Upon unboxing, the tablet comes with accessories that complete the PC-like experience, including a Smart Magnetic Keyboard, Huawei M-Pencil (3rd generation), and a Bluetooth mouse. It also includes access to the enhanced WPS Office 3.0, with a desktop-style interface.
The box also contains standard paperwork, a 40W USB-C charging brick, and a USB-C to USB-C charging cable.
EXAMINATION AND TESTING
A personal favorite feature of the tablet is the 11.5-inch Ultra-Clear PaperMatte Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) with 2.8K resolution and green background design.
For a journalist working in various settings, especially outdoors, the tablet’s 2.8K LCD display remains reasonably visible even under strong sunlight conditions, thanks to its maximum brightness of 1,000 nits.
The display also supports a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, which makes navigation—especially on the home screen—butter smooth.
For eye comfort, Huawei says the display includes anti-glare and anti-reflection technology and reduces glare by up to 50%. Based on my usage, the display remained comfortable even during long hours of work.
As for the design, the tablet retains the shiny all-metal unibody of its predecessors. I appreciate its 6.1 mm, 515 g case, as it meant that I no longer had to carry a large backpack for my regular work.
BET AND PERFORMANCE
Another important advantage of the Huawei MatePad 11.5 S 2026 is its battery performance. Its 8,800 mAh battery easily lasted more than a day of moderate use during my week of testing.
As of this writing, I have used the device for four hours of continuous work, and it has only consumed 30% of its battery.
It also supports 40W SuperCharge, which allows the battery to reach a full charge in about 85 minutes.
In terms of performance, the tablet is powered by Kirin T92 SoC (Hexa-core) and runs HarmonyOS 4.3. On paper, HUAWEI claims that the device is multitasking seamlessly and can run MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games without overheating or drastic performance drops.
In real-life use, multitasking was a breeze, especially in multimedia and productivity tasks, boosted by the device’s ample RAM.
PC-LEVEL PRODUCTIVITY
The main feature that Huawei aims to highlight in this device is its PC-level production, thanks to its out-of-the-box installation.
The Smart Magnetic Keyboard, powered by Huawei NearLink for seamless connectivity, clicks politely and is very responsive when typing. Its unique design also allows the tablet to transform into different modes for different situations, including laptop, isolation, and studio forms.
Meanwhile, the M-Pencil (3rd Gen) supports 10,000+ levels of pressure sensitivity and promises ultra-low latency natural writing information, powered by NearLink.
In my experience, taking notes during meetings or meetings has never been more satisfying thanks to the PaperMatte display, which, as the name suggests, mimics the texture of paper. Works great with Huawei Notes, featuring AI handwriting enhancements and note playback.
For creative users, the pen pairs with the Go Paint app, responding very well to user strokes and providing a framework of tools for drawing ideas.
FINAL DECISION
The Huawei MatePad 11.5 S 2026 is a real bargain, especially if you take advantage of the introductory bundle.
The MatePad 11.5 S 2026 has an introductory price of P29,999 (originally P31,999) for the 12GB + 256GB storage model, with freebies worth P19,896 as part of the first sale bundle, available until March 22.
If you’re someone who’s always on the go, this tablet might suit your work as well. – Edg Adrian A. Eva
