What Huawei seemed to experience the most was when I tested a few Honor devices in 2020, when the brand was still owned by Huawei.
Other than that, I can’t say I’ve paid much attention to the innovations the Chinese tech giant has released. After all, my circle is mostly made up of Apple or Samsung users, with the occasional Xiaomi device being used.
My partner had done it before i tried the MatePad 10.4 which was an overall enjoyable experience, except for the fact that it depends on Google’s services, which are missing from Huawei’s phones and tablets.
He MatePad 11 I’ve checked that it doesn’t have Google services either, but as you’ll see, it wasn’t a problem. What mainly fascinated me was a collaborative feature between the tablet and the MateBook D15 (2021).
MatePad 11
To remove it: was Google’s lack of services on the MatePad 11 a hindrance to my life? I use Google a lot, but do I trust it?
Not really. Like most other handheld devices, Huawei includes a pre-installed email app. I’ve always used a third-party app to check my mail in my inboxes, so that didn’t bother me.
For other services like Google Docs, Spreadsheets, and Forms, you’ll need to skip a few hoops for it to work. Google Chrome isn’t a necessity for me either, as most of the time I use Samsung’s Internet browser, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.
That I era However, the annoyance was the lack of a YouTube app. Technically I could “download” it as a quick app on the home screen from Huawei’s app gallery, but that meant I was still watching it in browser mode.
Needless to say, it’s not as smooth an experience as a proper YouTube app would offer, which was a shame because the 10.95-inch IPS LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate made it a very fun device. Having 4 stereo speakers (2 on each short edge) made it even more enjoyable.
Having entered games for the pandemic, I couldn’t give up the opportunity to download some of my favorites to MatePad 11. (If you’re wondering, they’re Genshin Impact and Tears of Themis from Chinese developer miHoYo, check out the latter soon * wink emoji *.) Unfortunately, Huawei App Gallery did not have one.
Fortunately, caught the attention of a wonderful app called TapTap. Through it, I was able to download my two beloved games and have fun playing them on the MatePad 11.
Genshin Impact is the heaviest game of both and, given the load it can carry on many other devices, I did not have high hopes for the performance of the tablet. In fact, just having most of the media settings was enough to overclock the device and the frames per second (FPS) dropped.
Playable, though, why would I settle for that, when I was expecting a much better experience on the gaming laptop for which I already made precious money?
The MatePad 11, in essence, is a really nice tablet for free use with a few extra features that benefit from the light creative work, but later on the latter.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great sound quality | No Google services |
| Clear and vibrant screen |
MateBook D15 (2021)
In the 2021 variant of the MateBook D15. I have less to say about this as a standalone device, but I will point out what I liked and what I liked least.
I was first surprised by its 15.6-inch screen that felt even bigger thanks to the thin bezels. The color of the screen was vivid and clear.
Unlike Huawei phones and tablets, their laptops still include Google services. I prefer to work on a laptop and are more likely to need Google services when I do, so I was glad to see that.
From a work standpoint, the MateBook D15 didn’t change my experience much. The game was decent too, although I could see how my FPS fell into the impact of Genshin in higher configurations and overall there was a slight lag.
Unbeknownst to Huawei’s laptops, he had first assumed he didn’t have a webcam (thin bezels would make it nearly impossible to have one in the usual place). Still, there was one camera app that confused me.
After searching for an answer on Google, I learned that there was a camera popping up in the Fn key row. The Benefits: You’ll never be scared all of a sudden if your webcam is turned on when you’re not ready for it and allows your laptop to have a larger screen.
The largest? Get ready to be seen at an ugly angle, climbing up your nostrils and a well-defined double chin.
Other than that, what I found most interesting with the review of these devices was the Huawei Tablet-PC’s multi-screen collaboration feature.
| Pros | Cons |
| Large and clear screen | Pop-up camera with a strange angle |
| It resists decently for heavy games in short duration | The sound quality is hard on the ears |
A “dual monitor” configuration for WFH or remote work
Through research, Multi-Screen Collaboration is not a new feature of Huawei, but it appears that previously it was only available between phones or between phones and tablets / laptops. In essence, it’s a program that mirrors your other device’s phone so you can share and drag and drop more other amenities. From what I can see, it is comparable to Samsung Flow.
Multi-screen Tablet-PC collaboration, on the other hand, now allows users to connect their tablets to their laptops. It offers 3 modes: Mirror, Expand and Collaborate. Huawei has instructions for activating these features here.
Connecting the devices was straightforward and straightforward, though keep in mind that if either device stays idle, you’ll need to reconnect them.
Mirror
As its name suggests, it reflects the contents of your MateBook on the MatePad screen. One of the advantages of this feature is how you can sign or draw documents.
For example, in a Word Doc, I can use the M-Pencil (I have the second generation, which is a stylus) on the MatePad with the laptop screen mirrored to sign my name or make scribble notes. Then I can use my finger to select a specific scribble and adjust its position. All will be reflected in real time in the actual document on the laptop as well.
Spread
This acts as an extension of the laptop screen, which means you can drag and drop a window on the tablet screen so you don’t have to switch between tabs. If you are already familiar with using a monitor, this is nothing new. It simply allows you to view multiple windows at once while controlling them from a single point: the laptop.
Collaborate
In this mode, the laptop and tablet are connected, but they work with their own systems. This means that, for example, the files you have on your tablet can be dragged and dropped into a document on your laptop.
Overall, collaboration on multiple Tablet-PC screens worked well, albeit with a slight delay in mouse movements. My line of work doesn’t really require technology like this, so I’ve probably underused it, although it’s a good advantage.
My first real taste of a technological ecosystem
I’ve never been someone who subscribed to the notion of technology ecosystems. After all, I used iPhones and laptops that ran Windows for most of my adult life.
Having never tried a tech ecosystem, I became convinced that I didn’t like the idea of being tied down and relying entirely on a single brand for all my devices. Is this commitment really worth it?
But with this experience, I can definitely see the appeal now. The only thing missing from my arsenal was a Huawei phone to complete the ecosystem. Aside from that, I found the tablet-PC setup to be decently priced, as the MatePad 11 started from RM1999 and the MateBook D15 from RMB 2,999.
This meant that it could technically have a simulated portable “dual monitor” configuration for approximately RM5K. It’s a good choice for remote work or even just for WFH when you’re running out of space.
Nowadays, people have less time to think and worry about small things like device compatibility – a technology ecosystem easily outperforms it. It makes sense that this is the direction where technology makers are going, as it is a feature that many of today’s workers will like.
As for me, I’m happy with my combination and combination of ways, but in the future, when it comes time to make a change, I’ll probably consider it a tech ecosystem and Huawei has become a strong candidate in my eyes.
- You can learn more about the MatePad 11 hereand the MateBook D15 (2021) here.
- You can read more vice president verdicts here.
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