Review of the Huawei MatePad Air PaperMatte Edition tablet with frosted glass display

Six months after the release of the MatePad Air, Huawei introduced an updated version of this model, the main feature of which was the spectacular matte PaperMatte screen. This change turned out to be not just cosmetic, but significantly influenced the perception of interaction with the device. In this regard, we decided to devote a separate review to the updated tablet, also evaluating it in the new white color.

Let's start by looking at the technical characteristics of this model. Since, with the exception of increased memory and the absence of an LTE module, they are identical to the older version of the regular MatePad Air, comparison with it makes no sense.

MatePad Air 2023 comes with a keyboard cover, which is housed in a separate box. On the box with the tablet itself there is the inscription PaperMatte Edition.

We didn't expect any surprises from the package, but it turned out that the manufacturer in this case added something new: a square microfiber cloth for wiping the screen. While this addition may seem minor, it highlights the attention paid to the display in this model.

The rest of the package is standard: a USB-A to USB-C cable, a quick start guide and a 5V 2A charging block with support for fast charging (9V 2A or 10V 4A).

The keyboard case consists of two parts: the keyboard part itself and a cover that covers the back of the tablet and allows you to install it conveniently.

When both parts of the keyboard case are placed on the tablet, they protect the device on both sides. At the same time, only one screen tilt angle is available during operation — as in the photo below.

Or even like this:

As for the convenience of typing, we want to emphasize that the lack of Russianization of the keyboard can cause certain difficulties. However, if you are proficient in touch typing, this will not be a problem for you (except for the need to get used to the placement of some specific characters and punctuation marks), since the key size allows you to enter text comfortably, as on a regular keyboard. Yes, they are a little smaller, but this is not a critical limitation.

Now let's look at the design of the tablet itself.

Before we look at the test unit, let's remember the features of the MatePad Air as a whole: the device has a large screen diagonal of 11.5″ and an unusual aspect ratio of 3:2 (or, in other words, 15:10), in contrast to the more common 16:10. This ratio is designed to ensure the convenience of web surfing, working with mail and documents. Also worth noting is the narrow bezel around the screen. If you measure from the border of the display's working area to the protruding part of the edge, you get 9 mm, and if you take into account only the glass itself, then the width of the non-working area will be 7 mm. These parameters are identical on all four sides. The manufacturer claims that the share of the usable front surface area is 87%.

The same parameters are present in the regular MatePad Air. Now let's discuss the specific PaperMatte Edition model. The use of a matte finish on the screen is immediately noticeable. It's interesting to note that thanks to the cutout for the front camera, this coating gives the appearance of an additional film-like layer. Although, of course, this is not actually a film, it is quite difficult to avoid such a perception.

However, it cannot be said that this feeling causes negative emotions. On the contrary, when you first look at the tablet there is delight — “wow!” or «wow!» We showed the device to a few people and they all immediately noticed the matte surface of the screen, highlighting it as a very stylish solution. In addition to the obvious advantages, such as reducing glare in bright light and reducing eye strain, there are also non-obvious ones: when using a stylus, the tactile sensations of the work become closer to those that we experience when drawing with a regular pencil on paper.

Also worth noting is the attractive appearance of the back surface. Let's remember the manufacturer's words: «Thanks to the use of nanosilver and UV printing technology, the back panel has a refined and elegant texture.» In addition, “a sandblasted matte layer and a color coagulation layer ensure rich colors and a smooth surface.” In the case of white, these elements look even more impressive, acquiring a noble pearlescent hue. It is worth adding that the case is absolutely not susceptible to fingerprint marks.

Rounded edges in a metallic shade successfully complement the overall appearance. As for the layout of connectors, microphones and speakers, the PaperMatte Edition is similar to the regular version of the MatePad Air. On the right (if you hold the tablet in a horizontal orientation with the screen facing you) there is a USB-C port and holes for the speakers.

On the top edge, next to the camera block and the volume rocker, there are three microphone holes, which should provide good sound reception during video calls.

At the bottom there is only a connector for connecting a keyboard.

And on the left there is a power button and two more speakers.

Since the PaperMatte version does not have an LTE module and does not support memory cards, there are no slots in the tablet.

Without taking this point into account, the design of the tablet can be assessed as excellent. The frosted glass display adds a special charm to it. It looks unusual, even if you don't pay attention to the functional side. But what is this coating?

The tablet screen measures 11.5 inches and has a resolution of 2800×1840, providing a high pixel density of 291 ppi. However, these specifications do not convey the main quality of the screen — the use of frosted glass — and its impact on image quality. We will talk about this further.

The surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a semi-matte texture (medium specularity), resistant to scratches. In this case, haze is achieved not by gluing a matte plastic film, as is usually the case, but by etching the surface of the glass itself. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are generally better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, we will provide a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is the tested tablet, on the right is the Nexus 7, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen on this tablet is darker (photos show a brightness of 90 compared to 99 on the Nexus 7). However, it is worth considering the specific conditions of use. Experience has shown that by avoiding reflections of light sources on the screen (for example, avoiding direct sunlight, sun or clouds), mirrored screens provide better visibility and readability than matte screens.

The ghosting of reflected objects on the screen of this tablet is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (in particular, between the outer glass and the LCD matrix) (the tablet uses OGS — One Glass Solution technology). The surface of the screen does not have a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating, but despite the matte texture, fingerprints are easily removed, and new ones appear more slowly than on conventional glass screens. Also, the finger glides easily over the surface, which increases ease of use.

The maximum screen brightness, displaying the white field in full screen and adjusting the brightness manually, was 460 cd/m². High maximum brightness, combined with excellent anti-glare properties, ensures good readability even in bright sunlight. The minimum brightness was 1.6 cd/m², which allows you to comfortably use the tablet in complete darkness. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor, which adequately responds to changes in external light.

Screen matrix type — IPS. Micrographs of the subpixels show the standard IPS structure.

Focusing on the screen surface revealed randomly located surface microdefects responsible for the matte properties:

These defects are several times smaller in size than subpixels (the scale of these two photographs is approximately the same), but they are noticeable due to focusing on microdefects and the focus “jumping” across subpixels when the viewing angle changes. This creates a subtle «crystalline» effect, making the image slightly less crisp than mirror-surface screens.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color changes at large viewing angles from perpendicular to the screen. There is no inversion of shades. For comparison, photographs are provided with the same images on the screens of the tested tablet and Nexus 7. The brightness of the screens is set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera is set to 6500 K.

There is a white field perpendicular to the screens («Regular colors» profile):

Note that the white field of the screen has good uniformity of brightness and color tone.

On the test picture (profile «Normal colors»):

The colors on the screen of this tablet are close to natural saturation, and the different color balance of the screens is noticeable. However, it is worth noting that a photograph cannot fully convey accurate information about color quality and is presented for illustrative purposes only. The reddish tint of the white and gray fields visible in photographs of the screen of the tablet in question is visually absent when viewed from a perpendicular perspective, as confirmed by hardware tests, including the use of a spectrophotometer. The difference occurs due to the mismatch between the spectral sensitivity of the camera matrix and this characteristic of human vision.

Let's also take into account that the photos were taken with the «Normal Colors» profile active (selected by default) in the screen settings, available in two options:

The Vivid Colors profile features increased color saturation:

The screen of the tested tablet has excellent viewing angles, which do not cause significant color shifts even with large deviations of the view from perpendicular to the screen, and do not require shade inversion. However, when deviated in a diagonal direction, the black field becomes lighter, but remains a relatively neutral gray, which is perceived by the eye.

When viewed directly, the uniformity of the black field is average, since mainly towards the edges it is slightly highlighted:

The screen contrast (approximately in the center) is rated as not very high by modern standards, at approximately 800:1. The response time from black to white and back is 19 ms (9 ms on + 10 ms off). The transition between half-tones of gray (from 25% to 75%) and back takes a total of 32 ms.

A mode with an increased refresh rate of up to 144 Hz is available in the screen settings. Switching to 144Hz improves the smoothness of scrolling lists and menus.

Analysis of the gamma curve, constructed from 32 points with equal intervals according to the numerical value of the gray shade, did not reveal any significant deviations in highlights or shadows. The value of the exponent of the approximating power function is 2.30, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2. This results in a slight darkening of the image. However, the actual gamma curve shows little deviation from the power law.

We did not detect the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.

The color gamut in the case of the Vivid colors wide profile is close to DCI-P3:

When you select the Normal colors profile, the gamut is compressed to the sRGB boundaries:

Without correction (Vivid colors profile), the spectra of the components are well separated:

In the case of the Normal colors profile with maximum gamut correction, the color components are mixed with each other to a large extent:

It should be noted that on wide-gamut screens (without appropriate correction), the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices may appear unnaturally saturated. Because of this, it is recommended that you use the Normal Colors profile in most cases when viewing movies, photographs, and natural scenes. Only if the photo or video has DCI-P3 coverage, which is accepted in digital cinema and is standard on top-end Apple devices, does it make sense to switch the profile to Vivid Colors.

The device provides the ability to correct color balance by adjusting the hue on the color wheel or selecting one of three preset profiles. However, in most cases this is not necessary, as the default color balance is acceptable — color temperature remains close to the standard 6500 K, and blackbody deviation (ΔE) remains below 10, which is considered acceptable for consumer devices. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change slightly from shade to shade of gray, which has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance.

There is a Natural Tone function, which, if enabled, adjusts the color balance to environmental conditions. We enabled this feature and tested how it works (Normal Colors profile):

When there are significant changes in lighting conditions, color balance correction is weak and, in our opinion, the feature does not perform as expected. It should be noted that it is now standard to calibrate display devices with a white point of 6500 K. However, correction for the color temperature of ambient light can be useful if you want a better match between the image on the screen and what is visible on paper (or on any medium where colors are formed by the reflection of light) under current conditions.

There is also a traditional setting that allows you to reduce the intensity of the blue component.

Of course, there are no signs of eye fatigue caused specifically by blue light. In general, bright light can disrupt the circadian rhythm (see the article about the iPad Pro with a 9.7-inch display), but this effect can be easily eliminated by reducing the brightness to a comfortable level. Distorting the color balance by reducing the contribution of blue light usually does not make sense.

The tablet supports DisplayPort Alt Mode for USB Type-C, which allows you to output image and sound to an external device when connected to a USB port. When connected to a Full HD monitor, video is output in 1080p mode at 60 Hz. In operating mode, only the window of the selected application is displayed on an external device, presented in portrait or landscape orientation, taking into account the device resolution. This allows you to get video output with the same resolution on an external monitor, and a functional copy of the application window is displayed on the tablet itself.

So, the screen has a high maximum brightness (up to 460 cd/m²) and excellent anti-glare properties, which allows you to comfortably use the device even in the sun. The screen supports a mode with automatic brightness adjustment and has a number of positive characteristics, such as the absence of air gap and flickering, a mode with a high refresh rate (144 Hz), and a color gamut close to sRGB. Some drawbacks include poor black stability when looking away and perhaps some issue with color balance correction as lighting conditions change. In addition, the screen features a matte surface obtained by etching the outer glass surface. There is also a special Color eBook mode that is optimized for reading and creates a paper-like visual effect.

Since the basic specifications of the regular MatePad Air and its PaperMatte Edition are identical, performance testing becomes a formal process. However, sometimes it is advisable to ensure that there are no changes, such as the processor frequency not being reduced. In this case, the device runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform. The processor unit of this platform includes eight cores: one high-performance Kryo 680 Prime core (Cortex-X1) with a clock frequency of 2.84 GHz, three Kryo 680 Gold cores (Cortex-A78) with a clock speed of 2.42 GHz and four energy-efficient Kryo 680 Silver (Cortex-A55) cores clocked at 1.8 GHz. The GPU is Adreno 660. The PaperMatte Edition has 12GB of RAM, while the regular MatePad Air has 8GB, which could potentially affect some benchmarks.

Let's start by running browser tests such as Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark and JetStream 2.

Obviously, the differences between the two MatePad Air variants are minimal and vary within minor deviations.

The next step is to conduct a comprehensive Geekbench benchmark. It's worth noting that, as with previous tablet tests, this model was run on Geekbench 5 rather than the newer Geekbench 6.

The results from both MatePad Airs are almost identical.

Now — 3DMark GPU tests.

Again, the difference is minimal.

Well, the last benchmark is GFXBenchmark.

In this case, the MatePad Air PaperMatte Edition is noticeably superior to the regular version of the MatePad Air. However, it's worth remembering that when we reviewed the MatePad Air in our previous review, we noted an unexpected drop in GFXBenchmark scores compared to the MatePad Pro, which uses the same platform. While the reason for this phenomenon remained unclear, we can now see that the MatePad Air (in both its variants) delivers the expected performance.

Thus, we conclude that the performance of the MatePad Air PaperMatte Edition remains at the same level as the regular version of the MatePad Air.

The tablet runs on the HarmonyOS 3.1 operating system, which we previously described in detail, including the features of installing applications without using Google services. This OS has a proprietary application store, AppGallery, which not only provides its own range, but also allows you to search in some third-party distribution archives, including APK Pure. If you have GMS (Google Mobile Services), some Google applications can be downloaded directly from the AppGallery, and they are installed along with the Gbox “wrapper”, which emulates a GMS-enabled environment for programs.

Important advantages of AppGallery currently include the availability of applications from Russian banks, which have been removed from the Play Store, as well as support for Russian payment cards Mastercard, Visa and Mir, as well as the ability to pay through a mobile operator account.

The tablet does not have LTE module, so calls are impossible, and satellite navigation is not supported.

But, like the regular MatePad Air, the Wi-Fi 6 standard is supported, and when connected in this mode, a small six appears on the Wi-Fi icon in the status bar.

The tablet is equipped with a built-in battery with a capacity of 8300 mAh, which is a very impressive figure for this segment of devices. The battery life of the device is also impressive and appears to be on par with the standard MatePad Air. This confirms that the type of screen coating does not affect the operating time of the device.

To evaluate performance during heating, we conducted a test using the Burnout Benchmark program, which is capable of loading the processor (CPU), graphics accelerator (GPU) and neural processor (NPU):

The decrease in performance when heated is not very strong.

The tablet supports fast charging; it charges from the included power supply in about an hour and a half (the power supply gets very hot). If you use another power supply, the process will take much longer.

Since the cameras on both versions of the MatePad Air are identical (one rear camera with flash, 13 megapixel resolution and the ability to shoot video in 4K format), we will not comment in detail on the quality of pictures and videos. Instead, we invite you to check out a few examples of photographs:

We can’t add anything to what was said earlier; we simply note that for a device of such a form factor, the capabilities and quality of the camera seem to us to be quite sufficient.

So, Huawei presented a very worthy tablet, which is not just improved, but made special. The frosted glass solution sets it apart from its competitors and makes it an excellent choice in terms of caring for vision in general, as well as in terms of the convenience of working outdoors in the warm season (the anti-glare properties of the screen are excellent). There are no fingerprints on the screen — this is also a plus. True, the image on such a display looks a little less clear, and the black color is highlighted when the tablet is tilted. But we think this is a reasonable price to pay for the quality of frosted glass, which also looks very stylish.

However, it is worth noting that the MatePad Air PaperMatte Edition lacks LTE and GPS modules, and at the same time costs more than the regular MatePad Air with the same amount of flash memory and support for mobile Internet and satellite navigation. However, the PaperMatte Edition has more RAM — 12 GB versus 8 GB (how important this is is up to you to decide). If these limitations don't bother you and the form factor suits your needs, then the MatePad Air PaperMatte Edition is a great choice.