Huawei recently announced its new MatePad Air tablet for 2024. As the name suggests, the MatePad Air provides a lightweight and thin tablet design while still packing in some powerful specs. Let’s take a closer look at what Huawei has to offer with their latest premium tablet.

Design

The first thing you’ll notice about the MatePad Air is its thin and lightweight design. It measures in at just 5.9mm thick and weighs only 555g, making it incredibly portable. The aluminum body gives it a premium feel without adding unnecessary bulk.

The 12-inch display has thin bezels on all sides, achieving an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 86.3%. This large crisp display is perfect for consuming media, working on documents, or browsing the web. Knowing many will use this as an e-reader, Huawei included an eye comfort mode to filter out blue light.

For connectivity, the MatePad Air features dual-band WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and various satellite navigation systems. While there is no cellular option, the wireless capabilities are plenty for most users. USB-C charging and a magnetic accessory connector allow for charging other devices or attaching the keyboard cover.

Stylus support is included as well, with a magnetic stylus that easily attaches to the side of the tablet for note-taking or drawing. Additional accessories like a keyboard cover are sold separately for true laptop-like functionality. Overall, the MatePad Air’s design achieves sleek portability without sacrificing functionality.

Display

Under the hood is a 12-inch 2800×1840 IPS LCD panel. With a high 144Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1000 nits, content really pops on this display. The increased refresh rate provides buttery smooth scrolling and interaction.

The 3:2 aspect ratio is ideal for productivity tasks, allowing more vertical space than traditional 16:9 tablets. Coupled with the high resolution, the text and images appear incredibly sharp. HDR10 support enhances colors and contrast for an impressive visual experience whether streaming movies or viewing photos.

Despite being an LCD, the color accuracy and brightness make it compete with OLED displays in many settings. The screen is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass with an oleophobic coating to resist fingerprints and smudges.

Hardware & Performance

Powering the MatePad Air is Huawei’s own Kirin 9000E 5G chipset. This flagship-level processor delivers incredibly smooth and responsive performance for both everyday tasks and more intensive apps. You’ll have no issues multitasking between multiple apps or quickly loading large files.

Memory configurations include 8GB or 12GB of RAM depending on storage selection of 256GB or 512GB. The ample RAM ensures apps stay cached in memory for fast launching, while ample storage holds all your files, photos, videos, and downloads.

Battery life is excellent thanks to the large 10100mAh battery inside. Huawei rates it as providing up to 14 hours of local video playback on a single charge. With the included 66W SuperCharge, just 30 minutes plugged in provides over 5 hours of use.

The dual rear camera system consists of a 13MP main camera and 8MP ultra-wide. While not meant for professional photography, it’s suitable for occasional photos or scanning documents. An 8MP front camera handles video calls and selfies.

Software

HarmonyOS 4 powers the MatePad Air, Huawei’s proprietary operating system. The interface provides a mix of Android and iOS influences for an intuitive experience. Multi-device collaboration allows seamless drag and drop between phones, tablets, and computers.

AppGallery delivers plenty of optimized apps to choose from, though some major services are still absent. But you can browse alternatives online as an internet-only tablet. The system is optimized for productivity with multi-window mode, sidebars, split-screen apps, and more.

Backed by Huawei’s own services like Petal Search, Maps, and more, you get a consistent experience without Google’s. Regular updates will continue improving the OS experience over time.

Conclusion

Priced at around 370 euros, the Huawei MatePad Air offers a well-rounded premium tablet experience for the cost. The thin and lightweight design makes it ultra-portable yet still powerful with flagship specs, superb display, long battery life, and speedy charging.

While software availability remains its biggest weakness over competitors, HarmonyOS improves productivity and Huawei continues expanding its app catalog. For those seeking a capable tablet not tied to any one app store ecosystem, the MatePad Air delivers great value and performance. Its sleek design, beautiful display, and long battery life make it suitable for everyday use, media enjoyment, and light productivity on the go.

That covers the key details of Huawei’s new MatePad Air tablet released in 2024 based on the provided specifications. Let me know if you have any other questions!