Is Huawei’s latest tabet powered by HarmonyOS 2 a winner? Find out more in this Huawei MatePad Pro (2021) review.<\/b>
\nAbout this Huawei MatePad Pro (2021) review: I used the 12.6-inch Huawei MatePad Pro (2021) for four days running HarmonyOS 2.0.0.122. The MatePad Pro was provided to Android Authority by Huawei for this review. What you need to know about the Huawei MatePad Pro (2021) Huawei also offers a more direct successor to last year\u2019s model with a 10.8-inch 2021 version. This tablet packs a not-quite-flagship-class Snapdragon 870, smaller 7,250mAh battery, and sticks with a 60Hz LCD for its display technology. Fortunately, the tablet offers the same 8GB RAM and 128\/256GB memory options as its bigger sibling. What\u2019s new with the revamped hardware? Huawei’s tablet looks and feels like a premium device. HarmonyOS itself is rather good for a tablet OS, even if the skin is heavily Apple-inspired (see the app dock), and isn\u2019t really a game-changer from its previous EMUI software. Powered by Huawei\u2019s Kirin 9000E chipset, the OS is snappy and smooth. It also offers a smorgasbord of handy features, such as app shortcuts and a side dock, draggable windows, system-wide dark mode, and support for Huawei\u2019s multi-screen collaboration with compatible phones and monitors. The settings menu, notification shade, and quick settings are all clean and simple to navigate. At its core, HarmonyOS does everything you want and does it well. Sadly, the apps situation remains unsatisfactory for most users. AppGallery still only offers a limited selection of popular Western apps and those that are pre-installed are bloated with ads and trial prompts. Case in point, Huawei Video has a tiny tucked away icon for local video files, but tabs worth of free and paid content. I\u2019m not really sure why anyone outside of China would sign up for Huawei Video+ or any of the other advertised video services, as the content is really not targeted at Western audiences. Many Huawei apps are littered with free trials, coupons, ‘recommendations’, and membership options. The third-party app situation is better but remains a compromised experience. While Petal Search can find a decent number of apps, it doesn\u2019t always pull the latest versions available. I attempted to install Netflix and Jellyfin to set the tablet up for media use, but Petal Search installed out-of-date versions from APKPure. I had to manually search for the apps on the website to find the latest apk files, which obviously isn\u2019t very good from either a feature or security standpoint. I also received an unsafe site warning from my ISP when Petal Search diverted me to Aptoide for apks. Still, if you want to use your tablet for Facebook, Twitter, and the like, you can get hold of these apps after jumping through a few hoops. How are the accessories? Huawei\u2019s M-Pencil is very accurate when it comes to pointing, handwriting, and drawing, and it\u2019s a pleasing weight in the hand. The stylus charges wirelessly when stuck to the magnetic spot on the top of the tablet, which is very smart. While the hardware is well-thought-out, the software is a little more finicky. Handwriting-to-text isn\u2019t always accurate when spelling less common words and it\u2019s a little annoying to have to start writing in text fields rather than anywhere on the screen. It also doesn\u2019t offer any fancy features like Samsung\u2019s S-Pen, such as Air Actions or a click button. The Smart Magnetic Keyboard is more of a mixed bag. The magnetic elements work well, snapping snugly to the back of the Huawei MatePad Pro and allowing for two different levels of tablet tilt. Like the stylus, it connects seamlessly via Bluetooth. However, as is typical with keyboard covers, the keys themselves are ultra-slim so there\u2019s very little travel. There are also large gaps between the keys, so it\u2019s unforgiving when speed typing. It\u2019s a decent enough keyboard for web browsing and emails, but I wouldn\u2019t want to type 1,000 words with it. The Huawei MatePad Pro offers great hardware but its apps are an ad-riddled mess. Software remains a problem for the company, and this time around it\u2019s not the fault of US sanctions of missing Google apps. App procurement is still a mess of third-party sources that are at best a pain to navigate and at worst fail to provide the best results. The fact that my ISP warns me about some of Huawei\u2019s apk sources is alarming. It\u2019s just not a good setup for most users. Despite app procurement still being a mess, Huawei seems more eager to push its multimedia ecosystem front and center to better compete with the likes of Apple, Google, and Samsung. But at the moment, the services have neither the content nor the refinement to command premium subscription prices. The company also seems to think users like to be bombarded with notifications, emails, and texts from its advertising partners. Huawei might want the ad money, but this has the adverse effect of cheapening its tablet experience and interfering with the core usability of its apps.<\/p>\n