Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 Review: Doodler’s Delight

Huawei has released a lot of tablets this year, and with each new model that crosses my desk, I seem to dub it the best Android tablet for illustration and digital art. Now, the MatePad Pro 12.2 has arrived, and it’s gunning for that title yet again.

So, what makes these tablets so good for doodling, you may be wondering? It’s a combination of Huawei’s ultra-low-latency NearLink stylus, the textured anti-glare PaperMatte display options and Huawei’s exclusive GoPaint app – which is basically a clone of the extremely popular (and iOS-exclusive) Procreate.

With this latest slate, Huawei is bringing dual-layer tandem OLED tech and a PaperMatte finish together for the first time. There’s also a massive battery, fast charging, loads of speakers and a new thoughtfully designed keyboard cover. It’s off to a promising start.

However, this is a Huawei product, and, unfortunately, that comes with some baggage. There’s no access to Google services without workarounds, and you won’t find the latest Qualcomm chip here either. Is this tablet still worth considering? I’ve been using it for the last week in an attempt to find out.

Design, Build & Accessories

• Unique Golden Silk finish
• 5.5mm thick, 508g
• New Glide keyboard and M-Pencil

With a 12.2-inch display onboard, it’s no surprise that the MatePad Pro 12.2 is a fairly sizeable tablet. Thankfully, the use of slim, symmetrical bezels keeps the size in check, while it’s fairly lightweight and so portable enough to take on the road.

Huawei says it’s the lightest 12-inch tablet ever, tipping the scales at just 508g without accessories. For reference, Apple’s 13-inch iPad Pro weighs in at 579g, while Samsung’s 12.4-inch Tab S9+ weighs 581g. There’s not a massive amount in it, but for what it’s worth, it feels dense and premium without being a pain to carry.

My sample has Huawei’s new Golden Silk finish on the rear, and it’s a unique look that I’m sure will divide opinion. It has a matt, paper-like texture to it, plus a pattern of interwoven lines that become visible as the light hits it. The back of the device looks and feels a bit like fancy wallpaper. Personally, I think the darker Black finish is slightly more appropriate for a ‘Pro’ device, but it’s nice to have options.

The back of the device looks and feels a bit like fancy wallpaper

On my sample, the side rails have a matt golden finish that’s quite grippy and doesn’t pick up fingerprint smudges. There’s a combination fingerprint reader and power button on the top side, a volume rocker on the right and a USB-C port on the base. Elsewhere, you’ll find lots of small holes for the tablet’s vast array of speakers and microphones.

The MatePad Pro 12.2 can be purchased with an optional new keyboard cover called the Glide Keyboard, and it’s a massive design change compared to previous iterations. It’s all one piece, rather than being a separate kickstand and keyboard section, and this means you get a much more robust hinge as part of the package.

Most designs use a kickstand on the rear of the tablet to adjust the angle of the screen, while the keyboard section can flop about with no resistance. This means they work great on a desk, but they’re really difficult to use on your lap. The new Glide Keyboard works more like a traditional laptop – you can freely adjust the angle of the screen and it’ll stay where you put it.

There are two pre-set magnetised positions for the tablet to sit at, and you get a decent range of forward motion on the hinge using either one. Neither can tilt backwards from their starting point, but instead, you can move the tablet forward, leaving only the trackpad accessible in what Huawei calls Studio mode.

The hinge has a hidden compartment for storing your M-Pencil, behind where the tablet sits, and it’ll charge when it’s stowed in this location. It’s a much more secure solution than magnetically attaching the stylus to the side of the tablet, where it can easily pop off and get lost when you put it in a backpack. However, if you prefer, it still attaches and charges in that location, too.

This new keyboard is much nicer to type on than traditional designs – it has very natural feeling spacing, a stiff and rigid deck and a good amount of key travel. My only complaint is that there’s no delete key, so you have to use function and backspace together.

The large trackpad works flawlessly, and overall I’m extremely impressed with the Glide keyboard. There are a few downsides, though. 

The new hinge design sticks out further than the tablet when folded down, increasing the overall footprint. It’s also a lot heavier than a typical keyboard cover, which negates some of the weight savings of the tablet itself. It’s about 420g for the keyboard cover alone, or 928g for both combined. Not exactly lightweight, but still lighter than most laptops.

Screen & Speakers

• 2.8K 144Hz Tandem OLED display, PaperMatte option
• 2000 nits peak brightness
• 8 speakers and a 3.5cc rear chamber

Arguably the biggest upgrade with this model is the dual-layer tandem OLED display, similar to the latest iPad Pro models and the Honor Magic 6 RSR.

If you’re not familiar, this tech essentially doubles up on OLED panels to achieve a higher brightness output with less stress on the individual pixels. The result should be a display that lives three times longer than a traditional OLED and has a much lower risk of burn-in when maxing out the brightness levels.

The big difference here is that the technology has been combined with Huawei’s PaperMatte display tech for the first time. So you get a massive 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a speedy 144Hz refresh rate, up to 2000 nits of brightness and a luxurious anti-glare coating that looks and feels like paper. There’s also no notch or cutout in this display, as Huawei has managed to squeeze the front-facing camera into the slim bezel. 

If you’d prefer, you can opt for a traditional glass coating, and that might be the way to go if you want the best black levels for indoor viewing. Personally, though, I absolutely love the PaperMatte finish. It makes the tablet infinitely more usable outdoors, as it almost completely eliminates distracting reflections. At the same time, it’s extremely smudge-resistant, has a velvety feel on your fingertips and adds some much-needed friction to the stylus tip when you’re doodling.

I absolutely love the PaperMatte finish…it almost completely eliminates distracting reflections

HDR content looks gorgeous on this display. The shadows are dark and detailed, and the highlights are eyeball-searing. As mentioned, the regular glass screen will give you slightly deeper blacks, but I think the low reflectivity of the PaperMatte display is a worthwhile trade-off. 

There are some software limitations to be wary of, though. I watched most of my HDR content through YouTube, which isn’t available by default and had to be sideloaded. The same goes for Netflix, but the lack of a Widevine L1 certification means you’re stuck with SDR streaming. So, while the display looks gorgeous, you’ll need to investigate carefully if the services you use play nicely with Huawei’s OS.

When it comes to audio, Huawei is swinging for the fences again. You get a whopping total of 8 speaker drivers, combined with the brand’s largest ever rear cavity speaker chamber for a more full-bodied sound. 

The result is an astonishingly loud sound output, and an impressive amount of bass, considering this is a tablet that’s just 5.5mm thick. The audio quality comes close to rivalling budget Bluetooth speakers, and you certainly won’t need to grab your headphones to enjoy watching content around the house.  

Specs & Performance

• Likely Kirin 9000S chipset, but not confirmed
• 12GB RAM
• 512GB Storage

When asked what chip is inside the MatePad Pro 12.2, Huawei declined to comment, but GSMArena has it listed as the Kirin 9000S. Whatever the case may be, it’s undoubtedly one of Huawei’s own Kirin chips, likely similar to the one found in the Pura 70 Ultra. My sample has this mystery chip paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

US sanctions prevent Huawei from using many of the latest and greatest chips, so whatever is in here, it’s not likely to rival the latest and greatest from Qualcomm or MediaTek – and that’s probably the reason behind the coyness.

Despite that, the tablet performs well in use. I never noticed any slowdowns or stuttering, even during heavy multitasking. Huawei has done well to optimise its software for the platform and the result is a tablet that feels snappy and responsive at all times.

Huawei has done well to optimise its software for the platform

Our benchmarks show that the MatePad Pro 12.2 is behind the competition, but it’s not awful in computational workloads, falling just shy of Google Tensor G4 performance in Geekbench 6. However, in GPU-heavy benchmarks, the gap quickly widens. It’s certainly not the top option for gamers.

That said, in the real world, the MatePad Pro 12.2 can run most games without issue. To my surprise, Genshin Impact on high settings remained completely playable at 30fps. There was the odd slowdown during an intense battle, but it’s not awful.

Stick to the medium preset and you can enjoy a solid 60fps experience. You’re not likely to find a game where you can take full advantage of the speedy 144Hz display, though.

Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 PaperMatte Edition benchmarks

Cameras

• 13Mp f/1.8 main – 4K 30fps video
• 8Mp f/2.2 ultrawide
• 16Mp f/2.2 selfie – 1080p 30fps video

Tablets usually have pretty mediocre cameras, and unfortunately, the MatePad Pro 12.2 is no different.

The front camera is decent enough for video calls, but it’s not likely to wow anyone. There’s no autofocus and the FOV is a little tighter than I would have liked. It’s a pretty small sensor, so it gets noisy in the dark, but stick to well-lit areas and it’ll get the job done.

Around the back, you get a 13Mp main camera and an 8Mp ultrawide. The main camera is the best, but it’s still unimpressive. It does, at least, have reliable autofocus and it supports 4K video recording at 30fps. It’s worth noting that there’s no optical image stabilisation, and the electronic stabilisation isn’t the best, so you’ll need steady hands to make the most of this feature.

The front camera is decent enough for video calls, but it’s not likely to wow anyone

For some reason, Huawei has added a 10x zoom button to the camera UI, but I would refrain from pressing it. The results are so pixelated that they look like were taken with a GameBoy.

The ultrawide is about as basic as they come, and there’s some barrel distortion at the edges that gives it a bit of a GoPro look. It’s there if you need it, but unless you’re scanning a QR code or you’re on a video call, you should probably pull out your phone instead.

Battery Life & Charging

• 10,100 mAh battery pack
• 14 hours of video playback/380 days standby time
• 100W fast charging

The MatePad Pro 12.2 has a massive 10,100mAh battery, and the brand claims this can give you up to 14 hours of video playback on a charge. Huawei also advertises exceptional standby time: apparently, it can last for over a year while sitting idle, then…