tablet is the perfect partner for online school.
This is where the Huawei MatePad 11 comes into play, one of the most capable tablets launched recently. Available from July this year, it completes the break with Google with a perfect mix of functionality, performance and reliable solutions for accessing your favorite applications. It runs HarmonyOS 2.0 and comes bundled with a fair price. What more could you want?
Huawei MatePad 11 Review - Package and Hardware Specifications
The moment you read this material, there is a very good chance that you can buy the new MatePad 11 from Huawei together with a magnetic keyboard and a cover that is as durable as possible without any additional cost and with a considerable discount. Considering the final result, at about 2000 lei, you actually get a tablet that can work without problems as a laptop, but it also gives you access to most of your favorite Android applications. You can find the offer in question in the Huawei online store.
Huawei's new tablet is hidden in a plastic case with a metal frame, to increase its endurance. I tested the version with 8GB RAM and an internal memory of 128GB. In our stores, however, I see that there is the version with only 6GB RAM. Depending on the usage scenarios you have in mind, this detail may not matter too much, but it's worth considering. Beyond that, the storage space can be expanded with a microSD card up to 1TB.
Huawei MatePad 11 is only 485 grams and 7.3mm thick. The rest of the dimensions are 253.8 x 165.3. The types of finishes also include visual details. Theoretically, this gadget can be purchased in Matte Gray, Isle Blue and Olive Green. I had access to the first option, the dark gray one.
The actual screen has a diagonal of 10.95 inches, and if you have a sensitivity for thin frames, you will enjoy the ones incorporated here. They are small and unobtrusive, with a usable screen area of 86% on the front of the tablet. It is important to note and praise that the panel used here is a 120Hz IPS TFT LCD. The latter is an impressive value especially in games, but also in the experience of everyday use, the animations are smoother and the navigation, less tiring for the eyes. The native resolution is 2560 x 1600 pixels with 275ppi.
In terms of actual performance, this is provided by a Snapdragon 865 from Qualcomm with the following configuration - 1 x Cortex-A77 Based 2.84 GHz + 3 x Cortex-A77 Based 2.4 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 Based 1.8 GHz. The graphics chip or GPU in the SoC is an Adreno 650. Although I will detail below several aspects related to speed, it is important to note that this is one of the fastest mobile processors on the market and does great in Call of Duty, for example.
The capture part is provided by a 13MP main camera with F / 1.8, capable of photos with a resolution of up to 4160 x 3120 pixels and 4K filming. An LED flash is also present to illuminate darker scenes. The front camera has 8MP with F / 2.0 capable of 3264 x 2448 pixel photos and videos or video conferencing at Full HD 1080p resolution.
The battery hidden inside has 7250 mAh and can be charged with the help of the transformer in the box a speed of up to 10V and 2.25A. That means it reaches zero to 100% in about 2 hours. As for the usefulness of that battery, you can expect a full day of use without emotions, 12-14 hours, both streaming and internet browsing. It depends on what you want to do and the brightness of the screen in those moments, but you shouldn't worry.
In terms of connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 with LDAC HD Audio, so that the internet can move faster than ever, and your wireless headphones can be heard as well as possible. It has a USB Type-C port that you use to charge and transfer data, but an important detail is that you can use your tablet to charge a smartphone or other tablet with up to 1A and 5V.
Also included in the construction are four microphones and four speakers. The latter, according to official specifications, were calibrated together with sound engineers from Harman Kardon, a well-known brand in the audio industry. No matter who or what made them, they sound absolutely incredible. You will definitely forget that the sound comes from such a thin tablet. The feeling of space is unusual, it doesn't sound clogged at all and it fills a room with above average sound. It even has low frequencies that tickle your ear in a pleasant way.
Huawei MatePad 11 Review - Usage and Performance
From the moment you start the new Huawei tablet for the first time and follow the steps related to the initial configuration, you realize that we are talking about a state-of-the-art gadget. It moves very fast, and HarmonyOS 2.0, the pre-installed operating system, takes advantage of the gesture interaction in the most natural way possible.
In my opinion, whether you have an iPad or an Android smartphone, navigating the MatePad 11 will be so easy and intuitive that you will get the most out of everything the gadget has to offer a few minutes after the initial start-up. Because it has NFC, the interaction with other gadgets is also much simplified. You bring it closer to the keyboard case and you're asked if you want to approve the pairing. With the M-Pencil stylus, it also takes just a few seconds before you start taking notes like at school on the tablet screen with the "modern pencil".
The native interface is also friendly. You have a dock at the bottom with the most important applications and from there you can reach your favorite programs or you can relaunch from a fire the recently used applications. You have widgets with interactive content that are updated in real time, but also a screen on the left that reminds you of the news that Google serves you on a regular Android. This time, however, as far as I can tell, the most local news comes from Petal Search, Huawei's alternative to the most popular search engine in the world.
The applications, as before on a Huawei, are taken from the AppGallery. Suspiciously, when you access the giant's online store, you are greeted by an advertisement for a game or other software tool. A few seconds later, however, you come to an interface that will remind you of the Google Play Store.
As a synthetic raw performance test, I ran the latest version of 3DMark, and Huawei MatePad 11 scored 3812 points in Wild Life, averaging 22.8 frames per second. In the Wild Life Extreme, the score dropped to 1113 points and 6.7 frames per second. Beyond this technical detail, I installed Call of Duty and it behaved exemplary. It loaded quickly, and the actual gaming experience was a pleasant one.
Although I would not recommend taking a picture tablet, the two cameras built into the Huawei MatePad 11, on the front and back, manage to capture frames with natural colors, reproduced correctly, especially in natural light. As always, light is the most important thing. I wish there was a portrait mode to get a bit of a blur in the background, but instead you have a way to quickly scan documents without additional applications. All in all, in your next video conference with co-workers, you'll see yourself.
Huawei MatePad 11 review - the elephant in the room and conclusions
When you purchase a Huawei tablet or smartphone in 2021, you assume that you do not have access to Google services. That means you're learning to live without Google Maps, a native YouTube, Gmail or Google Search application. Instead, you have Huawei AppGallery, which has meanwhile become significantly busier in terms of offering.
Next, there are important absences, such as the applications of some of our big banks. ING or Revolut are two examples. On the other hand, you have applications for Banca Transilvania, Raiffeisen or BCR. In other words, major progress is being made and it is only a matter of time before you can access any bank accounts on a Huawei gadget.
I don't know if the absence of streaming giants like Netflix or HBO Go will be solved just as easily. For reference, if you search for Netflix in AppGallery, the first result is VLC for Android and Huawei Video. The latter is a free streaming Chinese service that is still in its infancy.
The good news is that Huawei extends your search to AppGallery and online to various third-party app stores, such as ApkPure, and makes it easy to install apps there. This is also possible through Petal Search, which I mentioned earlier. Thus, I was able to install Call of Duty, which is not available natively in the Huawei store. As a result, that system works.
In addition, every application you download from a third-party source is scanned before installation, so as not to jeopardize your device or sensitive data. Personally, I don't use so many dedicated applications in 2021, and Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, Microsoft Office or Pago can get to the main screen of your new tablet fairly quickly.
The rest are details, and my feeling is that Huawei is making fabulous investments to return to its former glory in software. On the hardware side, as confirmed by the new MatePad 11 tablet, there is nothing to blame.