Huawei MatePad 11 (2021) review

Competition

There aren't many alternatives to the MatePad 11 if you equate for the size and price. In fact, aside from the aged and significantly cheaper Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, we were able to think of only two options - the MatePad Pro 10.8 and Apple's iPad 10.2 (2020). After all, if you are in the market for a compact tablet and you found the MatePad 11 intriguing, there's no reason to skip the Pro version as well.

Sure, it doesn't have an HRR display, but it's potentially brighter (as per its specs) and supports the full array of essential Pro Multi-screen Collaboration features. It also runs on a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 870 chipset and utilizes its 5G modem too. The build is all aluminum (except for the front glass, of course), and it goes all the way up to 40W wired and 27W wireless charging. Not to mention that it can reverse charge other devices using the cable or its own wireless charging coils. That's a pretty cool feature to have when on the road, and you could use the extra juice remaining in the massive 7,250 mAh battery inside. And for those extra features, the Pro model asks at least €600.

On the other hand, the vanilla MatePad 11 offers a similar user experience, adds a 120Hz panel into the mix and uses a standard microSD card slot instead of Huawei's proprietary NM standard. And it does that for less than €500 or even close to €400 depending on your region. It has the M-Pencil support and pairs with the smart magnetic keyboard too, which makes it an even more lucrative offer. We can even argue that it's the more sensible option of the two.

Apple iPad 10.2 (2020) • Huawei MatePad Pro 10.8 (2021) • Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 (2021) • Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

Now getting into enemy waters, things start to get really rough for the MatePad 11. Apple reigns the tablet market, and the main reason for this is the strong ecosystem and its portfolio covering all the popular sizes. That's not to say Huawei's newly built HarmonyOS offers a bad ecosystem, but it's definitely less mature. You just can't argue with the level of iPadOS, iOS and macOS integration and the available apps on the Appstore.

Let's face it, you are much more likely to have a non-Huawei Android phone, which wouldn't get along all that well with the MatePad 11, whereas iPad owners most probably have an iPhone in their pocket already.

Aside from that, Apple's solution has a more proficient IPS LCD panel, a more efficient A12 Bionic chipset and a nicer build. Support for a keyboard and stylus are on the menu as well. The downsides are the sub-par front-facing camera, the lack of a microSD card slot and the 32GB base storage variant. Still, you can find Apple's solution a tad cheaper than the MatePad 11.

Verdict

Huawei's MatePad 11 is a solid all-rounder and offers high-end features and experience for a reasonable €400-500 price tag, depending on the region and storage variant. It has a bright high-refresh-rate display, good battery life, excellent accessory support, powerful SoC and four nice-sounding loudspeakers.

We still find it hard to get over the fact the tablet doesn't support Google Mobile Services. GMaps-based apps are perhaps the biggest omission in Harmony OS' app catalog but we feel that on a tablet, this is much easily forgivable than for a phone that you take everywhere with you.

What we are really missing here though is a higher quality screen (this one has some bad color shifting at an angle) and there is no built-in biometric authentication like a fingerprint reader or a face unlock, which is something we'd expect from any modern-day device. The tablet's launch price makes those deficiencies hard to swallow. And with the competition in the segment heating up, it's really hard to recommend the Matepad 11 as it is.

Pros

• Good and comfortable build.
• Bright and fast (120Hz) IPS LCD panel.
• Good battery life.
• Plays well with accessories such as keyboards, mice and Huawei's M-Pencil.
• Impeccable sound quality and clarity.
• HarmonyOS feels familiar and adds a couple of neat features.
• Uses standard microSD card slot.

Cons

• Although good, HarmonyOS still has a long way to go when it comes to app variety.
• No fingerprint reader or face unlock.
• No 3.5mm jack (adapter provided).
• AppGallery has full-screen ads, can't get rid of app suggestions on the Home screen.
• Limited functionality of the Multi-screen Collaboration feature.