Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) Review – A Slim Powerhouse with a Stunning Display
Huawei has been consistently pushing the limits of premium Android tablets, and the MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) continues this tradition. Positioned as a versatile device for productivity, entertainment, and creative work, this tablet blends slim aesthetics with powerful hardware. With its OLED PaperMatte screen, strong battery performance, blazing-fast charging, and bundled accessories, it is clearly pitched as a serious competitor to Apple’s iPad Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab lineup.
In this in-depth review, we’ll explore its design, display, performance, battery life, speakers, accessories, and cameras to help you decide whether it’s the right tablet for you.
Design and Build Quality
The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) makes a solid first impression with its slim 5.5mm profile and sleek frame. The tablet features a 12.2-inch display surrounded by thin bezels, giving it a modern and immersive look. The AG PaperMatte glass coating adds a subtle texture, making it pleasant to touch while also resisting fingerprints and smudges.
The back panel is simple and flat, with a small but noticeable camera housing that holds a 50MP main shooter and an 8MP ultrawide camera. While the protruding camera bump is not the most elegant solution, it’s a compromise that comes with housing high-resolution sensors in such a slim body.
Despite the premium look, the frame and back are made of plastic that mimics metal. Only the ring around the rear camera is actual metal. This keeps the tablet lightweight, but some may have preferred a full metal finish.
One drawback is the lack of water or dust resistance, which means you’ll need to be cautious when using it outdoors or near liquids.
Huawei is offering the device in two color options – Green and Black, both of which carry a minimalist yet professional appeal.
Accessories and Productivity Features
Huawei clearly intends this tablet to be more than just a media consumption device. The Glide Keyboard comes bundled with the tablet in most markets, turning it into a laptop alternative. It has five rows of keys, a large trackpad, and a magnetic slot to hold the M-Pencil, ensuring it doesn’t get misplaced.
The M-Pencil Gen 3 is included for free in many regions. Unlike typical Bluetooth styluses, this one uses Huawei’s NearLink technology, which ensures low-latency, precise input with over 10,000 pressure levels. It magnetically attaches to the side of the tablet for wireless charging. Artists, designers, and students will particularly appreciate this addition.
Huawei has also introduced the Mouse Star Flash Edition, a wireless mouse compatible with both NearLink and Bluetooth. While it uses a standard AA battery instead of USB-C charging, its long battery life and smooth tracking make it a solid add-on for productivity.
Display – OLED Brilliance
The crown jewel of the MatePad Pro 12.2 is its 12.2-inch Tandem OLED display with PaperMatte AG glass. This panel delivers 2800 x 1840 resolution, 10-bit color depth, and a 144Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for both professional work and entertainment.
Huawei’s Double-layer OLED technology allows the screen to reach high brightness levels without accelerated wear. Officially, it supports 2000 nits peak brightness, while our real-world tests recorded over 1000 nits in auto mode, ensuring excellent outdoor visibility.
The PaperMatte coating reduces glare and eye fatigue, creating a paper-like reading experience. For those who read or sketch for long hours, this is a noticeable advantage over glossy displays.
The display supports HDR10 playback and Widevine L1 DRM, though streaming HDR content may be limited depending on the platform since Huawei prioritizes the China-backed HDR Vivid standard.
Refresh rate settings include Dynamic, High (144Hz), Medium (90Hz), and Standard (60Hz). The High mode is great for gamers and power users, while Dynamic automatically adjusts refresh rates to save battery.
Battery Life and Charging
A 10,100mAh battery powers the MatePad Pro 12.2, paired with Huawei’s Kirin 9020 chipset. Despite having the same battery capacity as its predecessor, Huawei has improved optimization, delivering an Active Use Score of over 11 hours in real-world tests.
You can expect:
- 9+ hours of web browsing
- 12+ hours of video streaming
- 7+ hours of gaming
Charging is where this tablet really shines. Thanks to 100W Huawei SuperCharge, it goes from 0 to 62% in just 30 minutes and reaches full charge in under an hour (57 minutes). This makes it one of the fastest-charging tablets on the market, far ahead of competitors like the iPad Pro.
For long-term care, Huawei offers smart charging and custom charging limits to extend battery lifespan.
Audio Performance
The MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) comes with four stereo speakers positioned symmetrically on its shorter sides. The audio output is impressively loud, clear, and balanced, with rich vocals, sharp highs, and decent bass for a tablet this thin.
In audio testing, it scored an Excellent loudness rating at -22.8 LUFS, outperforming many rival tablets. Combined with the OLED display, this makes it a fantastic device for movies, music, and gaming.
Cameras
The rear camera setup includes a 50MP primary lens and an 8MP ultrawide sensor. While these sound good on paper, performance is average. Images often appear darker than expected with limited dynamic range. The ultrawide lens adds versatility but is unlikely to be a major selling point for tablet users.
The cameras are sufficient for document scanning, video calls, and casual photos, but they won’t replace your smartphone. Video recording maxes out at 4K at 30fps.
The 8MP front camera, embedded in the bezel, is discreet and works fine for video meetings, though not exceptional.
Performance and Software
Powered by the Kirin 9020 chipset, the MatePad Pro 12.2 handles multitasking, media editing, and gaming smoothly. While not the absolute fastest chip in the market, it’s efficient and pairs well with the optimized software.
Huawei’s HarmonyOS continues to evolve, offering a polished interface with strong multitasking capabilities. Features like multi-window, app continuity across Huawei devices, and PC-grade WPS Office support boost productivity. However, the lack of native Google Play Store support remains a limitation for some users, though Huawei’s AppGallery and Petal Search cover many mainstream apps.
Final Verdict – Should You Buy It?
The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) strikes an excellent balance between design, performance, and productivity. Its OLED PaperMatte display, fast charging, strong speakers, and bundled keyboard + M-Pencil make it a compelling choice for students, professionals, and creators.
Pros ✅
- Slim and premium design (5.5mm thick)
- Excellent OLED PaperMatte display with 144Hz
- Blazing-fast 100W charging (full in under 1 hour)
- Strong speakers with immersive sound
- M-Pencil and Glide Keyboard bundled in many regions
- Solid battery endurance
Cons ❌
- Plastic frame instead of full metal
- No water/dust resistance
- Cameras are underwhelming
- Limited HDR support outside China
- Google apps require workarounds
If you want a lightweight yet powerful tablet for work and play, the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) is among the best Android tablets available today. For those invested in Huawei’s ecosystem, it’s an even easier recommendation.
