Following the launch of the ultra-value Huawei MatePad T10s (Review) earlier this year, Huawei Singapore is now back with the brand new Huawei MatePad 10.4 in the local market that comes with several notable upgrades over last year’s model, including a more powerful Kirin 820 chipset, as well as the next-generation’s 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.
This model fills the gap between the entry-level MatePad T10s and the higher-end MatePad Pro, offering a good balance between performance and affordability. Along with a diverse range of features under the hood, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 is a highly reliable productivity workhorse which you can count on anytime.
Priced at S$498 (US$376), the Huawei MatePad 10.4 is one of the cheapest mid-range tablet in the market that supports all the latest connectivity options – making it a great alternative over Apple’s iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 to name a few.
Courtesy of Huawei Singapore, we were able to get our hands on the new Huawei MatePad 10.4 for a couple of weeks, testing out all the new features it have in store for us. After spending some time with the MatePad 10.4, we’d once again rounded up all the key highlights and features of the device which we believe might help you to decide whether to pick up the new slate as your next productivity companion.
Sleek & Stylish, As Usual
The Huawei MatePad series tablets are undeniably some of the best-looking slate in the market, regardless whether you’re talking about their entry-level or high-end models.
The new Huawei MatePad 10.4 continues to impress in this aspect, donning a super sleek chassis which measures merely 7.45mm in terms of thickness. In fact, it’s even thinner than most of the flagship phones we have in the market.
Along with an amicable weight of around 460 grams, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 delivers a great handling experience whether you’re using the slate in portrait or landscape orientations. Most importantly, it’s back panel also offers sufficient grip to keep it in place while using it single-handedly.
Speaking of it’s back panel, the review unit which was sent to us features a Midnight Gray colorway (it’s the only color option available in Singapore) that comes with a matte finish which possesses some from of understated elegant. On the outside, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 certainly looks way more expensive than it’s actual asking price.
Top-notch Display, Immersive Experience
Upfront, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 boasts a pretty impressive 10.4” IPS LCD display enclosed by slim bezels along it’s four sides.
It offers a sharp 1,200 x 2,000 pixels screen resolution topped with 470 nits of peak brightness which ensures the screen always remains visible even when using it in a bright environment, say an outdoor café.
Just like any other Huawei tablets, the MatePad 10.4’s front display is also enhanced by the company’s proprietary ClariVu visual technology that employs complex algorithms to boost color contrast and clarity for a more immersive graphical experience.
To allow users to better take advantage of the Huawei MatePad 10.4, the slate does carries support for Huawei’s M-Pencil stylus which allows you to drop down notes easily during meetings, or doodle on the tablet.
Similarly, you can also pair it up with Huawei’s Smart Magnetic Keyboard which will turn the tablet into a mini portable “laptop” on the go. It’s a really nice add-on to have for those who plan to bring their productivity to a whole new level.
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Needless to say, it’s extra screen space indeed makes all the multi-tasking features in EMUI 11 way more viable than what we usually experience on a smartphone with a much smaller display.
Take the “Multi-window” mode as an example, words remain clearly visible even when the screen estate is being shared by another app. This is one aspect where a tablet always has an edge over a smartphone.
Aside from that, the MatePad 10.4 is also baked with many other intuitive features like the “Multi-screen Collaboration” which basically gives you the ability to mirror your phone’s screen to the tablet, making it easier for you to perform certain functionalities like file transfer since you can now easily drag and drop files from the “mirrored screen” over to the tablet.
While this feature currently works only between smartphone and tablet, but the upcoming HarmonyOS update will also bolster collaboration between Huawei’s MatePad tablets and MateBook series laptops too. For instance, it will introduce several intuitive features like the new Extend and Mirror modes that will allow you to mirror the laptop’s screen over to the tablet, or from the tablet to the laptop.
Performance Beast
Under the hood, Huawei’s in-house HiSilicon Kirin 820 chipset sits at the heart of the tablet, delivering a smooth and consistent performance during day-to-day usage. Honestly speaking, I hardly encounter any notable lag or stuttering when multi-tasking, or even gaming on the tablet.
This doesn’t came much as a surprise given that the Kirin 820 chipset is among the most powerful silicon developed by Huawei so far, sitting just behind the flagship Kirin 980, 990 and 9000 chipsets.
Besides bringing more power to the new MatePad 10.4, the Kirin 820 chipset is also baked with with several noteworthy upgrades over the Kirin 810 chipset used in last year’s model. This include it’s built-in 5G modem as well as support for the latest Wi-Fi 6 protocol which allow users to leverage the blazing speed of the next-generation’s connectivity.
In the memory department, Huawei has also equipped the MatePad 10.4 with 4GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage. You’ll probably be glad to know that tablet do come with a microSD slot for storage expansion of up to 512GB as well.
Decent Cameras & Impressive Sound Quality
Although photography isn’t exactly a priority for a tablet, but the Huawei MatePad 10.4 do have a pair of decent 8 megapixels cameras both at the front, and at the back.
So besides allowing you to readily snap and share images of document with your colleagues, you can also get some pretty flattering images out of it’s rear camera that comes with autofocus too.
Similarly, the use of a higher-res front-facing camera also greatly improves the quality of your video call on the other end, making it more usable for an important conference call which you definitely want to leave a good impression of yourself.
Speaking of this, the placement of the front-facing camera along the top bezels (when used in horizontal orientation) also makes it easier for you to position yourself during a video call, as compared to a hole-punch camera that’s located on the upper-left corner of the screen.
Just like any other Huawei MatePad tablets, the MatePad 10.4 continues to bring an impressive quad-speaker system tuned by audiophile specialist Harmon Kardon that gives you rich and powerful surround sound for a more entertaining audio experience.
Finally, there’s also four reliable microphones along the upper edge that’s able to accurately pick up your voice during a call.
Everlasting Battery Life
Equipped with a massive 7,250mAh battery, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 manages to churn out around 14 to 15 hours battery life under normal usage condition. As such, a single charge should typical give an average users at least two days of usage.
To sweeten the deal, Huawei also upped the charging speed of the Huawei MatePad 10.4 from 18W (on it’s predecessor) to 22.5W. A full charge from 0 to 100% using it’s bundled charger takes around 2.5 hours which is pretty fast for a tablet with such battery capacity.
Verdict
All in all, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 is probably one of the sweetest deal you can find in the market that’s baked with all the performance muscles you need, as well as an extensive suite of multi-tasking features to elevate your productivity level.
Tagged with a palatable pricing that undercuts most of it’s competitors, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 is an easy choice to recommend for those looking to get an affordable slate. Even when you’re not using it for productivity purposes, it still serves you well as an all-rounded entertainment centre thanks to it’s immersive display and superior audio quality.
If you’re interested, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 (Wi-Fi) is available at just S$498 via both Shopee and Lazada.
