[REVIEW] Is The HUAWEI MatePad 11.5"S PaperMatte Edition Value For Money?

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Released in June this year, HUAWEI's latest tablet is 6.2mm thin and weighs 510g. In other words, it's lightweight and slim, making it very easy to carry around in your hands or backpack.

Featuring a 6.2mm aluminium unibody available in space gray and violet, the device comes with an 11.5-inch display with a 2800x1840 resolution and a 3:2 aspect ratio, ideal for multitasking and creative work.

I had the opportunity to review the violet variant. Upon unboxing the tablet, the first feature that stood out was its paper matte display, which not only lent a premium feel to the device but also provided extremely low glare with zero reflection, even under brightly lit conditions.

For those who worry about smudges, HUAWEI thoughtfully included a microfiber polishing cloth. But there were more surprises in store.

First up, the ebook mode. Coupled with the paper matte finish, toggling on this feature gives you the impression that you're reading an actual book.

There are several apps you can download to read ebooks via the HUAWEI AppGallery. The one I used was the free version of FBReader, which allows you to make purchases and import ebooks.

While the paper matte display is the standout feature of this device, it was HUAWEI's brand-new tablet painting app, GoPaint, that blew me away. The app sports over 100 brushes, more than 70 brush settings, the ability to create custom brushes, and supports up to 320 layers, delighting the illustrator in me.

And the most awesome part? GoPaint is free!

This is largely thanks to the device's paper matte screen finish and the M-Pencil's over 10,000 pressure sensitivity levels. The M-Pencil can be charged magnetically on the tablet.

Depending on your location and the time you're reading this review, you may have to purchase the HUAWEI M-Pencil 3rd Gen separately. As of the time of writing this review, the M-Pencil comes as a free gift. 

It felt good typing on the keys, but I noticed I had to adjust my typing style as I have big palms and thick, long fingers.

That said, there's so much to celebrate because thanks to HUAWEI's near-link technology, you can continue typing on a detached keyboard.

The tablet runs on HarmonyOS and supports multitasking with floating windows and split-screen functionality, which helped speed things up as I toggled between different apps and browsers.

Thanks to its 8,800mAh battery, I was able to use the tablet for long sessions of creative work and media consumption. Also, the tablet comes with the Qualcomm SM7450-AB Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 which allowed me to play demanding games like Genshin Impact.

For example, when I tried downloading the Microsoft Word app directly, HUAWEI AppGallery prompted me to download it as an APK.

Installing APKs from third-party sources can pose security risks, despite the device performing security checks. So, this is something you need to keep in mind.

However, in my case, this was a non-issue as I was able to download and use Google Docs easily without an APK.

Also, the majority of the popular apps such as Instagram, Facebook, Netflix, and more are directly downloadable from the HUAWEI AppGallery.

For this price, the tablet is worth considering since it can function as an ebook reader, a device for professional illustrators, and a compact laptop.

It's hard to overlook the HUAWEI MatePad 11.5"S PaperMatte Edition when comparing devices in its price range.

Unlike other tablets at this price, HUAWEI has so much more to offer than the rest.