Huawei MatePad 11.5: Affordable midrange tablet with powerful equipment

As its name already indicates, the Huawei MatePad 11.5 has a 11.5 inch display that offers a resolution of 1,440 pixels and refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. Due to the IPS panel, pulse-width modulation is not used for controlling the brightness, so that the display can be considered easy on the eyes.

The Huawei tablet is run by a fast Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor accompanied by 6 or 8 GB of working memory. At 128 GB of internal storage, there is ample capacity, although that cannot be expanded. You also have to live without an audio port, satellite locating, an LTE option, and some of the usual Bluetooth audio codecs from Qualcomm.

In everyday operation, the MatePad 11.5 (2023) delivers a high system performance, and apps start quickly. In terms of productivity, the lack of Google apps hardly brings any limitations, since with WPS Office, OfficeSuite, and Microsoft 365, many known apps are available for installation directly from the Huawei AppGallery.

Those who also want to use social networks or streaming services from US companies have to mostly install such apps via the Petal Search, which might not be very easy for users who are less technically inclined. And even then, some of the apps such as Disney+ won't work, since they require the Google Mobile Services (GMS). On the other hand, you don't have to worry about any loss in quality of the streams, since the Huawei tablet possesses a DRM certification (Widevine L1).

Other positives are the MatePad 11.5's ability to use an optional keyboard cover or an active input pen with 4,096 pressure levels. While the first is also offered directly bundled with the tablet, you always have to purchase the pen separately. But those who want to save some money should currently not grab the bundle, since the Huawei store (in Germany) offers another good deal: The pen is currently added for free, and those who only want to purchase the tablet, can also add the Smart Keyboard at an additionally reduced price (40 instead of 129 Euro, ~$43 vs. $139), so they can save another 80 Euros (~$86) compared to the bundle.