Huawei continues to release quite a number of tablets in Malaysia, and the latest one is the Huawei MatePad 12 X. Touted as a lightweight tablet with “PC-level productivity” – more on this further down the review – it also has the Chinese company’s signature PaperMatte display that simulates the texture of paper while minimising glare.

Overall, the MatePad 12 X has rather compelling hardware with good value for money, retailing at RM2,999 with the keyboard cover and stylus bundled (for now). However, as it is the case with Huawei’s other Android-based products, software remains the MatePad 12 X’s biggest shortcoming.

What It Is

Measuring only 5.9mm thin with a 555g chassis, the MatePad 12 X is a thin, lightweight tablet. It also has the aforementioned 12-inch 2800 x 1840 LCD PaperMatte screen with 30-144Hz adaptive refresh rate. What makes the PaperMatte display unique is its “nanoscale texture design,” which really does offer a paper-like writing experience.

While the chipset of the MatePad 12 X was not explicitly mentioned by Huawei, several benchmark software show that it is powered by a Kirin T90A processor. It’s not a particularly well-known chip, but it can still provide a reasonably good level of performance for everyday tasks. For RM2,999, it’s perfectly acceptable, especially with the addition of the keyboard cover and stylus.

The Good Stuff

For me personally, the PaperMatte display of the Huawei MatePad 12 X is easily the main highlight of the tablet. The matte finishing on the panel does give the sensation that I’m writing on paper with the Huawei M-Pencil stylus. There’s a soft, distinct scratching sound as I glide the stylus across the PaperMatte display.

Remember the batik drawing tools in the Huawei GoPaint app that were first offered on the MatePad Pro 12.2? Well, it’s available on the MatePad 12 X as well. As previously shared by Huawei, the feature is developed in collaboration with Akademi Seni Budaya Dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA), and it lets users try out traditional Malaysian batik art in a digital format.

Now, I am not a particularly artistic person myself, but I do see the appeal of such a feature. The natural feeling of using the stylus on the PaperMatte display – with barely any noticeable latency – further adds to the drawing and writing experience of the MatePad 12 X.

As for the display quality of the MatePad 12 X itself, it’s quite good. Not only does the 12-inch 2800 x 1840 LCD panel with 144Hz refresh rate offer vibrant, punchy colours, the matte surface of the screen does a good job of minimising glare too, even when I’m using the tablet under bright sunlight.

What about the performance of the MatePad 12 X? Well, it’s really quite decent. While the Kirin T90A chip can’t quite run demanding mobile games as smoothly as a flagship chip can, it’s still capable of churning out relatively stable frame rates with some tweaks to the graphics settings. When it comes to multitasking with different apps, the processor can keep up just fine as well.

Speaking of which, the MatePad 12 X is said to offer PC-level productivity, and…it’s accurate to a certain extent. If what you do on a PC is mainly focused on web browsing and word processing, the built-in browser and WPS Office suite are actually good enough.

However, it’s a very different story if your needs go beyond that, which is a good segue to the next section.

The Bad Stuff

It has to be said that the lack of Google Play services is the biggest drawback of the MatePad 12 X. This limits the amount of apps that can be installed on the tablet, including YouTube, Gmail, as well as other apps and games that are not offered through the Huawei AppGallery.

Granted, this limitation doesn’t feel quite as restrictive on a tablet like the MatePad 12 X. If I want to access YouTube, for example, I can just use the Browser app. There are also alternative email apps that I can use to get notified of incoming mails, and if you really, really need access to apps that are not natively offered on the Huawei AppGallery, there are workarounds baked right within the app store.

However, installing these apps essentially require side-loading them to the MatePad 12 X, which comes with its own security risks. After all, these apps are downloaded from third-party APK sites, which are not upheld to the same security standards as apps found on the Google Play Store.

I am of the opinion that the average consumer shouldn’t have to worry about something as simple as downloading apps that they want to use, which is why this software limitation is the biggest shortcoming of the MatePad 12 X to me.

Is It Worth It?

Still, there’s no denying that the total package offered by the Huawei MatePad 12 X is quite compelling. This is especially so if you want the paper-like drawing and writing experience of the tablet, thanks to the PaperMatte display. There’s also the fact that the Huawei M-Pencil stylus and Smart Magnetic Keyboard cover – as well as other freebies like a wireless mouse and Huawei wireless earbuds – are bundled with the RM2,999 purchase price of the tablet until 29 November.

Yes, it’s not ideal that the MatePad 12 X does not have access to Android’s huge selection of apps with the absence of Google Play services, but if the Huawei AppGallery has all the apps that you need – or you understand the risks of side-loading apps – then I’d happily recommend the tablet.

Also, you have to experience the PaperMatte display of the MatePad 12 X for yourself; it’s really quite something.