Artist Review: Huawei MatePad 11.5 PaperMatte edition (2023)

This is not a sponsored review

The most important deciding factor that affects buying decision comes down to the software experience, so just scroll down to the section to read that first, then come back here again.

I had several viewers on my Youtube channel who requested that I review the Huawei MatePad PaperMatte edition and I thought why not. Afterall, I’m quite familiar with the MatePad tablets as I have reviewed many over the years:

• Huawei MatePad T10 (2021) - SGD 228
• Huawei MatePad SE (2022) - SGD 298 - review - Product page
• Huawei MatePad 10.4 (2022) - from SGD 328 - Review - Product page
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2021) - SGD 698 Review - Product page
• Huawei MatePad 11 (2023) - SGD 598 with keyboard case included - Product page
• Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2023) - SGD 598 with keyboard case and M Pencil 2 included - Review - Product page
• Huawei MatePad Pro 10.8 (2021) - SGD 998 - Review - Product page
• Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 (2021) - Product page

Huawei’s MatePad lineup is getting more confusing.

At the time of writing this review, there are two MatePad 11.5 PaperMatte models, one from mid 2023 and one from mid 2024.

I had bought the 2023 model by mistake. Thankfully, I bought it at secondhand pricing but even so I will still make a loss when I sell the tablet after this review.

So make sure you don’t buy the wrong model.

Here are some key differences between the two models:

M Pencil 3 is more convenient because you can just attach it magnetically by the side of the tablet for charging and pairing.

I’ve tested the M Pencil 2 drawing performance and it’s really good. Since I've not tested M Pencil 3, I can't say how good that pen is compared the the 2nd generation.

Specifications

Things included

• Tablet (built-in battery)
• Polishing Cloth
• Charger
• Type-C Cable
• Quick Start Guide
• Warranty Card

M Pencil 2 and the charging pad are sold separately unless they are sold as a bundle together with the tablet.

An optional keyboard case can also be purchased. The keyboard use Bluetooth and can be detached from the cover. So it's possible to put the tablet on a stand and use the keyboard away from the tablet.

Design

Design of the tablet looks beautiful. Mid and high-end tablets from Huawei always have good hardware and solid build quality.

Camera is located in landscape orientation and supports face unlock.

The 4-way speakers don’t have much sound definition or separation compared to the MatePad Pro speakers which definitely sounds richer and more detailed. Audio is loud though.

USB-C charging port only has USB 2 transfer speeds, and hence cannot output video. The 2024 model supports USB 3 transfer speeds.

It’s good to see matte glass being used on more tablets nowadays. The matte surface diffuses light so that you won’t get those bright glossy reflections. The anti-glare works well.

Brightness is up to 500 nits which is great for indoor use. When used outdoors under direct sunlight, 500 nits is not quite enough to go through the diffused reflections, but as long as you are under shade, 500 nits is sufficient.

All matte surfaces will add some grain, colour noise, anti-glare sparkle to affect the visual quality. I'm happy to say that visual quality of the display still looks good despite that.

The MatePad 11.5 PaperMatte (2023) supports the Huawei M-Pencil 2 which has been around since 2021.

Unfortunately to pair and charge the pen, you will need to use a cable with charging pad. There is no way to attach the pen magnetically to the tablet for charging and pairing, which is what you can go with the 2024 model and M-Pencil 3.

What this means is you will have to remember to charge the pen fully before you bring the pen outdoors so that battery life is less likely to run out, or you have to bring the charging accessories out with you.

HarmonyOS

This tablet runs on HarmonyOS 3.1. At time of this review, HarmonyOS 4 is already out this tablet is not listed as one that can be updated yet even though there are older MatePad models that are listed.

The app store on HarmonyOS is called AppGallery. And within AppGallery, most apps are Chinese apps and many popular apps from the Google Play Store are not available.

There is no Google Play Store on HarmonyOS.

While it is possible to install Google Play Store, you may not be able to get all Google services and features to work. To get Google Play Store, you can install GSpace or Gbox which can be found within AppGallery, or install Aurora Store APK.

Even if you can get Google Play Store, there may be issues with payment or restore past purchases.

Here are a list of issues I encountered:

• Infinite Painter, Nebo cannot restore past purchases
• Infinite Painter cannot run in landscape orientation
• Infinite Painter, Krita are not available in Google Play Store
• Concepts, Clip Studio Paint can restore past purchases

Since the buy or restore option does not work for some apps, there is no way to tell in advance if the app you need can have past purchases restored.

Medibang installed from Huawei AppGallery could not restore past purchases, but Medibang installed from Google Play Store can

Other things I don’t like about HarmonyOS is there are ads even in some of Huawei’s own apps. E.g. There’s non-skippable ad when you open AppGallery and even the web browser.

There are also many pre-installed bookmarks to games and utility apps. These are not installed apps but just bookmarks, and there are several folders with such bookmarks in them.

If you rely on Google services, I probably won’t recommend getting a Huawei tablet. And also the situation with the ads is just not nice.

At this price point, you can also get the Xiaomi Pad 6, OnePlus Pad or Samsung Tab S9 FE (pen included). So is the matte glass a huge selling point for having to deal with ads and the lack of Google Play Store?

Line tests

Below are line tests created with M-Pencil 2 using the app Medibang Paint. I do not have M-Pencil 3 so I can’t show you the line tests for that, and I also cannot confirm whether M-Pencil 3 can work on the 2023 model.

1. Initial activation force is quite low. Slow diagonal lines are quite straight.

2. Lines are able to taper quite smoothly, but not as sharp as I expect. You can use smaller brush sizes to get sharper tapers.

3. Line transition from thin to thick and back is smooth. Thin lines can be drawn after drawing thick lines.

4. Consistent line width can be created by maintaining consistent line width.

5. Dots can be drawn easily.

6. No issues with cursor misalignment, not that I was expecting any.

Even though the tablet has 120Hz refresh rate, there's still noticeable latency when drawing, and it's the usual amount of latency.

When drawing at my normal speed, I don't really find latency to be an issue.

Tilt sensitivity works fine.

Drawing experience

Drawing experience is pretty good since pen performance is good. And drawing on the matte surface feels great, and you don't need a matte screen protector.

One advantage of the Bluetooth keyboard is you can place it by the side while drawing. This allows you to work more productively with apps that support keyboard shortcuts.

Conclusion

The Huawei MatePad 11.5 PaperMatte edition (2023) has great hardware and a beautiful matte glass display that feels great to draw on. Pen performance is good.

Only main issue you need to be concerned with is whether you need Google Play Store or now for the many reasons mentioned above.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Beautiful design with solid build quality
+ Has face unlock
+ Bright, sharp, vibrant display
+ Matte glass surface feels great to draw on
+ Good battery life
+ Optional keyboard case has detachable keyboard
+ Good pen performance
- M Pencil 2 requires a cable for charging
- 4-way speakers lack the clarity and definition of the premium MatePad Pro tablets
- No Google Play Store which can be installed but features may be lacking
- Too many ads with Huawei apps

Availability

Here in Singapore, you can find the tablet on Shopee SG and Lazada SG.

Make sure you get the 2024 model and not the 2023 model.