The closest I came to experiencing Huawei was when I tried a few Honor devices in 2020, when the brand was still owned by Huawei.
Other than that, I can’t say that I paid much attention to the innovations brought up by the Chinese tech giant. After all, the carousel is mainly made up of Apple or Samsung users, with the occasional Xiaomi device being used.
He was my former classmate Try MatePad 10.4 Which was a pleasant experience overall, except for the fact that it relies on Google services — which Huawei phones and tablets lack.
the Matepad 11 I also checked it lacks Google services, but as you’ll see, that wasn’t a huge problem for me. What mainly intrigued me was the collaborative feature between the tablet and MateBook D15 (2021).
Matepad 11
Out of the way: Was the lack of Google services on the MatePad 11 a hindrance in my life? I use Google a lot, but do I rely on it?
not really. Like most other mobile devices, Huawei comes with its own email app pre-installed. I’ve always used a third party app to check my mail through the inbox, so it didn’t bother me.
For other services like Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms, you’ll have to jump through some hoops to make it work. Google Chrome is not a necessity for me either, because I use Samsung Internet Browser, Safari, and Microsoft Edge on my other devices most of the time.
what am I she was However, we were annoyed by the lack of a YouTube app. I can technically “download” it as a quick app on my home screen through the Huawei App Gallery, but that means I can still see it in browser mode.
Needless to say, it’s not as smooth an experience as what a proper YouTube app offers, which is a pity because the 10.95-inch IPS LCD screen with 120Hz refresh rate made it a great device for entertainment. Having 4 stereo speakers (2 on each short edge) made it even more fun.
Having got into the game due to the pandemic, I couldn’t pass up the chance to download some of my favorites on MatePad 11. (If you were wondering, they are Genshin Impact and Tears of Themis by Chinese developer miHoYo, check out the latter soon *wink emoji*.) Unfortunately, Huawei App Gallery was not available in it.
LuckilyI was brought to my attention by a great app called TapTap. Through it, I was able to download my two beloved games and enjoyed playing them on MatePad 11.
Genshin Impact is the heavier game of the two, and after seeing the burden it can place on many other devices, I didn’t have high hopes for the tablet’s performance. In fact, just having most of the settings on the medium level was enough to overclock the device and lower frames per second (FPS).
Playable, but why exactly would I agree to when a much better experience awaits me on my gaming laptop, I’ve already spent precious money?
In essence, the MatePad 11 is a great tablet for entertainment use with a few extra features that benefit light creative work, but more on the latter later.
| Positives | Negatives |
| Great sound quality | No Google services |
| Clear and Vivid Screen |
MateBook D15 (2021)
In the 2021 version of the MateBook D15. I don’t have much to say about this as a standalone device, but I will explain what I liked, and what I liked less.
I was first surprised by its 15.6-inch screen which felt larger thanks to the thinner bezels. Screen color was vibrant and clear.
Unlike Huawei phones and tablets, its laptops still come with Google services. I prefer working on a laptop and will likely request Google services when doing this, so I was happy to see that.
In practice, the MateBook D15 hasn’t changed much of my experience. Playing on it was decent too, although I did see the Genshin Impact’s FPS drop at higher settings, and there was a slight lag overall.
Since I didn’t study with Huawei laptops, I first assumed it didn’t have a webcam (the thin bezels would make it nearly impossible to get a camera in the usual spot). However, there was the camera app that confused me.
After searching for an answer on Google, I learned that there is a popup camera in the row of the Fn key. Pros: You’ll never be bothered turning on your webcam when you’re not ready for it, and enables your laptop to have a wider screen.
Biggest con? Prepare to see yourself at an unsightly angle, above your nose and well-defined double chin.
Regardless, what I found most interesting with reviewing these devices is the multi-screen collaboration feature from Huawei’s tablet and PC.
| Positives | Negatives |
| Big and clear screen | Odd angle pop-up camera |
| Holds up decently for heavy games in short periods | The sound quality is harsh on the ears |
Setting ‘dual screen’ for WFH or working remotely
From research, multi-screen collaboration isn’t a new feature from Huawei, but it appears that it was previously only available between phones, or between phones and tablets/laptops. In essence, it’s software that mirrors your phone to the other device so you can share by drag and drop as well as other conveniences. From what I can see, it is comparable to Samsung Flow.
On the other hand, multi-screen tablet and computer collaboration now allows users to connect tablets to their laptops. Offers 3 modes: mirror, expand, and collaborate. Huawei has instructions on enabling these features over here.
Connecting the devices was smooth and seamless, although one thing to note is that if either device goes into sleep mode, you’ll have to reconnect them again.
Mirror
As its name suggests, it mirrors what’s on your MateBook onto the MatePad screen. One advantage of this feature is how you sign or rely on documents.
For example, in the Word Doc, I can use the M-Pencil (I got the second generation, which is a hard stylus) on my MatePad with my laptop’s reflective screen on it to sign my name, or scribble notes. I can then use my finger to select a specific scribble and adjust its position. This will all be reflected in real time on the actual document in your laptop as well.
extends
This works as a laptop screen extension, meaning you can drag and drop a window onto your tablet screen so you don’t have to keep switching between tabs. If you are already familiar with screen use, this is nothing new. It just enables you to view more windows at once while controlling them from a single point: your laptop.
cooperate
In this mode, your laptop and tablet are connected but running their own systems. This means that files on your tablet can be dragged and dropped into a document on your laptop, for example.
Overall, multi-screen collaboration on the tablet worked well, albeit with some slight lag in mouse movements. My work doesn’t actually require technology like this, so I may have reduced its use, although it’s a good feature.
My first real taste of a tech ecosystem
I’ve never been someone who subscribed to the idea of technological ecosystems. After all, I’ve been using iPhones and Windows laptops for most of my adult life.
Since I’ve never experienced a tech ecosystem, I’ve convinced myself that I don’t like the idea of being tied to one brand and completely reliant on it for all of my devices. Was that much relief really worth the commitment?
But with this experience, I can definitely see the appeal now. The only thing missing from my arsenal is a Huawei phone to complete the ecosystem. Besides, I found the tablet setup price to be convenient, with the MatePad 11 starting at RM1,999 and the MateBook D15 starting at RM2,999.
This means that I can technically get a dummy “dual screen” setup that can be carried around RM5K. It’s a good option for working remotely, or even just WFH when you’re short on space.
People have less time nowadays to think and worry about the little things like hardware compatibility – the tech ecosystem easily overcomes this. It stands to reason that this is the direction tech makers are heading towards, as it is a feature that will appeal to much of the existing work crowd.
As for me, I’m happy with my mix-and-match ways, but in the future when it’s time to make a switch, I’ll probably consider subscribing to a tech ecosystem, and Huawei has become a strong contender in my eyes.
- You can learn more about MatePad 11 over here, the MateBook D15 (2021) over here.
- You can read more provisions of VP over here.
cum rule A series in which we personally try to test products, services, fashion, and applications. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send a suggestion to our Facebook page.
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