Apple may have been busy announcing new iPads and Google its latest Pixel device, but Chinese manufacturer Huawei wasn’t about to be left out with new MatePad and MateBook devices. It has not only announced a new smartwatch that looks remarkably familiar – cough, Apple Watch, cough – but there are some interesting developments on the company’s laptop and tablet fronts too.
The Huawei MateBook X Pro laptop and the Huawei MatePad 11.5 S have both got their own reasons to be talked about – and the right reasons too. I saw both in London ahead of their global release in Dubai and this is what they look like, what they feel like, and what’s exciting about them.
Look ma, it’s matte
Following on from the company’s MatePad 11.5-inch PaperMatte tablet, Huawei has revealed the MatePad 11.5 S that is the first device to feature the company’s new-generation PaperMatte Display. Bringing the surface reflectivity down to under 2 per cent and eliminating 99 per cent of light interference, it’s a really lovely device based on my first impressions, and a nice change from the norm when it comes to tablets.
At just 6.2mm thick, it’s slimmer than the iPad Pro (6th generation) and it’s lighter too at 510g. But wait! Apple announced (on the same day as Huawei), the iPad Pro (M4) which is 5.1mm thick and also has the nano-texture glass option for reduced reflectivity.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
If you want a matte screen within a premium design however, Huawei’s MatePad 11.5 S is bringing the goods. There’s an aluminium unibody design, a large single camera lens sits in the corner of the rear, and there are uniform bezels around the display.
The 11.5-inch screen has a resolution of 2800 x 1840 pixels that offers a 291ppi – again slightly bettering the iPad Pro (6th generation) and other iPad models that all have a 264ppi, and there’s a 500nits brightness and up to a 144Hz refresh rate.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
It looks good, it feels great when you pick it up and there’s plenty of technology below the matte surface too. It does a lot more than a Kindle, but if I said to you the Kindle and the Apple iPad had a love child, this is what I would expect to be the result, with the iPad’s genes coming through a little stronger than the Kindle.
A really light laptop
The MatePad 11.5 S tablet is probably one of my highlights from the Huawei announcements, but it wouldn’t feel right not to mention the MateBook X Pro. Where Apple ditched its iconic wedge shape on the MacBook Air in 2022, Huawei has decided that design is one worth hanging onto.
What makes the MateBook X Pro interesting however, isn’t the aluminium body or the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor under the hood, it’s the weight. So much so that when I picked it up, I was pleasantly surprised. Shocked would be a little dramatic but I did nearly drop it as I picked it up with a lot more force than it needed.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
The MateBook X Pro weighs under 1kg – it’s 980g if you’re being precise – which although still sounds like a lot, it really isn’t for a laptop. The aluminium body is 13.5mm thick at one edge and just 4mm slim at the other and Huawei made a point about mentioning it is lighter than the MacBook Air 13-inch with its plug – and I consider that laptop to be lovely and light so this one is a delight.
The flexible OLED screen is responsible for reducing more than 50 per cent of the weight, and while it may struggle to match the Apple MacBook’s Air excellent battery life, there’s a promise up to 11 hours here which is a solid claim.
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When I picked it up, I was pleasantly surprised. Shocked would be a little dramatic, but I did nearly drop it as I picked it up with a lot more force than it needed.
On the laptop front, Huawei also announced the MateBook 14, which although isn’t as light at 1.31kg, it does come in green, has keyboard that sits flush to the body – which looks great in the flesh – and it offers a 10 point touchscreen with M-Pen support.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
How much will the MatePad 11.5 S and Huawei MateBook X Pro cost and when will they be available?
The Huawei MatePad 11.5 S will cost £349.99 without any accessories. Like the iPad Pro, there is a keyboard and M-Pen sold separately to enhance the experience and increase that price. It will go on sale on 18 June, with pre-orders from 4 June.
The Huawei MateBook X Pro will cost £2,099.99, which will include 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage. Like the MatePad 11.5 S, it will be available to pre-order from 4 June, with availability from 18 June. The MateBook 14 (the green one) will also have the same pre-order and on sale dates, but it will cost £1,199.99 with 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage.
