Huawei guns for the iPad Pro with its first HarmonyOS tablet

Huawei has also launched a new MatePad 11 alongside the refreshed 12.6-inch and 10.8-inch MatePad Pro models.

What you need to know

• Huawei has unveiled three new tablets running its HarmonyOS operating system.
• The new 12.6-inch MatePad Pro features a 16:10 OLED panel, HiSilicon’s Kirin 9000E chipset, and a 10,050mAh battery.
• It has been priced at €799 ($975) in Europe

Huawei introduced three new MatePad series tablets at its HarmonyOS event today, alongside the Huawei Watch 3. As you would expect, the new MatePad tablets run Huawei’s “in-house developed” HarmonyOS operating system.

The 12.6-inch MatePad Pro sports a 1600 x 2560 OLED display with thin bezels and HDR10 compliance. Huawei’s answer to the best Android tablets is powered by HiSilicon’s Kirin 9000E chipset, a slightly less impressive version of the flagship Kirin 9000 chip. The tablet packs a large 10,050mAh battery with support for 40W wired charging and 27W wireless charging. It also includes Wi-Fi 6 support, eight speakers, and a triple-camera setup on the back.

The 10.8-inch MatePad Pro is similar to the 12.6-inch model in most areas, but comes equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 chipset and an LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. It also packs a smaller 7,250mAh battery.

Huawei’s all-new MatePad 11 has a 10.95-inch LCD display featuring the same 120Hz refresh rate as the smaller MatePad Pro. It runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 processor and comes with a quad-speaker system tuned by Harman Kardon. Keeping the lights on is a 7,250mAh battery. All three tablets support Huawei’s second-generation M-Pencil stylus, which touts improved 9ms latency and a platinum-coated transparent nib.

While Huawei’s HarmonyOS 2.0 may not impress everyone, it promises a “desktop-like” experience on the new MatePad tablets. Thanks to the Multi-screen collaboration feature, you’ll be able to easily control your Huawei phone from your MatePad tablet. You can even use the tablet as a secondary display using Mirror mode with compatible Windows 10 Huawei laptops.

The 12.6-inch MatePad Pro will retail for €799 in Europe, while the MatePad 11 will be available from €399. There’s currently no word on when the tablets will be available to purchase, although Huawei has promised to share more details soon.