Huawei MatePad Mini: Compact OLED tablet released to surpass Apple iPad mini and RedMagic Astra
The MatePad Mini has entered the race as the new compact tablet to beat. In recent years, only Apple and Lenovo have released new high-end models. However, Xiaomi and RedMagic have stepped up this year with the Redmi K Pad and the RedMagic Astra (curr. $799 on Amazon), respectively. While Huawei is keeping quiet about the chipset inside the MatePad Mini, its new compact tablet should impress in several areas.
For one, the tablet is comparatively light at 255 g. Likewise, the MatePad Mini measures 198 x 127 x 5.1 mm despite containing an 8.8-inch display. According to Huawei, this OLED panel outputs at 2,560 x 1,600 pixels with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 1,800 nits peak brightness. Intersected by a 32 MP front-facing camera, the display is 12.5% brighter than the 1,600 nit panel inside the RedMagic Astra. For context, Apple quotes 500 nits peak brightness for the iPad mini 7.
Meanwhile, Huawei has included 50 MP primary (f/1.8) and 8 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide-angle cameras, which sit within a camera housing reminiscent of the one found in the new Mate XTs Ultimate Design. On top of that, the MatePad Mini can connect to BeiDou satellite and cellular networks with Wi-Fi 7 connectivity offered for local networks. All this hardware is powered by a 6,400 mAh battery that supports 66 W wired charging via its USB Type-C port, too.
Huawei has only released the MatePad mini in China so far and has not provided any indication about international availability. For reference, the tablet starts at CNY 3,899 (~$546) with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage before rising by CNY 500 (~$70) to CNY 4,399 (~$617) with 512 GB of storage. Alternatively, Huawei offers a PaperMatte variant with a matte display for CNY 4,899 (~$687).
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