Huawei releases tablet with 2.8K 144 Hz OLED display, 12 GB RAM, and 512 GB storage

Huawei has now put the latest MatePad Air on sale in China, with several configurations available. We first covered the tablet when Huawei confirmed its official launch. We later reported on its European availability, where it is offered with 8 GB or 12 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage, while the Chinese lineup also includes a 512 GB version.

The MatePad Air measures 5.3 mm (0.21 inches) thick and weighs about 509 grams (1.12 lb). Huawei offers it in Sunny Blue, Light Summer Lemon, Sakura Pink, Warm Cloud White and Smoky Gray.

The tablet has a 12-inch OLED display with a 2,800 x 1,840 resolution and a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz. It supports the P3 color gamut and has a claimed 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, while Huawei lists a Delta E below 1 and a 92% screen-to-body ratio. The standard version reaches up to 1,200 nits, while the Soft Light version can reach 2,000 nits and uses an anti-reflective surface designed to reduce glare.

Lenovo's Idea Tab Plus (currently available on Amazon) uses a slightly larger 12.1-inch IPS panel with a 2.5K resolution and 90 Hz refresh rate, while the MatePad Air uses a higher-resolution OLED panel with a faster refresh rate.

Huawei uses the Kirin T93B in the regular MatePad Air and Soft Light versions, while the Enjoy Edition uses the Kirin T93C.

The tablet runs HarmonyOS 6.1 and includes Huawei's productivity and AI features. These include interactive learning tools, note-taking and transcription functions, PDF editing and other content-creation features. The M-Pencil Pro also supports an Air Mouse mode for controlling functions without directly touching the screen.

The MatePad Air has a 10,100 mAh battery and supports 66 W charging. Huawei claims up to 15.6 hours of local video playback. Other hardware includes six speakers, a 50 MP rear camera, a 12 MP front camera, Wi-Fi 7 and NearLink connectivity.

Pricing and availability

Huawei's Chinese lineup starts at ¥4,499 ($671) for the 8 GB/256 GB Enjoy Edition. The same configuration starts at €799 ($932) in Europe, while the Chinese 12 GB/256 GB model costs ¥5,299 ($790) compared with €899 ($1,048) for the same memory and storage configuration in Europe. China also gets a 12 GB/512 GB model for ¥6,299 ($939), while the Soft Light models cost ¥5,899 ($880) and ¥6,899 ($1,029) for 256 GB and 512 GB of storage, respectively.

For the September 12 sales, Huawei is offering promotional discounts alongside China's national subsidy. The MatePad Air starts at an effective ¥4,299 ($641), while the Enjoy Edition starts at ¥3,499 ($522). Huawei has not announced whether the additional Chinese models will be offered in Europe or other markets.