TL;DR: The purple Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) nails the balance between style, comfort, and practicality. Stunning matte screen, marathon battery, smooth performance, and accessories that actually make sense. Google services aren’t here, but for most people, that won’t stop this from being a fantastic pick.

Tablets are tricky things. Most of them exist in this weird limbo where they’re not quite laptops, not quite phones, and not quite specialized enough to justify their own ecosystem. They’re the awkward middle child of personal tech: often pretty, often powerful, but more often left forgotten on a coffee table until Netflix calls.

The Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) doesn’t want to be forgotten. From the moment I pulled the purple version out of its box, it felt like Huawei was making a statement: tablets don’t have to be bland. They don’t have to be afterthoughts. And most importantly, they don’t have to feel like an obligation to use.

I’ve lived with this tablet for several weeks, and I can honestly say it became part of my routine in a way few mid-range tablets ever have. It’s beautiful, it’s practical, and it manages to carve out its own identity in a market dominated by two extremes: Apple’s iPads on the premium end and a sea of bargain-bin Android slates at the budget end.

This is a review of not just a piece of hardware, but of an idea: that a mid-range tablet can actually feel special.

A Tablet With Personality

Let’s start with the obvious: the color.

I’ve been reviewing gadgets for long enough to see the endless parade of “Space Grey,” “Midnight Black,” and “Silver Frost” devices that all blur into the same corporate-metal void. Huawei’s choice to offer the MatePad 11.5 in purple feels like an act of quiet rebellion. And it’s not a shouty, neon gamer purple either—it’s a soft, lavender-toned finish with a subtle sheen that catches light without becoming garish.

In certain lighting, it leans toward lilac; in others, it has a steely undertone that makes it look almost metallic. It’s the kind of purple that can sit confidently on a boardroom table without looking unprofessional, but still stand out in a coffee shop when you pull it from your bag. That balance between playful and refined is rare, and it immediately made me want to keep using it.

Physically, the tablet is a triumph of subtle engineering. At 6.1mm thin, it feels impossibly slim in the hand, and at 515 grams, it’s light enough to hold one-handed for reading without wrist strain. Yet despite the lightness, it never feels fragile. The unibody aluminum build has that reassuring density you expect from high-end hardware.

Even the design trick of hiding antenna lines inside the rear camera housing feels clever. Flip it over, and the back is clean—no broken seams, no visual clutter. Just a smooth expanse of purple metal, broken only by the Huawei logo and a tastefully integrated camera. Compare that to the industrial scars on many tablets where antenna bands slash across the chassis, and you realize how much thought went into this.

It feels deliberate. And when you hold it, that deliberation translates into confidence.

The PaperMatte Display: The Star of the Show

Let me be clear: the screen is the reason to buy this tablet.

At 11.5 inches with a 2.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, the PaperMatte display doesn’t just look good—it feelsgood. Huawei’s “nano-level anti-glare etching” is more than marketing jargon. It’s what makes the MatePad unique in a sea of glossy, smudge-prone slabs.

I tested it everywhere: under the brutal overhead LEDs of an office, in a park on a sunny day, and at night in bed with only a dim lamp nearby. In every scenario, the matte finish cut reflections dramatically. Where other tablets would turn into accidental mirrors, this one simply showed me the content.

But the texture is where it becomes addictive. Swiping across the surface doesn’t have the slippery, oily feel of glass. Instead, it has this satin-smooth resistance that makes navigation tactile. It sounds like a small thing, but after a week of using it, every other glossy tablet in my house started to feel sticky.

And then there’s the stylus experience. Pair the screen with Huawei’s M Pencil, and it feels uncannily close to writing on paper. Not in the gimmicky “pretend” way some tablets simulate, but in the satisfying friction that makes handwriting fluid. Sketches have texture, lines feel intentional, and doodles have weight. It’s the kind of detail that invites creativity—suddenly you’re not just jotting notes, you’re sketching diagrams, shading doodles, experimenting.

For late-night reading, Huawei even included an e-reader mode that switches the display to monochrome, giving you something closer to a Kindle experience. It’s not as restful as true e-ink, but paired with the matte coating and the built-in blue-light reduction, it’s shockingly pleasant on the eyes.

This screen doesn’t just display content. It changes how you interact with it.

Accessories: More Than Afterthoughts

Huawei’s Smart Keyboard and M Pencil turn the MatePad from a sleek slab into a genuine productivity tool.

The Smart Keyboard attaches magnetically via contact points on the back, which means it doesn’t need Bluetooth or separate charging. The result? Zero lag, zero fuss. Snap it on, and you’re typing. The keys themselves are well-spaced, with enough travel to make them feel like a proper keyboard rather than a cramped laptop cousin.

I typed entire chunks of this review on it. And while the absence of a trackpad means you still have to reach up and tap the screen, I didn’t find myself frustrated. For quick writing sessions in a café or on a train, it’s more than capable.

The M Pencil, meanwhile, is the real gem. It charges magnetically on the tablet’s edge and always feels ready to go. But it’s the synergy with the PaperMatte screen that makes it shine. I’ve used plenty of styluses before, but most of them either felt slippery or laggy. Here, the balance is perfect—low latency, great texture, and a natural flow that encouraged me to use it daily.

What struck me most is how integrated these accessories feel. They don’t feel like bolt-on extras; they feel like parts of the ecosystem, designed from the ground up to extend the tablet’s personality.

Performance: Mid-Range, Done Right

Numbers and benchmarks only tell part of the story. What really matters is how a tablet feels when you’re actually living with it day to day—and in that respect, the MatePad 11.5 punches above its weight.

With 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it never feels cramped or sluggish. Apps open quickly, animations stay smooth, and I was able to jump between streaming, messaging, and web browsing without a hiccup. Even casual games ran fluidly, and the tablet stayed cool throughout long sessions.

Is it built to chew through the most graphically intense titles on the market? No—and that’s not really the point. This isn’t a “gaming beast,” it’s a balanced companion device. It’s tuned for consistency: smooth performance, no overheating, no sudden drops that break your flow.

And honestly, that balance is what makes it such a joy to use. The MatePad 11.5 doesn’t try to be a laptop replacement or a desktop challenger. It just wants to be the smoothest, lightest daily driver it can be—and in that role, it absolutely delivers.

Software: Living in Huawei’s World

Software is where the MatePad 11.5 reminds you that it’s marching to its own beat. Out of the box, it runs HarmonyOS 4, Huawei’s in-house take on Android. And the first thing you’ll notice is what’s not there: Google Play Services. No Play Store, no Gmail app, no native Google Maps or Drive. Instead, Huawei has built up its own ecosystem, centered on the AppGallery for app downloads and a suite of first-party tools that cover most essentials.

Now, if you’re someone who lives and breathes Google Docs, Calendar, and Keep, this will be an adjustment. You can run some of those services through the browser, and plenty of third-party apps are available to fill the gaps, but it does change the flow of things. Personally, I leaned on Huawei’s WPS Office alternative for documents and found it surprisingly capable, and I used Huawei’s Notes app for handwriting with the M Pencil more than I expected.

Where HarmonyOS shines is in fluidity and polish. It’s quick, it’s responsive, and it feels less like “Android with a skin” and more like its own mature platform. Multitasking is smooth, with apps able to run side by side in a way that feels natural on the wide 11.5-inch display. Drag-and-drop gestures between apps are slick, and the overall interface has a clean, almost iPad-esque sense of order.

The AppGallery has grown a lot in the past couple of years, and you’ll find most big names—social media apps, streaming services, productivity tools—available natively. Where something is missing, Huawei’s Petal Search helps you track down apps from verified sources, so you’re not left out in the cold. It’s not quite the one-stop convenience of the Play Store, but it’s no longer the wild west it used to be.

In daily use, the lack of Google didn’t feel as disruptive as I feared. Yes, there were moments where I missed the convenience of Google Drive syncing across all my devices. But for streaming, browsing, drawing, writing, and light productivity, HarmonyOS never slowed me down. It’s a reminder that while Huawei’s ecosystem is different, it’s no longer a compromise—it’s an alternative.

Battery Life: The Long-Distance Runner

One of my biggest pet peeves with tablets is when they die mid-session, forcing you to scramble for a charger at the worst moment. With the MatePad 11.5, that simply never happened.

Its 10,100mAh battery is massive, and paired with efficient hardware, it delivers ridiculous longevity. I routinely got two full days of use, mixing in streaming, writing, browsing, and some light drawing.

In one test, I streamed HD video for an hour—it only dropped 8%. Compare that to last year’s model, which would have lost nearly double. Huawei’s claim of 14 hours of continuous playback isn’t marketing fluff; it’s realistic.

When it does run dry, the 40W fast charging is a lifesaver. Gone are the glacial charging times of older Huawei tablets. Plug it in, and you’re back up to usable levels in less than an hour.

This is a tablet you can trust on a transatlantic flight, a weekend trip, or just lazy days when you forget to plug it in.

Cameras: Good Enough for What They’re For

Tablet cameras are like seat warmers in a car: nice to have, but not the main reason you bought it.

The 13MP rear camera is solid for document scanning, casual photos, and quick snaps when your phone isn’t nearby. The 8MP front camera is tuned for video calls, and it does the job well. You’ll look clear, well-lit, and professional in Zoom or Teams meetings.

No, you won’t be capturing breathtaking night photography with it. But that’s fine. This tablet’s camera is a tool, not a selling point—and for that, it works.

Living With It: More Than a Sofa Gadget

Here’s the thing: most tablets, after the honeymoon period, end up as “sofa gadgets.” They’re fine for Netflix binges, Reddit scrolls, or occasional recipe lookups, but they don’t become part of your daily workflow.

The purple MatePad 11.5 never fell into that trap. I found myself reaching for it constantly—not just for entertainment, but for actual work, note-taking, and sketching. It became the device I carried in my bag, the one I propped on my desk during video calls, the one I used to unwind at night.

Final Verdict

The Huawei MatePad 11.5 (2025) in purple is more than just another mid-range tablet. It’s a statement that affordable tablets don’t have to be boring, compromised, or forgettable. Its gorgeous matte screen, slim design, excellent battery life, and smooth performance make it a joy to use—and the accessories elevate it into something versatile enough for students, creatives, and everyday users alike.

The lack of built-in Google services is a small wrinkle, but it doesn’t overshadow the tablet’s strengths. If you’re open to Huawei’s ecosystem, this is one of the most exciting mid-range tablets you can buy right now.