Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 Review: Huge but Hampered OLED Tablet

Value When Reviewed

Value TBC

It’s important to hand Huawei credit score for persistence. Regardless of being hobbled by extreme software program and part restrictions right here within the West, the Chinese language firm continues to plug away with contemporary {hardware} releases.

While you see what’s on provide within the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2, you may type of perceive why. This can be a glossy, highly effective pill with an impressive super-sized show and a few sturdy equipment.

In fact, with launch pricing ranging from €999 (we’re nonetheless awaiting UK pricing, however £999 looks like an affordable guess), you’ll be paying a premium worth for such elevated {hardware}. This can be a high-end pill in an analogous mould to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus.

Huawei’s going to wish to nail all of the fundamentals as a naked minimal if it hopes to compete at this finish of the pill market.

Design & Construct

• Very massive however very skinny and lightweight
• Plastic body, glass fibre rear
• No fingerprint sensor

We’ve stated it earlier than and we’ll say it once more – as awkward as Huawei’s software program scenario is, the corporate is aware of the best way to make {hardware} that’s each compelling and distinctive.

The Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 is a large pill with a whopping nice 13.2-inch show, but it’s a mere 5.5mm thick and in some way solely weighs round 580g.

I say “in some way”, however it’s not an enormous thriller how this feat has been achieved. Whereas that is being marketed as a Professional pill, with most of the premium parts this entails, the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 is made primarily of plastic. The body is pure plastic, whereas the rear makes use of glass fibre with a nano-scale optical end to make it look metallic.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

It’s an attention-grabbing tradeoff. On the one hand, the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 doesn’t really feel as premium as an iPad Professional, a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, or perhaps a Lenovo Tab P12 Professional. On the opposite, it’s comparatively snug to carry for prolonged intervals, which not all of these rivals can declare.

It could be flawed to say that Huawei has cheaped out on design right here. The display screen bezel is sort of minimalistic for a pill, leading to a formidable 94% screen-to-body ratio. True, this could imply that your thumb or palm hangs over the show a bit of once you’re holding it, however it’s not an enormous situation.

The color choices embody Golden Black and Inexperienced. I used to be despatched the latter, and it’s extra of an icy mint than flat-out inexperienced as you may see.

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There’s no fingerprint sensor provision right here, however that’s excusable. Huawei is considered one of treasured few non-Apple pill producers to implement a correctly safe facial recognition system utilizing the front-facing digicam along with ToF depth sensors.

It really works even in poor lighting, well lighting up the large show the place mandatory.

M-Pencil & Good Magnetic Keyboard

• third gen M-Pencil
• 10,000 ranges of stress sensitivity
• Good Magnetic Keyboard is available in two elements

Huawei has produced its third era M-Pencil stylus (priced at €99) and a Good Magnetic Keyboard (€199) as a part of the broader MatePad Professional 13.2 ecosystem. The previous attaches to the highest fringe of the MatePad Professional 13.2 magnetically, the place it should additionally cost.

It affords a suitably sturdy writing and drawing expertise, with 10,000 ranges of stress sensitivity (up from the standard 4,096). This actually manifests itself when utilizing the pencil instrument within the preinstalled Notepad or Notes app, with a formidable quantity of nuance and variation doable relying on how onerous you press.

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The extent of resistance on this (replaceable) tip isn’t probably the most pleasingly tactile to my thoughts. I might have appreciated a bit of a bit of extra grippiness for one thing nearer to the pen-and-paper expertise. Huawei itself affords its PaperMatte gadgets if that’s a priority that you simply share.

Huawei’s Good Magnetic Keyboard is available in two elements – a snap-on rear cowl and kickstand for the rear of the MatePad, and a magnetic keyboard that connects to the pill wirelessly. This appears like a barely unwieldy strategy, however when secured it supplies a strong typing expertise.

The keyboard mimics a laptop-like chiclet format, comparable ranges of key journey and a correct clicky touchpad so it’s actually vying to be a laptop computer substitute. Huawei has applied an intuitive gesture-based navigation system into that touchpad, so that you gained’t have to work together instantly with the display screen except you want to.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

One annoyance I discovered was that the keyboard didn’t mechanically disconnect after I took it off, necessitating a tough disconnect through the Bluetooth toggle in order that I may restore the digital keyboard.

As is all the time the case with these pill keyboards, there’s an inherent lack of rigidity that’s extra flattop than laptop computer. You’ll want a desk or another flat floor for it to be viable as a productiveness instrument.

Speaking of which, your favoured productiveness app might not work too seamlessly with the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2, significantly should you use Google Docs. We’ll talk about that extra within the software program part later.

Display screen & Audio system

• 13.2in AMOLED
• 144Hz refresh fee
• Six audio system

The primary occasion right here is the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2’s ginormous 13.2in OLED show.

With a 2880 x 1920 decision (for 262ppi) and people punchy-but-not-too-punchy) OLED colors, this factor is a very sensible multimedia instrument. Solely one thing like the way in which costlier Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely and its ridiculous 14.6in panel is ready to outdo it.

Samsung’s uber-tablet can’t prime the MatePad Professional 13.2 show for fluidity although. An unusually excessive most refresh fee of 144Hz looks like overkill when 120Hz is greater than sufficient, however you gained’t catch me complaining.

Nor can Samsung’s pill maintain a candle to Huawei with regards to brightness, with the MatePad Professional 13.2 able to scaling peaks of 1,000 nits. I recorded it hitting 600 nits with auto-brightness switched off, which is excellent for a pill.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

It’s extraordinarily colour-accurate with a gamut protection of 99.5% sRGB in opposition to a gamut quantity of 103.3% utilizing the Regular color mode, and an excellent Delta E ranking of 0.74.

Watching video content material on this display screen is fabulous. Or a minimum of, it’s doubtlessly fabulous. In sensible phrases, discovering content material to stream can show extraordinarily awkward.

This touches extra on the software program shortcomings of the MatePad Professional 13.2 (and Huawei gadgets usually), however even once you handle to seek out a significant service like Netflix on a third-party app retailer, you’ll discover that it solely streams at an SD decision with no HDR.

In the event you can safe entry to sufficiently high-quality video materials, you’ll profit from very good sound output. Huawei has packed its super-sized pill with six audio system, producing spacious and crisp audio. It stays clear at surprisingly loud volumes, too.

Specs & Efficiency

• Kirin 9000S chip affords mid-range efficiency
• 12GB storage
• 256 or 512GB storage

The MatePad Professional 13.2 is powered by the identical home-brewed Kirin 9000S chip that powered the flagship Huawei Mate 60 Professional smartphone earlier within the yr.

It’s made utilizing a reasonably inefficient 7nm course of, however it’s actually a succesful chip. Mixed with a beneficiant 12GB of RAM, efficiency is fluid and hitch-free when leaping between apps and scrolling by means of menus. For the cash, nonetheless, you may count on extra.

Benchmark assessments level to a CPU efficiency degree comfortably past the Lenovo P12 Professional with its mid-range Snapdragon 870, however nicely wanting the equally priced Galaxy Tab S9 Plus with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. In GPU phrases it falls nicely wanting each tablets, suggesting that this isn’t a pill for avid players.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

In fact, given the continuing scenario with Huawei gadgets and app assist, leading to a definite lack of entry to the newest and biggest video games, that final level reasonably goes with out saying.

Even so, Huawei’s claims that the MatePad Professional 13.2 runs cool actually proved true in my expertise. I discovered that it was working at a cushty temperature even after working successive GPU benchmark assessments.

There’s loads of storage on faucet too, with a alternative of both 256- or 512GB fashions.

Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 benchmarks

Cameras

• 13Mp major digicam with AF
• 8Mp ultra-wide
• 16Mp selfie cam with dToF

It’s not value spending an excessive amount of time deliberating over the digicam set-up of a pill – particularly not an enormous 13.2in one. Suffice to say that the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 goes above and past with its provision.

You get two sensors round again, with a 13Mp f/1.8 major digicam assisted by an 8Mp ultrawide.

Within the few fast snaps I took with this set-up, the MatePad Professional 13.2 proved an sufficient performer. Satisfactory in pill phrases means ‘not completely unusable’ or ‘helpful in a pinch’ on the only a few events you’re caught with out your cellphone.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

As you’d count on, the primary sensor does significantly better with element, publicity and dynamic vary, however you’d count on that. All in all, Huawei’s photographic experience make sure that pictures are fairly vibrant and balanced, if a bit of processed-looking.

In all probability extra necessary on a pill is the entrance digicam. That’s particularly the case with the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2, because it’s the only technique of biometric authentication.

This implies you’re getting a 16Mp sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a dToF sensor. The latter judges 3D depth, that means it may well scan your face with precision for safe authentication. It additionally helps seize selfies with cheap readability, although you’ll wish to choose out of these terrible beautifying and peculiar mirror results.

Battery Life & Charging

• Twin 5050mAh cells for 10,100mAh capability
• Scores poorly on PCMark Work 3.0 take a look at
• Quick 88W charger bundled in

The Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 runs on twin 5050 mAh cells for a complete capability of 10,100mAh. Such chunky capacities are mandatory with these super-sized tablets, as they sometimes take a much bigger battery hit than their smaller or extra regular-sized brothers.

Standby time is superb, with only a few proportion factors misplaced when left inactive for about 18 hours. Nonetheless, I used to be significantly anxious for the MatePad Professional 13.2’s stamina given its provision of such a big, vibrant, and quick show, in addition to that comparatively inefficient 7nm processor.

Positive sufficient, sustained utilization will drain the battery quick. Within the PCMark Work 3.0 battery take a look at, which simulates a spread of normal utilization situations, the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 scored six hours and 45 minutes. That’s wanting different supersized tablets such because the Lenovo Tab P12 Professional and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Extremely.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

It ought to be famous that I used to be working the MatePad on the ‘Excessive’ 144Hz refresh fee setting, as is our wont. Sticking with the default Dynamic refresh fee – and even bumping issues all the way down to the Medium setting (which remains to be 120Hz) – will probably lengthen that battery life a bit of.

Even should you do favor to run the MatePad Professional 13.2 flat out, Huawei has compensated with an unusually beneficiant charging provision. It provides a formidable 88W charger within the field.

Utilizing this accent, I recorded the MatePad 13.2 as having the ability to get from empty to 63% in simply half-hour. A full cost will take a bit of over an hour. That’s excellent inside the rarified massive pill subject.

Software program & Apps

• Concord OS 4.0 fairly clear and fluid
• No Google Play Retailer or apps
• AppGallery and Petal Search as an alternative

I’ve referenced Huawei’s software program woes a number of occasions already, and that’s as a result of it permeates the entire MatePad Professional 13.2 expertise.

Huawei’s bespoke Concord OS 4.0 takes the naked bones of open supply Android and builds its personal customized OS on prime. That is out of necessity greater than alternative. Because of US sanctions, there’s no entry to Google’s providers right here.

That is about greater than only a few preinstalled apps. It implies that the MatePad Professional 13.2 can’t entry the Google Play Retailer, that means you need to supply your apps from Huawei’s personal severely restricted AppGallery, or from an entire host of third-party app shops through Huawei’s Petal Search instrument.

Huawei has made a lot of claims concerning the ease and security of sourcing apps on this manner, however there’s no escaping that it’s nicely under the usual of the common Android expertise discovered on rivals. It’s manner clunkier, with much more hoop-jumping concerned, and with out the identical seamless entry to updates.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

It’s additionally essentially much less safe. I’ve personally by no means encountered a safety situation when downloading apps on a Huawei machine, however the reality is that Huawei can’t vouch for the provenance of any app sourced from exterior the AppGallery. It merely performs the function of gatekeeper.

Even then, many widespread apps don’t play properly with Huawei gadgets. As talked about above, Netflix works, however solely with the naked minimal of streaming high quality.

Keep in mind, too, that the dearth of Google assist goes past mere app entry. It means no straightforward log-ins, no Google Pay funds on web sites, and inferior media casting choices to sensible gadgets.

Concord OS 4.0 itself is nice sufficient to make use of, and appears much less buggy than earlier iterations. It’s not as trendy or intuitive as inventory (or stock-ish) Android tablets just like the Pixel Pill, nor even Samsung’s. But it surely’s completely practical inside its severely restricted boundaries.

Huawei preinstalls an entire bunch of bloatware, although a variety of it makes a great deal extra sense when there’s no entry to Google’s superior alternate options (Petal Maps, Cloud, and Browser particularly). Nonetheless, I do surprise why there’s a necessity for 2 functionally overlapping note-taking apps.

Value & Availability

The Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 will launch in Europe on January 22, 2024.

Pricing will begin from will begin from €999 for the 256GB mannequin, whilst you’ll be capable to purchase the 512GB with a bundled keyboard for €1,199.

We haven’t obtained any phrase on UK availability or pricing on the time of writing, however we’ll you should definitely replace this evaluate simply as quickly as we hear extra. It’s more likely to be near a one-to-one conversion, simply because the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus prices €999/£999.

Take a look at our charts of the greatest tablets and greatest Android tablets to see what different choices you’ve.

Must you purchase the Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2?

The Huawei MatePad Professional 13.2 is a glossy super-sized pill with an outstanding 13.2in OLED show and nice sound output, aided by strong efficiency and a pair of sturdy non-obligatory equipment.

When it comes to {hardware}, there’s little to fault this package deal on. Sadly it’s the software program provision that, as ever, means you in all probability shouldn’t purchase it – particularly at such a premium worth.

The shortage of Google assist makes each productiveness and media consumption harder than it ought to be, whereas even apps that might benefit from that superb show like Netflix fall nicely wanting optimum.

Specs

• Concord OS 4.0
• 13.2in, 2880 x 1920, OLED, 144Hz, flat show
• Facial recognition system
• Kirin 9000S
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB storage
• 13Mp, f/1.8 major digicam
• 8Mp ultra-wide digicam
• As much as 4K @ 30fps rear video
• 16Mp front-facing digicam with TOF 3D
• 6 x stereo audio system
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 1,010mAh battery
• 88W charging
• 289.1 x 196.1 x 5.5 mm
• 580g
• Launch colors: Golden Black, Inexperienced