The HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max could've been a perfect tablet, but you already know why it's not

When the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max ($1299 at Huawei) arrived at my doorstep, I had no idea what I was in for. I just knew a HUAWEI tablet was on the way. I’ve tested a fair few HUAWEI tablets in my time, but I was absolutely wowed by this one as soon as I opened the box. Why? We’ll talk more about it later, but it all made sense when I looked into the model and saw that it was HUAWEI’s top-tier tablet at its best configuration, offering “PC-level productivity”.

It’s not cheap, so we’re here to see if it is worth its €1,099 starting price, which can go up to €1,299 if you get the model I am testing. Of course, I have put it through the paces, used, and abused it. Shall we get right into the nitty-gritty?

Design and build quality

Like all other high-end HUAWEI products, the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max has an enviable design. The brand knows how to make a good-looking product. The first thing you’ll notice is its super-thin profile, measuring a mere 4.7mm in thickness. The fact that it’s a large tablet with a 13.2-inch display makes it feel even thinner.

Both the back and the frame are made of aluminum. In this case, it has a blue hue that shines intricately and seems to dance with light. Around the front, we’re looking at slim 3.55mm bezels. The buttons are solid and clicky. Overall, this tablet is masterfully crafted. Everything is in place, made with high-quality materials and ample attention to detail.

Around the back, there are some pins to power and connect to the keyboard case. There’s also a camera bump. I really wish it weren’t there, as it would have added to the lure of the ultrathin design. That said, camera bumps are a common practice in the world of tech, and it doesn’t seem like they are going away anytime soon. This one actually sticks past the keyboard case cutout, though, which I find a bit annoying.

Talking about the keyboard case, it is also very aesthetically pleasing. The thing is, it’s white and is made of a soft-touch material that seems like a grime magnet. It will look great as long as you keep it clean, though. It has a very convenient folding mechanism that is a breeze to use, as you can unfold it upen much like you would a laptop. It can even hide the stylus right behind the tablet. Typing is great, and it has a trackpad that lets you control the tablet without constantly reaching for the screen.

From a hardware and design perspective, it has what it takes to meet this “PC-level productivity.” What about the rest?

How was my experience using the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max?

Not everything is about looks and build quality. The tablet has to perform, too, and boy, does this one perform. HUAWEI supercharged every single part of the experience… except the one you’re already thinking about, but we’ll get to that later.

The first thing you’ll notice once you turn this thing on is the gorgeous display. The 13.2-inch OLED PaperMatte Display is a thing of beauty. It can output vibrant colors at a crisp 3,000 x 2,000 resolution, and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

I am also a huge fan of HUAWEI’s PaperMatte displays. The brand seems to have found the perfect balance between a media-consumption screen and one capable of challenging eReaders. It’s so good that I was able to comfortably read e-books for hours without it detracting from the stunning viewing experience during my Netflix sessions.

As the name suggests, this is a matte screen that does an amazing job at reducing glare. It will also help with eye strain, of course. While the out-of-the-box experience is already good enough, you can really supercharge its reading capabilities.

For starters, Eye Comfort mode can reduce blue light at a hardware level and prevent screen flickering. This is great for long tablet sessions, whether you’re watching your favorite shows, writing emails away, browsing the web, or gaming.

Then, there is e-book mode. This one comes in two configurations: Color or Black & White. Of course, the Black & White configuration will remove all color, making everything look like it’s coming from an e-reader. The Color variation is great for magazines or books with color illustrations, keeping color reproduction alive, but toning down saturation and reducing blue light emissions.

Oh, and as an added bonus, I do notice that it is much less of a fingerprint magnet than my other tablets! All of these things are accomplished without sacrificing a great viewing experience. It’s truly a jack-of-all-trades.

I never really talk much about tablet speakers because, let’s be honest, they’re never great. In fact, they often struggle to be decent. Consider me impressed with the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max and its set of six speakers (three on each side). But the audio on this one is… wow. I cannot express how good it is, which is impressive given how thin the tablet is.

For starters, it gets pretty loud. The sound has depth, clarity, and impressively good bass. I mean, you’ll literally feel it rumble if you hold it at full volume. This is, hands down, the best audio I’ve heard from a tablet.

Everywhere else, the tablet performs very well, as any high-end tablet should. The Kirin T93 Pro and 12GB of RAM never slowed me down. Not a single hiccup to be seen here.

Genshin Impact is one of the most demanding games available for Android, so I tested it on the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max, of course. After about two hours of downloading, I got gaming and found out it runs the game at max settings without breaking a sweat (it didn’t even get hot). If it can handle this game, it can handle any other app you throw at it.

Even battery life is outstanding. Despite its super-thin body, it packs a large battery capacity of 9,760mAh for the European model or 10,400mAh for the non-European version. As a result, I have been getting about 2-3 days of battery life per charge, even in performance mode. I was actually able to take it out of town for a whole weekend, and never had to reach for a charger.

The keyboard works great, making typing much faster and simpler than using a touchscreen. The HUAWEI M-Pencil Pro is not included, but you can purchase it separately (sometimes it’s bundled with deals). In Europe, it goes for €129.

Those who care for stylus input and decide to make the extra investment will get an experience that matches the best styluses in the industry. The design is really neat, and the pencil-like hexagonal shape fits perfectly in my hand. You’ll enjoy pressure sensitivity (over 10,000 pressure levels), an AI button to summon Celia, gestures, and more. I am no artist, but I had a fun time doodling a bit, and it was wonderful for taking notes.

The one thing that nerfs HUAWEI tablets…

You’ve read nothing but amazing things about the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max so far. The tablet is truly impressive, but we can’t forget about the one thing that usually keeps us from fully recommending HUAWEI products.

Like all modern HUAWEI devices, the MatePad Pro Max has no official support for Google Services and Apps due to a US government ban on HUAWEI that has been in effect since 2019.

While the tablet runs Android, there is no Google Play Store, Gmail, YouTube, etc. There are ways to use these, but you must jump through some hoops to do so, something that isn’t optimal for a casual user to have to deal with. And even if you get Google Services working, the lack of support and optimization can make the experience a bit buggy.

In fairness, HUAWEI has done a great job of creating its own experience without depending on Google, and you’ll find HUAWEI’s own alternatives to everything here. The platform has its own AppGallery app store, Find Device feature, Browser, Celia AI assistant, and Petal Search. It even has its own basic apps, such as Music, Video, Files, Notepad, Books, Contacts, Camera, and more.

The thing is, not everyone is used to these, so there will be a bit of a learning curve involved. Not to mention, many of these are full of advertising, which can get a bit annoying. Adding salt to injury, some of the apps won’t even work in some markets.

As you might expect, the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max isn’t available in the US. You’ll have to live elsewhere to even purchase it. Sure, you can import it, but this will result in warranty issues, lack of support, and likely import taxes, among other discrepancies. You’re already paying a high price for a tablet of this caliber, so missing out on peace of mind and having to pay even more to get it into the country isn’t ideal.

Should you buy the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max?

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max is nearly perfect. It has a stunning design, impressive performance, a gorgeous, versatile display, and a battery life that lasts for days. If you get the one with an included keyboard case, it’s also a great productivity machine, and purchasing the HUAWEI M-Pencil Pro will unleash every creative’s or note-taker’s potential. It’s an absolute beast of a pad.

Sadly, HUAWEI products continue to be dragged down by the lack of Google support, and to a lesser extent, US availability — for us in the US, forgoing a warranty and support when importing it is simply too much to ask. And if you live elsewhere, you still have to deal with the Google-less experience (or at least struggle a bit to get it). If you’re paying €1,099 to €1,299 for one of these, you want zero compromises.

All that said, I mention this more as a warning than as discouragement. You just have to know what you’re getting into if you buy this tablet. I honestly don’t mind all the bloatware and HUAWEI apps that much. And, with some tinkering, you can still use most Google services and apps (albeit with some buggy experiences from time to time). Not to mention, you can do most things from a browser, and might not even need that many apps.

If you can live with some software annoyances and don’t mind finding workarounds, this tablet is as good as they get, and if it weren’t for the software, I would say it’s my very favorite one right now.

Sadly for HUAWEI, the direct competition is pretty strong. Why struggle when alternatives like Apple’s iPad Pro series and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra ($1199 at Amazon) are really good and suffer from none of these downsides? While the HUAWEI MatePad Pro Max does a lot to make up for its disadvantages, I am simply not sure it’s enough. I hate that I loved this tablet so much and can’t just tell everyone they would absolutely enjoy it. Once again, I am reminded that we’re truly missing out on a brand that would be a very strong competitor in this market.