Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 (2021) unboxing, hands-on

Huawei Philippines has just introduced its newest device with mobile productivity in mind — the 2021 Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6.

It’s a powerful tablet that sports a 12.6-inch OLED display and runs the company’s HarmonyOS 2 with tablet and PC Multi-screen Collaboration feature. We also have a complete set here with the second-gen M-Pencil and Huawei’s Smart Magnetic Keyboard to make typing more efficient.

Join us in this unboxing and see what comes with the bundle when you get these products.

Both the Smart Magnetic Keyboard and second-gen M-Pencil are pretty straightforward when it comes to contents of the package. For the keyboard, it has a premium design and feel with its textured outer cover. The keys themselves are nicely spaced apart and feels like the length of a normal laptop keyboard.

RELATED: Huawei MatePad 10.4 review: Best 10.4-inch alternative to the Pro?

This magnetic keyboard uses NFC and Bluetooth to pair and communicate with the tablet. When typing, it can accommodate two angles for the device depending on what’s more comfortable for you. Overall, it provides a nice and snug jacket for the MatePad Pro and really feels premium when you bring it around.

There is also no latency or delay when it comes to typing and other functions so far.

Meanwhile, the second-gen M-Pencil comes with two extra nibs for replacing the tips. The M-Pencil is also magnetic and snaps to the tablet for pairing and charging. Its design is still pretty similar to the last generation with the slight update for its transparent tip and platinum-coated nib.

The pen is still easy to grip with its rounded hexagonal form factor and repels fingerprints with its matte finish.

For the tablet itself, the package comes with the necessary accessories to get you started with your setup. Opening the box and taking out the tablet reveals its USB-C cable, power brick, SIM ejector tool, and 3.5mm jack to USB-C adapter.

Attaching the keyboard and pairing the tablet with these two accessories, we see how it’s ready for work and easily transforms into a laptop-like device with an additional input using the pen. The tablet’s bezels are really thin and complement its 12.6-inch OLED FullView display with its 2.5K (2560 x 1600) resolution.

Speaking of bezels, its 8-megapixel front-facing camera is sneakily tucked away in one of its slim bezels and you hardly even notice it there. It’s nice to have this implementation as you have an unobstructed view of its display especially when you’re doing creative work on the tablet.

It boasts a 90% screen-to-body ratio which is currently the highest in tablets available today. And so far, thanks to its high contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, viewing angles are wide, and watching content from the side doesn’t degrade the picture quality.

As for its form factor, the tablet itself is very thin and light with evenly distributed weight all around so it’s easy to hold and use swipe gestures even with one hand (not easy, but doable). Both sides are populated with grilles for its 8-piece speaker system which features separate tweeters and woofers. We’re looking forward to how these deliver sound.

All buttons are found on the upper right corner (when you’re holding the tablet in portrait orientation) with the power/lock up top and the volume rocker on the right. There’s a USB-C port at the bottom and the left-hand side houses its SIM card slot.

For its rear, a triple camera setup is housed in a glossy module on the upper left corner of its back panel. The main sensor comprises a 13-megapixel shooter, an 8-megapixel wide-angle, and a depth-sensing lens. It uses AI that should help achieve better shots whether you’re shooting in low light or in bright locations.

Inside, the MatePad Pro 12.6 features a Kirin 9000R processor that’s built for multi-tasking, processing, and powering AI for gesture controls, object recognition, and more.

The company also promises to deliver faster and more efficient workflows with its Tablet & PC Multi-Screen Collaboration that uses both a laptop and this tablet to extend, mirror, or enable collaboration between users.

Huawei is also proud that the MatePad Pro 12.6 runs on its HarmonyOS 2 which it says is optimized for faster operations for on-the-go use. It comes with useful features like Bottom App Dock that shows up to eight frequently used apps on the left-hand and up to 11 recently used apps on the right-hand side.

Its file management system also aims to be helpful and presents all important files or documents in one glance. We have been spending more time with the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 to be able to give you an in-depth review in a few days. Until then, stay tuned.

The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 retails in the Philippines for PhP 55,999. It will be initially exclusive via the Huawei official online store and its flagship stores on Lazada and Shopee.

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3 reasons the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 OLED is an all-around laptop

04/08/2022

When it comes to laptops, some have their own specialties and carry certain features and specs. Some might target gamers, while other models cater more to business users with a more toned-down look and modest features.

What we have right here is the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 OLED (M3401). It comes in this unassuming form factor that might make you think it’s your usual coffee shop laptop but inside, it’s equipped with specs that can help you from your Excel sheet to editing videos and even running resource-heavy games.

If you’re looking for your next laptop that can do all these things and yet remain stealthy in public, read on. Here are three reasons why the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 OLED is a great all-around laptop.

Detailed images, spacious screen

The Vivobook Pro 14 OLED comes with a 2.8K resolution so you get detailed images and sharp picture quality. This makes streaming videos or browsing images a lot more interesting and provides a deeper appreciation of the content you’re consuming.

Plus, it has a 14-inch screen size so it’s bigger than other notebooks and with its 16:10 aspect ratio, you get more space vertically. This comes in handy when I’m editing videos as there is now more room for each window or even when I just have multiple windows open on my browser.

With these in mind, users benefit from its size and resolution whether they are using the laptop for productivity with its spacious screen real estate or for leisure and its detailed 2.8K resolution.

Accurate display color for color grading

As content creators, we value displays that show accurate colors. Sometimes in our photos or videos, we want to convey certain looks or emotions and these are done via color grading.

With its OLED panel, it’s able to reproduce colors that are more vibrant and blacks that are deeper than, say, when viewed on an LED screen.

The display also comes with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut so it has a wider color palette – therefore producing more accurate colors. And with its PANTONE validated display, you’re sure that the colors you’re getting have been verified and certified.

Use it for gaming or content creation

With the Vivobook Pro 14 OLED, you get the freedom to use it both for work and play. Under the hood is up to AMD Ryzen 9 CPU with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics. This tandem makes sure that it can handle processes you throw at it whether it’s rendering heavy graphics for your video or running game titles smoothly with minimal hiccups.

And with up to 16GB RAM and up to 1TB SSD storage, you get capable components that will help ensure you experience a smooth performance throughout. To further sweeten the deal, the laptop boasts Harman Kardon speakers so you get loud and decent audio even by using its built-in speakers.

BONUS: Productivity-focused features

Apart from its really capable specs, the Vivobook Pro 14 OLED also comes with features and other hardware that allow its users to focus more on work and get stuff done not just faster, but also more secure.

For one, you can easily attend online meetings with no hassle thanks to its WiFi 6 capability that makes sure your connection is stable with no signal drops. We know how frustrating things could get when everyone in the video conference couldn’t hear or see you properly.

And speaking of attending video calls, it comes with a built-in HD webcam with its own privacy shutter so that you only need to check if the orange dot is visible to ensure that no one can see you on and off a call.

This is a great addition for users like me who sometimes get a bit paranoid about anyone nonconsensually looking through my webcam.

To add to those, ASUS brought its cool NumberPad 2.0 here which can be accessed with a simple press of a button. This transforms the trackpad into a digital Number Pad for those whose work involves a lot of numeric input.

Finally, its array of available ports also help with one’s productivity. With three USB-A ports, USB-C, a full-size HDMI, and even a microSD reader, it’s got most of what you’ll need to either transfer files or connect to other devices and help with office presentations, for example.

Final thoughts

The ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 OLED starts at PhP 47,995 for the base model and includes a three-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. Check here for the complete list of authorized stores.

I spent a good amount of time working and playing on it and I could say that it’s a great all-around laptop. You may read our full review or watch it in video form below for a more detailed breakdown of its capabilities.

Whatever it is you do – whether as creative editing videos or someone who works a lot with numbers – the ASUS Vivobook Pro 14 OLED can adapt to your needs and can take on a number of different tasks, most of the time without breaking a sweat.

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