HUAWEI MatePad Pro In-Depth Review : A Great Bargain!

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HUAWEI MatePad Pro : Our Verdict + Award | No GMS?

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HUAWEI MatePad Pro : Our Verdict + Award

If you are looking for a powerful tablet that is also affordable, the HUAWEI MatePad Pro (US | UK | MY | SG | AU) will be right at the top of the list.

Built around the powerful Kirin 990 mobile platform, it comes with a large 10.8-inch DCI-P3 display, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.

All that is powered by a large 7,250 mAh battery (which lasted 14 hours in our test!), packed in a sleek metal chassis that is less than 8 mm thin, and weighs just 460 grams.

Best of all – HUAWEI is only selling it at the RRP of RM 2,399 / ~US$551 / ~£445 / ~A$909 / ~S$790.

Its closest competitor is the 11-inch Apple iPad Pro, and that costs a whooping RM 3,949 / ~US$923 / ~£739 / ~A$1,342 / ~S$1,285 – a 65% premium over the MatePad Pro!

And it gets even better when you add in the accessories. To make it easier to compare, we created this table :

HUAWEI MatePad Pro
(8GB + 256GB)		 Apple iPad Pro
(11-inch)		 Difference
Tablet Only RM 2,399
~US$551
~£445
~A$909
~S$790		 RM 3,949
~US$923
~£739
~A$1,342
~S$1,285		 +65%
Tablet
+ Stylus
+ Keyboard 		RM 3,197
~US$747
~£596
~A$1,086
~S$1,040		 RM 5,847
~US$1,367
~£1,091
~A$1,986
~S$1,903		 +83%

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro with all of its accessories has a RRP of RM 3,197 / ~US$747 / ~£596 / ~A$1,086 / ~S$1,040.

But while Apple products have fixed prices, you can actually get the full MatePad Pro bundle at lower prices. For example, the official bundle deals for Midnight Grey | Pearl White here in Malaysia.

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro definitely wins hands down, based on value proposition alone. You can actually buy two full MatePad Pro bundles (Midnight Grey | Pearl White) for the price of a single 11-inch iPad Pro bundle, and have enough money leftover for a nice meal for two!

That is why we are very glad to give the HUAWEI MatePad Pro (US | UK | MY | SG | AU) our Reviewer’s Choice Award!

 

HUAWEI MatePad Pro : No Google Mobile Services?

Now, let’s address elephant in the room – the HUAWEI MatePad Pro (US | UK | MY | SG | AU) runs on EMUI 10.1, with HMS (HUAWEI Mobile Services), instead of GMS (Google Mobile Services).

This means you no longer have access to the Google Play Store, and have to use HUAWEI AppGallery instead.

This is really not a big issue for many users, because HUAWEI has worked hard to add many key apps to their AppGallery. You can see just how many apps are already available on AppGallery in this video :

Even so, there is simply no way for HUAWEI to replicate the tons of Android apps that are already on Google Play Store.

For apps that are not available on the HUAWEI AppGallery, you will have to use HUAWEI Phone Clone, or directly download their APK installation files from APK repositories.

The lack of Google Play Services and the Google Play Store will, undoubtedly, be an issue for many users. Some Android require GMS for certain features :

  • Telegram : GMS is required for location services. You can use it, you just cannot search for a location, or share your location.
  • Gmail : You will have to use a different email client, like Outlook. Or just use a web browser to get access to Gmail.
  • YouTube : The YouTube app requires GMS, so you will have to watch YouTube on a web browser.
  • Grab : The Grab app requires GMS for mapping functions. You can use it, but you won’t be able to locate your current position, or track your trip.

That’s why we cannot give the MatePad Pro our Editor’s Choice Award, even though it would have qualified.

But if you can live with what’s available on HUAWEI AppGallery, or are comfortable downloading from APK repositories, then the HUAWEI MatePad Pro (US | UK | MY | SG | AU) offers truly great value for your money.

 

HUAWEI MatePad Pro : Price + Availability

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro is available in the Midnight Grey or Pearl White colour options at these launch prices :

  • 5G (6GB + 128GB) : €599
  • 5G (8GB + 256GB) : €699
  • Wi-Fi (8GB + 256GB) : RM 2,399 / ~US$551 / ~£445 / ~A$909 / ~S$790

Malaysia

Occasionally, HUAWEI offers the MatePad Pro with a free Smart Magnetic Keyboard and a free M-Pencil – saving you RM 798!

Singapore

United States

United Kingdom

Australia

 

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