The Huawei MatePad 12 X is a lightweight 12-inch tablet designed specifically for students in schools and universities, offering an affordable alternative to the iPad Air. It emphasizes the PaperMatte display, stylus support, and a free keyboard cover, aiming to be a versatile digital productivity companion. According to Huawei, the “X” in the name stands for discovering new possibilities and new creative projects.

Box Contents

The MatePad 12 X comes with a generous set of accessories. The box includes a 66W power adapter, a smart magnetic keyboard, a cleaning cloth, and a USB cable (USB-A to USB-C).

Design

The tablet features a slim and lightweight design. It weighs 555 grams and its body is less than 6 millimeters thick. The screen-to-surface ratio is more than 86 percent, giving it a modern look. Build quality is top-notch, with an aluminum frame and a pearlescent glass back, making it feel like a premium mid-range device that’s less prone to fingerprints. The device doesn’t have an IP certification. The device’s dimensions are 270mm/10.6in x 183mm/7.2in x 5.9mm/0.2323in.

Display

The MetaPad 12X features a 12-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2800 x 1840 pixels. The display has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, which can automatically switch between 30Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz. The PaperMatte display is designed to reduce reflections and provide a natural feel for writing with a pencil. The display’s brightness is high, reaching a maximum of 1,050 cd/m².

However, the matte finish reduces the brightness of the color reproduction. The display is well-suited for outdoor use due to its low brightness and reflectivity.

Performance

The tablet is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 9000W processor and a Maleoon 910 GPU. Although Huawei doesn’t officially announce the processor, system apps identify it as Kirin T90A.

Performance benchmarks put the tablet in the mid-range category, although it’s not as powerful as the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in the Honor MagicPad 2. The tablet performs well in everyday tasks and can maintain consistent performance under heavy use.

Gaming Performance

The graphics processing capabilities don’t reach the level of current high-end devices, so the MetaPad 12X isn’t ideal for heavy gaming.

Camera Capabilities

The MetaPad 12X has a dual-camera system.

Front camera: 8MP fixed-focus front camera, good for video calls. Image quality is acceptable but not outstanding in terms of clarity.

It can record Full HD video at 30fps.

Rear camera: 13MP rear camera with autofocus and f/1.8 aperture. It takes good photos in daylight and is well suited for document capture. There is no optical image stabilization.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Camera

Advantages: The rear camera is good for taking documents and has good daylight performance.

Disadvantages: The front camera is only of acceptable quality, and the rear camera’s color reproduction can fluctuate.

Internal device memory

The MetaPad 12X has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 flash memory, with 226GB available. The storage is not expandable.

Connectivity

The tablet supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 with OTG capabilities and fast data transfer speeds, in addition to image transfer. Data transfer speeds via the USB interface can reach 282MB/s. It has Bluetooth 5.2. NearLink technology is used to interact with data with the M-Pencil and the Smart Magnetic Keyboard. It supports Wi-Fi 6. There is no cellular option. The tablet also lacks a GNSS module for satellite positioning services. There is no 6GHz WLAN.

Battery

The tablet packs a 10,100mAh battery that can be charged at up to 66W. The battery can be fully recharged in just over an hour and a half using the included power adapter. Power consumption is higher compared to some competitors. Battery life is around 17 hours in our WiFi web browsing test.

Conclusion

The Huawei MatePad 12 X is a well-rounded and well-equipped tablet designed for students looking for a lightweight, portable and productive device. The PaperMatte display is a key feature that makes it suitable for writing and outdoor use, even if it comes at some compromise in color brightness and contrast. The inclusion of the M-Pencil and the Smart Magnetic Keyboard enhance its productivity capabilities. Despite some drawbacks such as the lack of Google Mobile Services (GMS), cellular connectivity and top-notch gaming performance, the MatePad 12 X offers a solid user experience for its target audience.