The Huawei MatePad Air is a new premium tablet that offers users a high-end experience at an affordable price. It features a stunning display with a sleek design that you’ll normally find on premium devices.
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Pricing and Availability: How much does the Huawei MatePad Air cost in the UAE?
Starting today, July 25th, you can get your hands on Huawei’s latest tablet, the MatePad Air. It’s priced at AED 2,099, which includes the Smart Magnetic Keyboard.
If you get it within the first week of launching, you’ll also get a Free M-Pen Package with charger, a Huawei Gift Box, and a 6-month VIU subscription. That’s a great deal as the Smart Keyboard is normally priced at AED 330 and the M-Pen at AED 270.
Huawei MatePad Air Specs
| Huawei Matepad Air | Huawei MatePad 11 | |
| Display | 11.5-inch IPS LCD, 144Hz, 1840 x 2800 resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio, 291 ppi | 10.95-inch IPS LCD, 120Hz, 2560 x 1600 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio, 276 ppi |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) |
| Graphics | Adreno 660 | Adreno 650 |
| Memory | 8 GB | 6 GB / 8 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB / 256 GB | 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB |
| Rear Camera | 13 MP, f/1.8, PDAF | 13 MP, f/1.8, PDAF |
| Front Camera | 8 MP, f/2.2 | 8 MP, f/2.0 |
| Battery | 8300 mAh, non-removable | 7250 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 40 W fast charging | 22.5 W fast charging |
| OS | HarmonyOS 3.1 | HarmonyOS 2.0 |
| Dimensions | 261.89 x 178.17 x 6.4 mm | 253.8 x 165.3 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 508 g | 485 g |
Design
The first thing that strikes you when you see the Huawei MatePad Air is its premium look and feel. It has a metal unibody design with rounded corners and thin bezels that accentuates its minimalist and elegant look.
In keeping up with the classy and sophisticated theme, it comes in only two colours: Graphite Black and White.
On top of the design, it’s also slim and lightweight, making it an excellent tablet for light work and entertainment.
One addition that users are going to appreciate is that the tablet comes with Huawei’s Smart Magnetic Keyboard that connects via Bluetooth. It’s a full-sized keyboard, including a touchpad, that can increase your productivity while using the tablet.
Display
The main highlight of the MatePad Air is its impressive display – an 11.5-inch IPS with a 2.8K 2800 x 1840 pixel resolution offers quality only found on higher-end devices. The 144 Hz refresh rate is a big plus making all your apps look smooth and fluid as you’re using it.
If you’re a creative professional, the MatePad Air’s screen is a reliable alternative, as it has impeccable colour accuracy covering the entire DCI-P3 gamut. The HDR10 support brings extra brightness and contrast, whether you’re working on graphics or watching content.
Performance
Under the hood, the Huawei MatePad Air is reasonably well-powered. It uses the older Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform, which should work well for it. It also has an Adreno 660 GPU that handles graphics-intensive tasks with ease.
The base model has 8GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. Other configurations with more RAM and storage are also available. However, there are no options for storage expansion as it does not come with a microSD slot.
To optimize the hardware, the MatePad Air runs on HarmonyOS 3.1, Huawei’s operating system based on Android. It offers a smooth and intuitive interface that takes advantage of this tablet’s hardware.
Cameras
One of the areas where the MatePad Air did not go all-in with premium hardware and features is the cameras. They’re good enough for most people’s needs, however, they won’t give you top-end image and video quality.
The main rear camera is a 13MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture and Phase Detection Autofocus. It can record 4K videos at 30fps, which is more than enough for casual videos.
The front camera is an 8MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture capable of recording 1080p videos at 30fps. It’s not something you’re going to take photos and videos with, but it’s sufficient to use as a webcam for video conferencing.
Battery and Charging
A tablet generally has a large battery, and the MatePad Air does not disappoint. The 8300mAh battery offers up to 12 hours of continuous video playback on a single charge.
If you’re not a heavy user, the battery will likely last a few days before you need to plug in your tablet.
True to Huawei battery technology, it supports 40W fast wired charging capable of getting you from 0% to 50% in only 30 minutes.
Other Reviews
According to Lim Reviews, the Huawei MatePad Air is a versatile machine with a PC-like experience. Its 11.5-inch 2.8K display and the ability to seamlessly connect a mouse and a keyboard make it an ideal device for productivity. It’s a highly-recommended tablet for creatives and professionals who are always on the go.
We unboxed the Huawei MatePar Air Tablet and found it premium to use. The bundled keyboard cover and the pen definitely help with the overall tablet experience and HarmonyOS is fluid and fast.
Alternatives
If you’re looking for other devices that are similar to the Huawei MatePad Air, here are some that you need to consider:
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE is a mid-range Samsung tablet with a slightly larger display than the MatePad Air. However, it does have a lower resolution and refresh rate, so the MatePad Air has the advantage here. It’s also slightly more expensive, whereas the MatePad Air offers better value overall.
Weight: 458g | Thickness: 178.5mm | OS: IPad OS 14 | Screen:10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone | Processor: Apple M1 with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU | RAM: up to 8GB | Storage: up to 256GB | Cellular: Nano-SIM and eSIM | Rear camera: 12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF MP | Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.4, 122˚ (ultrawide)MP | Battery: Li-Ion (28.6 Wh), non-removable
- Fast M1 Processor
- Reasonable pricing
- Apple ecosystem
- No ProMotion display
- Front camera on the wrong edge
As a premium tablet, the iPad Air is what you expect it to be. The crisp Retina display has a higher pixel density and a more advanced chipset than the MatePad Air. However, it’s also more expensive, especially if you get the LTE variants.
The Lenovo Tab P12 Pro is a similar tablet to the MatePad Air. However, the RAM is not up to par with the MatePad Air as it’s only limited to 6GB. It is marginally cheaper, though, so if you’re on a budget, this is a tablet that you want to take a closer look at.
Should you buy the Huawei MatePad Air?
The Huawei MatePad Air is a solid tablet that offers insane value for its price. The premium quality display and its powerful performance make it a joy to use whether you’re using it for work or entertainment.
The stylus and keyboard support make it a more versatile device that allows you to be extra productive while on the go. There are also a few notable drawbacks with the MatePad Air. HarmonyOS does not offer Google Mobile Services, so you might have issues running some Android apps and services.
However, if you’re looking for a tablet with premium hardware and features that won’t break the bank, the Huawei MatePad Air is worth a closer look.
