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The HUAWEI MatePad Air is a serious tablet with a fun soul (and still no Google)
This tablet is awesome, but is it good enough for you to ignore the lack of Google services?
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Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
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I recently got a chance to check out the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max, and honestly, it was impressive. It’s also a mighty expensive tablet, starting at €1,099 (~$1,260). As amazing as it is, not everyone needs or wants to pay for the top-tier model. Are there any cheaper alternatives that are still premium?
Well, I’ve also been using the HUAWEI MatePad Air, and this one starts at €849 (~$970). I got the version with a PaperMatte display, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and an M-Pencil Pro, which goes for €899. So, this model isn’t exactly cheap, either. But is this ultra-thin slate worth a spot in your tablet life? Let’s help you decipher that.
Consider these factors before you decide to get a HUAWEI MatePad Air
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
HUAWEI devices are not like others. I mean this in both positive and negative ways. They tend to be great gadgets but also suffer from fundamental downsides that can be deal-breakers for many users. So, let’s address two fundamental questions before we get to the pros and cons of the Air itself.
Can you even buy it?
The first thing to consider is whether you can even buy a HUAWEI MatePad Air or not. For starters, it’s not available for purchase in the US due to the HUAWEI ban that took effect in 2019.
There’s an argument that you can import it, but this will cause major inconveniences. The main ones are that you’ll have no official support in case of technical difficulties. Not only that, but you’ll likely be missing out on the warranty.
This should be no issue if you live in a country where HUAWEI products are officially available, though. There are plenty of them, and you can check this on the official website.
How serious is the lack of Google support on HUAWEI products?
HUAWEI currently cannot work with US companies due to the aforementioned ban. This means there can be no collaboration with Google. The HUAWEI MatePad Air still runs Android, because the core OS is an open-ogle apps and services. As such, there is no official Google Play Store support. The same applies to Google Wallet, Chrome, Gemini, and any other Google service
That said, there are unofficial ways to access Google apps, mainlyuitive as the native experience, and I find it can be buggy at times. Not all apps work, and you can encounter hiccups
Tinkerers and tech-savvy people might be able to work around it, but they will at least find it a bit annoying. And the thing is, you’re paying good money for these products; you want your expensive tech to work seamlessly.
For the general consumer, though, this setup will be very confusing, especially if they are used to other officially licensed Android devices or Apple tablets. The whole “it just works” approach doesn’t apply here.
Is the HUAWEI MatePad Air a good tablet?
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Okay, that’s the big caveats out of the way, now let’s look at HUAWEI MatePad Air on its own merits. Considering the starting price of €849, this is by no means an affordable device. It’s still a high-end pad, and the experience matches its high cost.
A high-end, fun design focused on portability
We’re looking at an aluminum frame and back. It feels just as high-end as the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max, but aesthetics take on a much more adventurous and fun approach. You’ll notice this as soon as you take a look at it. Aside from the White model, HUAWEI offers this tablet in Sakura Pink and Airy Blue. Both look awesome, and I have been enjoying the blue model.
Aside from looks, we’re also looking at a smaller camera bump, which is nice. I feel like the MatePad Pro Max’s camera bump was a bit too bulky.
The whole idea of the MatePad Air is that it should be light and portable. This is still a large 12-inch tablet, but it meets portability expectations in other areas. It measures just 5.3mm thick and weighs in at 509g. As a comparison, the iPad Air measures 6.1mm in thickness and weighs 464g for the 11-inch model or 616g for the 13-inch version.
The tablet looks and feels great. It’s made with quality materials and maintains a thin profile, yet it still offers a larger 12-inch display that better suits the “PC-level productivity” concept. All while staying fun and quirky. I love its looks, and the build is as premium as the price would suggest.
The HUAWEI MatePad Air has a very special display
What you’ll interact with most is the screen, so it’s important for any tablet manufacturer to get this part right. I’m happy to report there are no complaints here. I like the 12-inch form factor because it offers better productivity without making the tablet unbearably large. I recently got to test the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max and its 13.2-inch screen. While the experience was great, I did feel like it was stepping into oversized territory. The HUAWEI MatePad Air strikes a more balanced size.
It helps that the bezels are so thin and the actual screen looks stunning. It has a resolution of 2,800 × 1,840 at 275 PPI. The pixels per inch are more dense than the ultra-high-end MatePad Pro Max’s 273 PPI. It’s also an OLED panel with gorgeous color reproduction and deep blacks, as well as optimal DCI-P3 color spectrum reproduction for those who care about color accuracy.
The MatePad Air looks and feels great.
Watching movies, YouTube videos, and gaming looked great, as did general browsing and navigation. Picture quality is outstanding, and this one actually has a leg up on the competition with a 144Hz refresh rate (most are limited to 120Hz). This results in super smooth motion.
Yes, the display is impressive, but much of this is to be expected from a high-end tablet like this one, and you get that if you opt for the fractionally more expensive PaperMatte model that I tested. This reduces glare and reflections significantly. Additionally, it adds a bit of texture to make using the M-Pencil Pro more natural. It’s not quite the feel of paper, but it sure beats the slippery feel of normal screens. Let’s say it adds a bit of friction.
Another awesome feature I often use is e-book mode. This comes in two variations: Color and Black & White. Color e-book mode reduces blue light and adapts other settings for more comfortable reading, specifically when you want to see hues, such as when reading a magazine or article. If you’re going to focus on text, you can opt for Black & White e-book mode, which kills all color reproduction. Because of the matte display, it looks very close to an ePaper screen.
It looks gorgeous when using it to consume media, but it also doubles perfectly as an eReader. As an added benefit, using it in direct sunlight is also better, thanks to the significantly reduced glare. And if you’re into using a stylus, it will feel much more natural.
How is the HUAWEI MatePad Air’s performance?
Again, this is far from being a budget tablet. The HUAWEI MatePad Air comes with a Kirin T93C (or T93B) chipset and 8GB of RAM (can be upgraded to 12GB). I experienced no noticeable slowdowns during my time with it. The tablet flies through any app or process you throw at it.
Of course, I didn’t stop with casual usage. I pushed it to its limits. The industry has crowned Genshin Impact as the standard of demanding mobile games, so if a device can run this one, it can run anything. After hours of downloading game data and shaders, I got playing. Of course, I used the highest available graphics settings.
The HUAWEI MatePad Air flies through any app or process you throw at it.
Here’s where I noticed the real difference in performance. While the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max ran the game at the highest settings like a dream, the MatePad Air froze on me a few times when trying to launch it. Once it actually launches, though, it plays very well.
In summary, the tablet performs amazingly and shows no signs of struggle unless you’re really pushing it to the limits of mobile gaming.
How is the battery life on the HUAWEI MatePad Air?
HUAWEI tablets have truly impressed me with their battery life lately. And this is quite surprising, considering the latest HUAWEI pads I have tested have been super thin.
The HUAWEI MatePad Air is super thin, yet this doesn’t stop it from offering impressive battery life.
This one fits a large 10,100mAh battery in that 5.3mm body. What does this mean? Well, multiple days of usage per full charge. I have been able to use it for two to three days before needing to reach for a charger. During this time, my usage involved general browsing, responding to emails, and checking out social media for about 2-3 hours per day. I would also watch shows and movies for about 1-2 hours every night.
When it’s time to recharge, it can do so at 66W with a HUAWEI SuperCharge cable and adapter. It takes about 1.5 hours to fully recharge, which is quite impressive.
What about the M-Pencil Pro?
The M-Pencil Pro is quite the treat, if you will actually use it. Creatives and note-takers will enjoy an experience that matches those of the best styluses in the market. The design looks nice and clean. And if you go for the Sakura Pink tablet, you can also get a bit adventurous and bundle in a pink M-Pencil Pro to match.
I honestly couldn’t do much with it myself, but those who are actually creative will enjoy over 10,000 pressure levels for precise drawing and customized brush strokes.
I did enjoy taking notes with it. The pencil-like hexagonal shape makes it very comfortable to hold. I was using the AI button to summon Celia quite often, and the gestures made it easy to take screenshots and notes. Charging it is as easy as magnetically attaching the pen to the tablet’s edge, too.
I might personally find more functionality with the keyboard cover, but I can definitely see how the M-Pencil Pro can benefit the right user. I had fun using it, that is for sure.
OK, should you buy the HUAWEI MatePad Air?
I find myself in a bit of a predicament every time I get my hands on a high-end HUAWEI product. In the case of the HUAWEI MatePad Air, we’re looking at a pad with powerful performance, plenty of great features, a stunning display, and a battery life that will leave competitors envious.
While it’s a seriously capable machine, it doesn’t actually take itself too seriously. The high-end aluminum frame and back offer a high-quality build, and the slim profile keeps the design refined. At the same time, the fun colors and sparkly finish make it super playful.
The HUAWEI MatePad Air is a gadget that dresses fabulously for a party, but can end up at an office and light up the conference room with a touch of personality.
It’s a gadget that dresses fabulously for a party, but can end up at an office and light up the conference room with a touch of personality. The thing is, it might not have all the tools to get all the work done, or at least it won’t do it as seamlessly as others.
Sadly, the lack of Google support makes it hard to recommend the HUAWEI MatePad Air (or any modern HUAWEI device, for that matter) to a regular buyer. Using GBox works, but it comes with some hiccups and annoyances that only the tech-savvy will want to spend time fixing.
There’s also the issue that while the tablet is great in every other department except software, it doesn’t meaningfully beat the competition in a way that would convince me to live with those complications, especially given its price. The iPad Air series is likely its biggest competitor, starts at a lower $749 price point, and suffers from none of the downsides, even though it is both thicker and heavier. Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 ($799.99 at Amazon), which is also really thin at 5.5mm, performs great, and has Google support.
HUAWEI hasn’t been competing on a level playing field for years. The lack of Google support and US availability really pushes it back. If this weren’t the case, I would say there are strong arguments for choosing the HUAWEI MatePad Air over Apple or Samsung. For now, I don’t see any reason to make sacrifices when there are such strong contenders. But hey, if you live in a supported market, don’t mind a bit of tinkering, and really like what you see, it is an awesome tablet! I just really want you to know what you’re getting into before you spend at least €849.
HUAWEI MatePad AirMSRP: €849.00
The HUAWEI MatePad Air is a slim productivity-focused tablet with a 12-inch 2.8K 144Hz OLED display, a lightweight 5.3mm metal body, and a 10,100mAh battery with 66W charging, plus six-speaker audio, M-Pencil Pro support, and PC-style productivity tools.
See price at Amazon
Positives
- Outstanding design and build
- Super thin profile
- Powerful performance
- Outstanding display
- Not available in the US
- No official Google support
- Pricey
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