Huawei MatePad Paper evaluate: A Kindle killer that thinks it is a pill

Huawei MatePad Paper

MSRP $550.00

“The Huawei MatePad Paper is a wonderful big-screen eReader and comes with the tactile M Pencil stylus for useful note-taking, however the excessive worth hinders it from being a real Kindle competitor.”

Professionals

• M Pencil and Folio Cowl included
• Textual content and voice note-taking is superb
• Skinny and cozy to carry
• Giant display screen provides versatility

Cons

• No water resistance
• Sparse alternative within the Bookstore
• Excessive worth

Is the Huawei MatePad Paper an e-reader, a productiveness software, or a pill? It’s really slightly little bit of all three and this makes it a reasonably area of interest piece of package, notably due to its eye-wideningly excessive worth. Nonetheless, in contrast to Huawei telephones, you may benefit from the MatePad Paper even in the event you depend on Google’s providers throughout your on a regular basis life. Mix that with Huawei’s expertise for making nice {hardware}, and anybody who’s severe about e-books will wish to take a better look.

Design

At its coronary heart, the Huawei MatePad Paper is an e-reader, taking over the just about ubiquitous Amazon Kindle vary. Nonetheless, with its 10.3-inch high-resolution E Ink display screen, it’s bigger and extra versatile than the e-book-focused Kindle. It additionally comes with a stylus so you should utilize it as a notepad or sketchbook, and the software program has a pre-installed e-mail program, a voice recorder, and varied different productiveness options.

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

The slim slate measures 6.65mm thick and is 182mm vast, and weighs 305 grams. That is heavier than a Kindle Paperwhite, however lighter than a ninth technology Apple iPad and since the burden has been equally unfold by its chassis, the MatePad Paper by no means feels heavy in any respect.

Huawei has lined the MatePad Paper in what appears to be like a bit like leather-based however feels lots like plastic. It does have a nice tactile end although. The chassis itself is plastic with a pair of audio system, a quantity management, a USB Sort-C connection to cost the system, and a fingerprint sensor within the high proper of the physique. That is reasonably dependable, however not all that quick.

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

I’ve been utilizing the MatePad Paper principally as an e-reader and for this it’s glorious. I like the big display screen as I can have smaller textual content and match extra on one web page, and haven’t discovered the burden off-putting. It’s snug to carry for lengthy intervals, and the large display screen means you may relaxation it in your chest when studying in mattress. The left-hand aspect of the chassis has a bigger bezel than the opposite aspect, supplying you with someplace to carry the system.

For studying e-books, the MatePad Paper is a good companion, and there’s one thing very cool in regards to the massive, monochrome E Ink display screen. I additionally like that it doesn’t appear like simply one other iPad clone, and the subtle model makes it stand out towards the straightforward Kindle.

Display

The MatePad Paper’s 10.3-inch E Ink display screen has an 1872 x 1404 pixel decision, leading to a 227 pixel-per-inch (ppi) pixel density. For reference, that is decrease than the 300ppi on the smaller Kindle Paperwhite and the 264ppi of a ninth technology Apple iPad, and I do discover. Textual content remains to be outlined and readable, nevertheless it’s not fairly as razor-sharp as you get on the Paperwhite or an Apple iPad.

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

You possibly can change the scale and weight of the font and the brightness, however there’s no system-wide choice to change the look of the display screen, comparable to altering the background colour for different “paper” appears to be like. It’s monochrome all the best way too, so don’t anticipate to view colour photos, which means it’s probably not appropriate for studying comics or magazines. The MatePad Paper’s display screen delivers a primary however competent viewing expertise however isn’t as sharp because the competitors or appropriate for a lot exterior of textual content viewing.

As that is an E Ink display screen you must take care of some delay when interacting with the touchscreen. The lag can frustrate in the event you attempt to do issues too shortly, however in the event you’re simply tapping to show the web page or navigating by menus it’s wonderful. The gesture management system works effectively offered you’re affected person, and it’s correct sufficient which you could simply use the sliders to regulate quantity, font measurement, or display screen brightness.

Huawei MatePad Paper in its Folio Cowl Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

Huawei touts a Sensible Refresh characteristic on the MatePad Paper, however I’ve discovered even with this switched on the display screen does want manually refreshing usually, because of “ghost” photos showing on the E Ink display screen behind the textual content you’re making an attempt to learn. It’s not an issue, however in the event you’re not conscious a refresh cures it, then it may be a fear.

What about video? Nicely, it really works. There’s a browser put in and you’ll entry YouTube by it. Video performs at a low body price and solely in monochrome, so that you gained’t be watching films on it, however you may inform what’s happening and the audio not solely sounds nice, nevertheless it’s in-time and synced with the low body price video. Nonetheless, watching video isn’t enjoyable, and though the display screen is even larger than an iPad, the MatePad Paper is unquestionably not a multimedia powerhouse.

Studying books

E Ink screens are perfect for studying e-books. They aren’t uncomfortably vibrant, don’t pressure your eyes with extreme flicker, and don’t emit blue mild to break your sleep patterns both. I’ve been studying on the MatePad Paper for greater than every week now. By default Huawei installs its personal Bookstore app, however what a disappointing place it’s. The choice is sparse at greatest so don’t go in search of perennial favorites just like the Harry Potter collection.

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

I checked the Amazon Kindle retailer’s high 20 books after which looked for them in Huawei’s Bookstore. Whereas the overwhelming majority aren’t out there the couple that do present up aren’t in English. The few authors from Amazon’s high 20 record which might be in Huawei’s Bookstore have books in Italian for instance, whereas I discovered Min Jee Lee’s Pachinko in Hungarian. I might purchase some basic literature in English and a few extra fashionable titles, however the alternative is skinny, to say the least.

Any books you purchase by the Bookstore are stored within the Bookshelf app. Go to it and also you’ll discover a Most In style part which I assume is pulled from the Bookstore, the place every beneficial e book has a free preview. Besides, all of the books it exhibits are badly written, soft-core smut with titles like The Secret Alpha Boss, A Mistaken Marriage with Mr. CEO, and Pressured Marriage with the Billionaire.

I’m no prude, however pushing this on what might be a household system exhibits poor moderation on Huawei’s half. From a technical standpoint, if you open certainly one of these books (for analysis functions, clearly), the formatting is totally off, leaving me involved about all pay-for titles from the Huawei Bookstore.

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

Is that it, then? A superb system killed by horrible software program? No. Though Huawei’s AppGallery app retailer is out there on the MatePad Paper, it’s Huawei’s Petal Search that involves the rescue. This characteristic additionally enables you to discover and obtain APK information of apps not out there in Huawei’s AppGallery, and Amazon’s Kindle reader is installable this manner. I signed into my account, and it really works and syncs with out a drawback. You possibly can fortunately learn your Kindle books on the MatePad Paper.

What about different books and shops? There’s clearly no Apple Books or Google Play Books service, however by Petal Search Kobo Books is out there as an APK file, whereas FBReader and Aldiko reader apps are within the AppGallery. Nonetheless, making them give you the results you want might be one other story. Some information alerted me they have been old-fashioned and though I might switch information from my Mac Mini utilizing a USB Sort-C cable and Android File Switch, the dreaded DRM precipitated an issue in some conditions, comparable to formatting points for PDF information.

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

The MatePad Paper additionally makes use of Huawei’s Tremendous System connection and file switch system. Once I tried this with a Huawei Mate-book X laptop computer it wasn’t instantly apparent find out how to switch information, and it additionally knowledgeable me the characteristic didn’t permit APK file switch in any respect. It will let me use the MatePad Paper as a second display screen, a wholly unhelpful characteristic on an E Ink system.

Whereas it appears like a little bit of a ache to wrangle apps and information on the MatePad Paper, compatibility and file switch points aren’t distinctive to it, and I’ve had related bother with different e-readers previously. The Kindle app works, shows acceptably, and you should buy books by it with out a drawback, which can be all some individuals actually need.

Stylus and software program

The MatePad Paper makes use of Huawei’s HarmonyOS 2 software program. There’s an onscreen keyboard to sort and the E Ink display screen manages to maintain up fairly effectively, though I wouldn’t wish to sort something of any size utilizing it. For that, you get the 2nd technology M Pencil stylus included within the field. Comparable in measurement and thickness to an Apple Pencil, it has 4,096 ranges of strain sensitivity and a 26-millisecond latency, plus it’s charged when magnetically connected to the aspect of the MatePad Paper.

Huawei wins factors for together with the magnetically charging M Pencil within the field with the MatePad Paper, one thing few different corporations do, and that’s simply the beginning of the excellent news. It’s an absolute pleasure to make use of. Huawei has tailor-made the display screen and stylus’s interplay with it to really feel precisely like writing on paper, and it does a tremendous job of replicating this tactile expertise.

There’s a Notes app put in, and in it, there are a number of choices together with paper types, pen sorts, font colours, and textual content boldness. You possibly can convert handwriting to textual content prepared to repeat and paste into an e-mail, and in my restricted testing, it did effectively at recognizing my scrawl except I went out of my strategy to write messily. I favored the way it additionally picked up misspellings.

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

What else are you able to do on the MatePad Paper? Utilizing the M Pencil you may annotate pages in a e book, and there’s a split-screen mode to take notes when studying too, and this works in studying apps put in individually. There’s a voice recorder app that does a surprisingly good job and I might see it getting used for lectures or interviews, and the audio system for playback are loud and clear. The MatePad Paper has a reliable e-mail app with fast setup for Gmail, Yahoo, and Microsoft accounts, plus a calendar and calculator pre-installed.

Battery, storage, and connectivity

The MatePad Paper comes with 64GB of storage so there’s loads of house for books, easy information, and emails. Sadly, there’s no house for a MicroSD card. It connects to a Wi-Fi community and has a Bluetooth 5.2 connection for headphones so you may take heed to audiobooks.

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

Andy Boxall/Digital Developments

Inside is a 3,625mAh battery that Huawei says will final for 28 days on standby, which doesn’t actually imply a lot in the true world. Thus far, utilizing the MatePad Paper every day for a minimum of an hour of studying, together with utilizing the extra options of the pill and charging the M Pencil, I’ve seen about 10 days of use.

That is far lower than you’d get from an Amazon Kindle, and the value you pay for the bigger display screen and extra performance. Use the MatePad Paper solely as an e-reader and also you’d probably stretch this day out, however don’t anticipate it to proceed for weeks with out a go to to the charger.

Value and availability

The Huawei MatePad Paper’s last international launch date hasn’t been confirmed but, however we do know a worth for its European launch — 499 euros. That’s about $550. For this, you get the MatePad Paper, the M Pencil stylus, and a folio cowl within the field.

Our Take

The MatePad Paper is tremendous skinny, reasonably elegant to have a look at, and cozy to carry. It makes excellent sense as a Kindle Paperwhite different for individuals who could discover the 7-inch display screen too small, or wish to get slightly extra performance from their E Ink system.

Nonetheless, you would purchase three Kindle Paperwhite e-readers and nonetheless have some cash left over for a number of books for the value of 1 MatePad Paper. Meaning you’ve acquired to essentially plan to make use of the stylus, the note-taking, and the productiveness options for it to make any sense.

Simply because it has a display screen the scale of an Apple iPad, don’t contemplate it a direct different both, because the E Ink display screen means if you wish to watch the video you’re higher off with an everyday pill. An iPad 10.2 is cheaper than the MatePad Paper too.

Whereas I do suppose it’s a wonderful different to a Kindle, the remainder of the options gained’t at all times attraction, and it may’t compete with true multi-purpose {hardware} like a pill. The MatePad Paper occupies a niche-within-a-niche, and whereas I’m having fun with studying my e-books on it I’m very conscious I’d do the identical on a competing system for lots much less cash.

Is there a greater different?

Sure. In case you solely wish to learn e-books and supply the vast majority of them from Amazon, then the Kindle Paperwhite is cheaper and equally as succesful. If you wish to additionally use a stylus and watch video on an enormous display screen, the ninth technology Apple iPad 10.2 is appropriate with the first-generation Apple Pencil, and nonetheless is available in at across the similar worth because the Huawei MatePad Paper. If an Apple system isn’t for you, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is a wonderful Android pill.

How lengthy will it final?

The Folio Cowl included with the MatePad Paper does assist defend it, however there’s no water resistance so that you’ll wish to watch out within the bathtub or on the seashore. You have to be aware of the software program state of affairs too. Whereas Huawei will replace HarmonyOS, many apps you need have to be downloaded as an APK file, and there’s no absolute assure they’ll proceed working with out fault over time. That mentioned, in the event you solely learn e-books, the MatePad Paper’s limitation would be the 64GB of inner space for storing, however in the event you don’t fill that up shortly it ought to final you for a number of years.

Must you purchase it?

No. The excessive worth makes it a tricky promote when put up towards extensively out there competing merchandise just like the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and Apple iPad 10.2.

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