Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022) review

HarmonyOS with familiar Huawei looks, productivity features

The MatePad Pro 11 runs HarmonyOS 3.0, the in-house operating system based on what we established to be a forked version of Android back when we reviewed the MatePad Pro 12.6. This latest v3.0 is newer than the v2.0 we saw on previous MatePads, but it's very similar in look and feel. It's similar to the EMUI-labeled builds from the company too. In fact, Huawei phones in China run the same Harmony OS.

Fork or no fork, it will run Android apps just fine, whether you get them from the Huawei AppGallery store or one of the third-party app stores like APK Pure or APK Mirror.

One of the key new developments relates to widgets. You can do all sorts of things with them, and not only can you create stacks or groups, but also stacks of groups. 2x2, 2x4, and 4x4 sizes of widget combos are supported, while the individual widvets range from 1x2 to 2x4.

Widgets

The multi-window functionality is not new, but it's among the most well-thought-out and full-featured implementations you can get.

You can launch apps into a split-screen view via a side menu, accessible by swiping in from either edge of the display and holding briefly to override the back gesture. Tapping an app from here spawns a floating window of it, and you can now have two such windows open at the same time, with every subsequently launched one minimizing one of the earlier ones to a separate icon on the side, which in turn opens a separate task switcher.

To initiate the split-screen view, you have to long-press the title strip on the floating window when the floating window is on top of another already open app. You can't do that with the homescreen underneath. We wish you could just drag that same strip to one side, have it take up half the screen and show you the homescreen in the other half to choose an app to open there.

Multi-window

You can sort of do this, in fact, if you have your app open fullscreen and pull up from the bottom as if to go to the task switcher. From there, if you take that shrinking app card into the top left corner, it'll claim the left half but move over to the side, letting you pick another app from the homescreen. Alternatively, you can take the card to the top right corner and shrink it to a floating window.

More Multi-window

You can also have the app pairs created in whatever fashion remain bundled together as one entry in the recent apps view, so you can easily close both of them or return to that particular side-by-side workflow. You can also copy and paste photos and text between windows by simply dragging and dropping.

In short - that's some properly great multitasking capability.

Copying stuff between windows

Other than that, it's the familiar look and feel of EMUI/MagicUI or however you're most inclined to call Huawei's UI efforts.

Homescreen • Large folder • Settings

There are a bunch of apps bundled that make use of the stylus. A few of them we've seen before on the MatePad Pro 12.6 - Notepad, Nebo, MyScript Calc.

 

The new Stylus Zone is a shortcut to a section on the AppGalery that combines all the stylus-centric apps - mostly for note-keeping, annotating PDFs or doing sketches.

Notepad • Nebo • MyScrypt Calc. • Stylus Zone

Also, if you have the M-Pencil, you can drag from the upper right corner to open two modes - capturing content from an app or annotating any object or screen and saving it as an image or PDF.

Performance and benchmarks

The Huawei MatePad Pro 11, in the cellular-capable version we have here, is powered by the Snapdragon 888, Qualcomm's high-end chipset for last year, in 4G form. The Wi-Fi-only version uses the Snapdragon 870 instead, so it should score differently in benchmarks.

RAM/storage variants start at 8GB/128GB and top out at 12GB/512GB, while we reviewed the middle 8GB/256GB option. Storage is non-expandable - a notable step back from the Pro 12.6, which did allow for expansion, albeit the proprietary NM standard.

The MatePad Pro 11 posted solid results in the usual benchmarks - perhaps not as high as what a Galaxy Tab S8(+) can put out with an SD8 Gen 1, but comfortably ahead of the Tab S7+.

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPad mini (2021)
  1587
• Apple iPad 10.2 (2021)
  1328
• Huawei P50 Pro
  1105
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  1092
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  959
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  920
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  901
• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  884
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  743
• Realme Pad X
  691
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
  615
• Honor Pad 8
  376

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPad mini (2021)
  4476
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  3685
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  3282
• Huawei P50 Pro
  3145
• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  3131
• Apple iPad 10.2 (2021)
  3124
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  3077
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  2690
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  2583
• Realme Pad X
  2026
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
  1904
• Honor Pad 8
  1545

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• Huawei P50 Pro
  786215
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  780161
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  768513
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  655528
• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  641608
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  639631
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  555079
• Realme Pad X
  395824
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
  355430
• Honor Pad 8
  279242

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei P50 Pocket
  29
• Huawei P50 Pro
  27
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  25
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  21
• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  19
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  16
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  16
• Realme Pad X
  12
• Honor Pad 8
  4.9

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  28
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  26
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  23
• Huawei P50 Pro
  22
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  20
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  18
• Realme Pad X
  7.9
• Honor Pad 8
  3.2

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei P50 Pocket
  29
• Huawei P50 Pro
  26
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  25
• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  21
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  20
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  16
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  16
• Realme Pad X
  12
• Honor Pad 8
  4.8

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  31
• Huawei P50 Pro
  30
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  29
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  26
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  21
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  19
• Realme Pad X
  8.2
• Honor Pad 8
  3.2

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei P50 Pro
  44
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  40
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  37
• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  28
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  26
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  24
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  24
• Realme Pad X
  18
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
  9.7
• Honor Pad 8
  7.3

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  72
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  69
• Huawei P50 Pro
  64
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  58
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  54
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  51
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  46
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
  19
• Realme Pad X
  19
• Honor Pad 8
  8.3

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Huawei P50 Pro
  72
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  70
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  57
• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  45
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  44
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  40
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  35
• Realme Pad X
  31
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
  16
• Honor Pad 8
  13

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  121
• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  117
• Huawei P50 Pro
  99
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  98
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  88
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  86
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  43
• Realme Pad X
  34
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
  31
• Honor Pad 8
  15

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Huawei MatePad Pro 11 (2022)
  5903
• Huawei Mate Xs 2 (Unfolded)
  5830
• Huawei P50 Pocket
  5656
• Huawei P50 Pro
  5651
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
  4126
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021)
  3797
• Xiaomi Pad 5
  3396
• Realme Pad X
  1217
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 5G
  1092
• Honor Pad 8
  450