OS, UI & Apps Huawei MatePad 11
A new era has begun and we are testing M-Pencil 2.0 and the keyboard
Well, if so far you've learned some details and impressions that you somehow intuited, now we're in untapped territory. Seriously, how many reviews and presentations of HarmonyOS 2.0 are on the web? The Romanian one is clearly not. Huawei MatePad 11 is the first large screen device to come with HarmonyOS 2.0. I have already tried the watch version on Huawei Watch 3 Pro.
Video review Huawei MatePad 11, OS & UI & UX & APPS section
HarmonyOS 2.0
History, UI
The platform arrived in 2019 with a version 1.0 that appeared as a solution to the crisis in the midst of the Trump ban by Huawei and the loss of Google and Play Store services. We are now at version 2.0 and the platform has evolved , but it feels like a familiar experience for the user of Huawei + Android + EMUI. The interface brings a more refined, elegant EMUI and softer shades.
Basically we also have Linux, as well as Android and I was not a little surprised when I saw that I can install APKs and that everything went well, without bugs or compatibility issues with Android applications. Warning, we do not have Google services, we do not have Play Store, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Search, YouTube. Neither Uber nor some banking applications. What we have in return is Huawei AppGallery, which is growing in number of applications, but also Petal Search, which helps you find other application resources.
There you also have personalized news for you, news on domains and recommendations of all kinds. It's basically an alternative search engine to Google.
HarmonyOS 2.0 has the same concept as any modern OS: homescreens, news feed on the left, multitasking with Recents, dock bars down as on the iPadOS, dropdown portion with notifications and Quick Settings (but separate), app drawer and settings, plus widgets .
Collaboration, security
Huawei places great emphasis on the idea of Multi Screen Collaboration. You can do this by tapping a Huawei phone on the keyboard Shift button and start mirroring your phone to your tablet. I did this with a Huawei P40 Pro and everything went smoothly. You can drag and drop content and take calls from your phone to your tablet.
The tablet can also become an external display, a monitor for a Huawei MateBook laptop, a drawing tablet connected to a PC, and you can continue working on your phone or laptop on your tablet, and vice versa. On the security side we have facial recognition, through the 8 MP selfie camera, but it would not have damaged a fingerprint reader.
UI part 2
Returning to the interface, below we have two dock bars: one with frequently opened applications and another with recently opened applications . I feel that there is not too much learning curve here and that Android and even iOS users will quickly get used to HarmonyOS. The leftmost homescreen is a collection of news, widgets, and shortcuts to important applications and features.
Navigation is done with swipe gestures: Swipe up is Home, swipe side is Back and Swipe up and side is Recents . Multitasking involved the Recents area, but also Split Screen and floating windows, triggered by holding down the screen after a small swipe from side to center. There's an "Edge menu" with applications that can become split screen or float on the screen in thumbnail versions helping you to have multiple applications open simultaneously on the screen.
At the top of the screen we can swipe down on the left to access notifications and on the right for Quick Settings / Control Center. Here we find Bluetooth, WiFi, Dark Mode, DND, Auto Rotate and wireless screen projection, but also Huawei Share. The widgets are identical to those of EMUI on Android in general, and the app drawer is optional, but we have activated it for a better organization of applications.
In Settings the most interesting option is Super Device. This creates a galaxy of Huawei products in your home: TV, MateBook, headphones, speaker, phone, in the center of which this tablet can stand, say. So you send a song to headphones, a game to your TV or laptop, and a movie to your phone, for example, and then when you change your device you continue with that content.
We also have the Twin App to open two instances of the same application, but also a Privacy and Permissions area, a Password Vault, a Private Space and the Digital Balance area, where you can see how many hours you spend per day in applications. Virtual Assistant Celia is on duty, somewhere between Cortana and Bixby, maybe a little over Bixby.
Applications
Among the pre-installed applications I would mention File Manager Files, but also Game Center, where you have the gaming profile and bonuses, special offers.
It's also Petal Maps, an alternative to Google Maps and Apple Maps, still in its infancy, but we have details about traffic, satellite maps and points of interest. We also have Health, for recording data on sleep, stress, heart rate, oxygen saturation, taken from watches, but also Notepad, a note-taking application. Optimizer scans your device for viruses and cleans up resources, and Kids Corner puts the tablet in a way for the little ones.
Huawei MatePad 11 screenshot gallery
We also have WPS Office and a Huawei browser. We're not crying after Gmail, because I associated my Gmail account with Email and it worked fine. I would also like to mention that during the time I had the tablet in testing, I also received a software update.
Conclusion
HarmonyOS is like an Android with less ADHD and more focused on productivity , at least in this case. Once evolved, matured and offered all the alternatives to Google services, it will become a very attractive OS.
Huawei M-Pencil 2nd Gen
Anyone who buys a MatePad 11 during the pre-order period will automatically receive this second-generation M-Pencil stylus. It comes with a transparent tip and two other tips in the package, but also an angular, hexagonal design in section. The latency reaches up to 2 text messages and is a responsive accessory that supports multiple tilt angles for writing and drawing. You can write by hand with it and you have handwriting recognition in the Notepad application, but also the Nebo one, which turns handwriting into digital text.
What I noticed is that you can write with the stylus wherever you have an address bar or text field, including in the browser . You can also scribble and write videos in the Filmora application, pre-installed on your tablet, but also do calculations with the pre-installed My Script Calculus application. In NotePad, you can also list Bullet Points and that digital pen palette with pencil, pen, marker, and eraser, plus color selection. You also have geometric shapes and tables in dedicated applications.
This stylus is more comfortable than the Apple Pencil and just as responsive as the newest S-Pen. It weighs 16 grams and has a length of 160 mm. It connects via Bluetooth to the tablet and attaches magnetically up for charging.
Huawei Smart Magnetic Keyboard Compatible with Huawei MatePad 11
The keyboard is 90% the one I tried on Huawei MatePad Pro last year. It has two positioning angles by magnetic attachment, at 55 and 65 degrees and the magnet in the camera area remains weak. It has generously spaced, small, rounded keys with a short stroke and the feel of a laptop keyboard. It also brings FN button for extra functions. Protects the tablet when it's closed and allowed me to write fairly quickly. It connects immediately via Bluetooth and is only good for students, journalists and amateur writers.
It has 5 rows of keys, a rather small Space button and a sleek, exterior-facing design.
Pros and cons of Huawei MatePad 11
Positive parts
Negatives
Conclusions Huawei MatePad 11
Huawei MatePad 11 is the first device that exposes us to the full potential of HarmonyOS 2.0. On the clock I could only see a crack, but the OS is scalable and based on Linux, it also runs on data center and on TV, clock, car even. It is a light OS, which recognizes APKs and an interface similar to EMUI on Android. The fact that you don't have a long period of accommodation is a good thing . The tablet itself is a good deal at 1999 lei, with the keyboard and stylus in the package. By the way, you can also connect the mouse.
I think it's a great device for productivity, gaming and multimedia. It has the best speakers on the market, an excellent screen, a better processor I don't think I could want, and the battery offers 12 hours without problems, both work and serial. The fact that a midrange tablet (high midrange) can be beaten with Pro iPads and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 + can only make this product tempting for those who do not want to pay 3500 lei for a tablet.
However, the decision is made by the customer and the extent to which he is willing to step into a new paradigm, one with HarmonyOS and synergy between Huawei devices. Those already in the ecosystem think it will be an easier idea to convince. Sounds like Apple? We know that Huawei's CEO is a staunch supporter of Jobs and Wozniak's strategy, so we're not surprised. Now let's see if they will emulate the success of the iPad ... Until then we can recommend the tablet, whether you are a student, gamer or corporate.