It isn’t often (lately, at least) that Huawei introduces a new product that actually lifts Stuff‘s eyebrows. The company’s new MatePad Paper e-ink tablet, though, just broke the dry spell. Revealed just prior to this week’s Mobile World Congress kickoff (if anyone’s even still paying attention to that), the device comes across as part Kindle Oasis, part Android tablet.
There are a few significant changes evident, though. Otherwise, the MatePad Paper would just be a Kindle knockoff. There’s a substantially larger screen than we’re used to, clocking in at 10.3in. There’s also a stylus, because you don’t just use the Paper to read ebooks.
MatePad Paper route
See, the device offers up to 256 shades of greyscale, so it’ll work as a comic book reader (provided you’re reading Sin City). It’ll even display video, assuming that’s something you’re even remotely interested in from a monochrome screen. There are 32 different backlighting levels. That isn’t as easy on the eyes as Kindle’s side-lighting but the screen has a 26ms response time. That’s decent, right?
Then there’s support for Huawei’s M Pencil. That means you can use the MatePad Paper to take notes as well as read words. It’ll be possible to annotate PDF files and then export them wherever you need them to be. That’d be much more convenient than trying to use a trackpad to achieve the same effect. With the added benefit that you can keep up with your Jack Reacher addiction in between work sessions, naturally.
The tablet will work with Huawei’s device sharing tech (more on that in a bit), letting users easily connect and swap files between devices.
The biggest concern for avid readers will be app and file type support. Huawei’s battled with that since the Trumpster got involved in their business and you can expect similar issues here. Still, it may be worth slogging through for the 10.3in E Ink display and ability to scribble sarcastic notes on Dan Brown’s novels.
The Huawei MatePad Paper has yet to be confirmed for South Africa, but it will definitely launch in Europe. It’ll set buyers back some R8,600 (€500), but that price includes a cover and an M Pencil. A Kindle Oasis is still cheaper (and waterproof) but doesn’t include 64GB of storage, speakers, and a fingerprint sensor. It’s your call.