Verdict
The MatePad 11.5 (2025) is one of the best tablets in the mid-range if processor performance, camera quality and native Google integration are not the focus. The very good speakers, high-quality case, and the strong battery life predestinate the Huawei tablet for multimedia use. Unfortunately, the MatePad 11.5 is somewhat weaker in terms of brightness, which affects the HDR display.
The PaperMatte surface is also not beyond reproach. The panel is certainly easy to read outdoors, even with the extremely manageable contrast ratio of the mid-range tablet. However, the color accuracy and black level are not entirely convincing.
If this doesn't bother you, the MatePad 11.5 (2025) PaperMatte, together with the appealing M-Pencil, should be an ideal companion for everyday university life and a good addition to a laptop.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability of the Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025)
The Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) starts with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB flash memory for 299 euros (approx. US$350) directly from the manufacturer and also in online stores such as Amazon.de. The top version with 256 GB memory and the low-reflection PaperMatte display costs 349 euros (approx. US$410). In addition, the tablet can be purchased for 30 euros less and the M-Pencil for 20 euros until September 30, 2025 exclusively in the Huawei Online Store.
Table of Contents
- Verdict
- Specifications of the Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025)
- Case and features - Mid-range tablet with matte display
- Software and sustainability - Android tablet without Google services ex-works
- Camera - MatePad 11.5 (2025) with bright main lens
- Display - Mid-range tablet does not rely on OLED
- Performance, games, emissions and battery life - Android tablet does not rely on Qualcomm or MediaTek
- Notebookcheck overall rating
- Possible alternatives in comparison
Specifications of the Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025)
Case and features - Mid-range tablet with matte display
The MatePad 11.5 (2025) is the new version of the Huawei tablet that was launched in 2023, although the design has hardly changed. The build quality is impressive, and with a weight of 515 grams, the 11.5-inch tablet is pleasantly light.
One highlight is the IPS display with the "PaperMatte" surface, at least for outdoor fans. This is a glass cover with a microscopic, nanoscale etched structure that significantly reduces reflections. In everyday use, this matte finish proves to be very effective outdoors. However, the MatePad 11.5 (2025) lacks official IP certification against water or dust, so rain showers should be avoided.
In terms of features, Huawei only relies on USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 5.2, which is somewhat outdated, and the internal UFS memory cannot be expanded. The WiFi 6 standard provides solid connectivity, but without the 6 GHz range.
The four speakers, however, are excellent. In terms of sound, the MatePad 11.5 (2025) impresses with deep and powerful bass.
The high-quality 3rd generation M-Pencil is integrated via NearLink, which enables low-latency and precise input. Together with the frosted glass surface, the typing experience feels very good. The keyboard, on the other hand, only connects via Bluetooth.
| Networking | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Oppo Pad SE | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Xiaomi Pad 7 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 S | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Average 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Average of class Tablet | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Software and sustainability - Android tablet without Google services ex-works
The MatePad 11.5 (2025) is based on HarmonyOS 4.3, which is built on the open source part of Android 12. Pre-installed Google services and the Play Store are missing, which means that users are initially reliant on the AppGallery.
If this is not sufficient, the Google Play Store library can also be accessed via the Aurora Store. The installation is quite simple, as our separate article explains.
Huawei does not officially specify how long the MatePad 11.5 (2025) will receive software updates. At our request, the manufacturer confirmed a 5-year update period. At the time of testing, security patches from July 2025 were installed.
Sustainability does not play a major role with this Huawei model; at least, we are not aware of any official instructions for repairs or information on the materials used.
Camera - MatePad 11.5 (2025) with bright main lens
The MatePad 11.5 (2025) has a 13 MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture and autofocus. The mid-range tablet delivers solid results in daylight, but there is a lack of dynamic range, and the colors sometimes appear washed out. Our color analysis under defined artificial light also shows significant deviations. The photo quality is really weak in low light, despite a large aperture.
However, the MatePad 11.5 can be used for scanning documents or digitizing notes without any problems.
Comparison: Honir Magic Pad 3 (left) vs. Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) (right)
Display - Mid-range tablet does not rely on OLED
The IPS panel with a diagonal of 11.5 inches and a 1,600p resolution uses a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Huawei promises a maximum brightness of 600 cd/m², which we achieved in the APL18 test with 611 cd/m². However, the luminosity of the LCD is significantly lower with HDR content at 404 cd/m².
We did not notice any PWM flickering, but we did notice a poor black level of almost 1 cd/m². This leads to a low contrast, and the PapperMatte finish also has its downside in terms of color accuracy. The fact that Huawei is aware of this problem is shown by the increased gamma value for a higher-contrast display - with moderate success. Colors appear somewhat duller and less brilliant overall than on a glossy panel.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 623 cd/m²
Contrast: 629:1 (Black: 0.99 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 2.9 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.79}
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 3.9 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø5}
94.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.33
CCT: 7191 K
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) IPS, 2456x1600, 11.5" | Oppo Pad SE IPS, 1920x1200, 11" | Xiaomi Pad 7 LCD, 3200x2136, 11.2" | Huawei MatePad 11.5 S TFT-LCD, 2800x1840, 11.5" | Huawei MatePad 11.5 IPS, 2200x1440, 11.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 6% | 31% | -22% | 1% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 623 | 518 -17% | 838 35% | 511 -18% | 472 -24% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 578 | 507 -12% | 815 41% | 449 -22% | 432 -25% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 90 | 93 3% | 96 7% | 83 -8% | 86 -4% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | 0.99 | 0.34 66% | 0.88 11% | 0.99 -0% | 0.44 56% |
| Contrast (:1) | 629 | 1524 142% | 952 51% | 516 -18% | 1073 71% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.9 | 4.54 -57% | 1.8 38% | 3.6 -24% | 3.4 -17% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5.3 | 7.97 -50% | 3.9 26% | 7.5 -42% | 6.6 -25% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.9 | 4.9 -26% | 2.5 36% | 5.5 -41% | 4.8 -23% |
| Gamma | 2.33 94% | 2.243 98% | 2.25 98% | 2.27 97% | 2.41 91% |
| CCT | 7191 90% | 7504 87% | 6912 94% | 7566 86% | 7035 92% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8170 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 21.5 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 11.39 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 10.11 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 46 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (20.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 29.21 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13.29 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 15.92 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 38 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (31.7 ms). | ||
Performance, games, emissions and battery life - Android tablet does not rely on Qualcomm or MediaTek
The MatePad 11.5 (2025) relies on the company's own Kirin T82. This is another variation of Huawei's well-known Kirin architecture, but the chipset in the mid-range tablet clocks slightly lower than a Kirin T92 in the MatePad Pro 13.2 or Kirin T90A in the MatePad 12 X.
In the Geekbench benchmarks, the MatePad 11.5 (2025) is also slightly less powerful than its sister models. Also, the Xiaomi Pad 7 has a much more powerful CPU.
The integrated Maleoon 920C achieves just 8 FPS in the GFXBench's demanding stress tests with high 4K resolution, which is significantly less than an Adreno 732 in the Xiaomi Pad 7.
| Geekbench AI | |
| Single Precision NPU 1.5 | |
| Average of class Tablet (166 - 5295, n=24, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | |
| Average HiSilicon Kirin T82 (n=1) | |
| Half Precision NPU 1.5 | |
| Average of class Tablet (154 - 41155, n=24, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | |
| Average HiSilicon Kirin T82 (n=1) | |
| Quantized NPU 1.5 | |
| Average of class Tablet (88 - 57388, n=24, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | |
| Average HiSilicon Kirin T82 (n=1) | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | Oppo Pad SE | Xiaomi Pad 7 | Huawei MatePad 11.5 S | Huawei MatePad 11.5 | Average 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -48% | 31% | -12% | -31% | -25% | -35% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB (MB/s) | 2172.43 | 980 -55% | 3911.82 80% | 1837.4 -15% | 1037.71 -52% | 1742 ? -20% | 1578 ? -27% |
| Sequential Write 256KB (MB/s) | 2011.28 | 885.6 -56% | 3387.43 68% | 1134.93 -44% | 903.32 -55% | 1191 ? -41% | 1156 ? -43% |
| Random Read 4KB (MB/s) | 278.39 | 221.2 -21% | 311.09 12% | 334.71 20% | 297.25 7% | 286 ? 3% | 229 ? -18% |
| Random Write 4KB (MB/s) | 544.27 | 215.3 -60% | 344.51 -37% | 498.29 -8% | 418.84 -23% | 318 ? -42% | 254 ? -53% |
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.1 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.3 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 33.2 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.9 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
3DMark Steel Nomad Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 S | |
| Oppo Pad SE | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | |
| Xiaomi Pad 7 | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 S | |
| Oppo Pad SE | |
| Xiaomi Pad 7 | |
| Steel Nomad Light Stress Test Stability | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | |
| Xiaomi Pad 7 | |
Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 9.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.9% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (3.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.8% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 11% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 87% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 6% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 92% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Huawei MatePad 11.5 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 18% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 35% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 61% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 22% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
| Battery runtime - WiFi v1.3 | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) | |
| Oppo Pad SE | |
| Xiaomi Pad 7 | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 S | |
| Huawei MatePad 11.5 | |
Notebookcheck overall rating
With its matte display, the MatePad 11.5 (2025) is perfect for its field work. However, the "PaperMatte" surface, besides its advantages, also has its downsides.
Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025)
- 09/04/2025 v8
Marcus Herbrich
Total Sustainability Score: Possible alternatives in comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Drive | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 81.2%  | Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) HiSilicon Kirin T82 ⎘ HiSilicon Maleoon 920c ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB | Amazon: 1. $10.95 Mr.Shield Screen Protector c... 2. $127.85 Lkfyyds for Huawei MatePad 1... 3. $15.83 NEOYUKL Cover for Huawei Mat... | 515 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 11.50" 2456x1600 255 PPI IPS |
2. 78.4%  | Oppo Pad SE Mediatek Helio G100 ⎘ ARM Mali-G57 MP2 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: 1. $17.89 for OnePlus Pad Lite/Oppo Pa... 2. $13.99 A-BEAUTY Rotating Case Compa... 3. $12.59 for Oppo Pad SE/OnePlus Pad ... List Price: 269€ | 530 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 11.00" 1920x1200 206 PPI IPS |
3. 85.9%  | Xiaomi Pad 7 Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 732 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 256 GB | Amazon: 1. $386.00 Xiaomi Pad 7 Ai WiFi Version... 2. $577.50 Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro Ai WiFi Ver... 3. $360.00 XIAOMI Pad 7 Ai WiFi Version... List Price: 400€ | 500 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 11.20" 3200x2136 344 PPI LCD |
4. 81.1%  | Huawei MatePad 11.5 S HiSilicon Kirin 9000W ⎘ HiSilicon Maleoon 910 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB | Amazon: 1. $28.99 YOUULAR Tablet Case for Huaw... 2. $10.96 Kepuch Custer Case Compatibl... 3. $10.95 Mr.Shield Screen Protector c... List Price: 399€ | 510 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 11.50" 2800x1840 291 PPI TFT-LCD |
5. 86.5% v7 (old)  | Huawei MatePad 11.5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 644 ⎘ 6 GB Memory, 128 GB UFS 2.1 | Amazon: 1. $127.85 Lkfyyds for Huawei MatePad 1... 2. $7.90 Zrengp Clear Shockproof Case... 3. $28.99 YOUULAR Tablet Case for Huaw... List Price: 299€ | 499 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 11.50" 2200x1440 229 PPI IPS |
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
