This story was originally published on June 3, 2021, and last updated on August 27, 2021.
Huawei has just shown off its new HarmonyOS 2 operating system, which will be the centerpiece of its ecosystem of smart devices. And with its launch, Huawei took the opportunity to introduce some new products ranging from tablets to smartwatches to monitors, emphasizing that its operating system is built to connect and work with different kinds of devices.
Multi-device interaction is at its core with a new Control Panel with simple, intuitive connections between devices. As the company describes in a blog post, “For example, if you want to watch a movie at home late at night, all you have to do is open up the Control Panel and drag the smart screen icon to your phone icon, and the movie jumps directly from your phone to the TV. If you’re wearing your HUAWEI FreeBuds 4, you can then drag the earphone icon to the phone icon, at which point the movie will play on your smart screen while rerouting its sound through your FreeBuds. This is just one example of the Super Device experience.”
HarmonyOS 2 has a new Task Center, so you can access apps on different devices without installing them on every single one. In this “Super Device” system, it’s possible to see tasks running on other devices using Huawei smartphones or tablets.
Huawei has also upgraded HiLink to HarmonyOS Connect so more non-Huawei devices can have smart features, allowing you to control appliances around your home that support HarmonyOS Connect on your mobile phone.
The OS promises improved long-term performance, security, convenience. It will be coming to nearly 100 devices in China, including the Huawei Mate 40 series, Mate 30 series, P40 series, Mate X2, nova 8 series, and MatePad Pro series. We’ll be sure to update you on availability in other markets.
But now, let’s talk about the new devices Huawei mentioned during the event:
Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 & 10.8
The new MatePad Pro series running on HarmonyOS 2 helps the company step into that powerful tablet-PC hybrid market dominated by premium tablets from companies like Samsung and Apple. With the larger display, Huawei could incorporate its multi-screen collaboration and other multitasking-friendly features on these tablets.
As GSMArena pointed out, HarmonyOS 2’s home screen on the MatePad Pro looks similar to a desktop with its dock, widgets, and control panel. This tablet focuses on reachability by shifting all in-app function bars to the side. It also gets better mouse support, live app previews, and Mirror mode and Extend mode features. The former can turn the tablet into a drawing board for programs running on your Huawei laptops, and the latter can turn the MatePad Pro into a secondary display.
When it comes to hardware, the MatePad Pro 12.6 is armed with a 12.6-inch OLED display with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and the standard 60Hz refresh rate, while the MatePad Pro 10.8 has a 10.8-inch IPS LCD with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. These tablets have eight Harman Kardon-tuned speakers and four microphones.
The MatePad Pro 12.6 runs on a Huawei Kirin 9000E chipset, while the MatePad Pro 10.8 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor. Both have 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage. The former supports a 10,000mAh battery, while the latter has a 7,250mAh battery. It supports 40W fast wired charging, 27W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless.
For cameras, there’s a triple camera array at the back with a dedicated 3D depth sensor and a solitary selfie shooter placed in the middle of the side bezel for a desktop-like view during video calls.
Both tablets support the refreshed Huawei M-Pencil, which has a new platinum-coated nib for high-precision writing and ultra-low latency, and a smart magnetic keyboard.
The Huawei MatePad Pro comes in gray, green, and white color options. The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 will retail for EUR 799 (around PHP 46,607), while the MatePad Pro 10.8 doesn’t have a price yet. Huawei will announce availability later.
Huawei Philippines has officially launched the MatePad Pro 12.6 for PHP 55,999. It will be initially exclusive via the HUAWEI official online store and its flagship stores on Lazada and Shopee from June 25 to 27.
Early bird purchasers get to enjoy freebies worth PHP 17,387 for just an additional PHP 1 to the SRP. The freebies include a Huawei MatePad M-Pencil worth PHP 5,999, a Huawei Smart Keyboard worth PHP 7,999, a Bluetooth Speaker worth PHP 1,499, and a Huawei Band 4 worth PHP 1,890.
Those planning to purchase their own Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 through offline stores need not worry because it will come to Huawei stores nationwide starting June 28. Those who will purchase until July 9 also just need to add PHP 1 to get premium freebies worth up to PHP 18,035. The bundle includes Huawei MatePad M-Pencil, Huawei Smart Keyboard, a Bluetooth Speaker, and limited subscription to Huawei Cloud (3mos, 50GB, PHP 49), Huawei Video (1 month VIP, PHP 589), WPS (3 months VIP, PHP 900), FilmoraGo (3 months VIP, PHP 500), and Huawei Theme (VIP, PHP 500).
The last promo bundle will be running from July 10 to 31. Customers again just need to add PHP 1 to get PHP 13,998 worth of premium freebies, including a Huawei MatePad M-Pencil 2nd generation and a Huawei Smart Keyboard.
The Huawei MatePad Pro 10.8 is now also available in the Philippines in Midnight Gray for PHP 44,999. If you buy it anytime starting August 27 until August 31, you’ll take home freebies worth PHP 13,597. These include the Huawei Smart Magnetic Keyboard, Huawei M-Pencil 2nd Generation, and Huawei Mouse. It’s available at Huawei Experience Stores, Lazada, and Shopee. Huawei accepts installment payments for up to 24 months.
Buy the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 from Lazada HERE. *
Buy the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6 from Shopee HERE.
Buy the Huawei MatePad Pro 10.8 HERE.
Huawei MatePad 11
The Huawei MatePad 11 is geared towards students and young professionals, with it running on an older Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It comes with a 10.95-inch display with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Useful for both school and entertainment needs, it has a Harman Kardon-tuned quad-speaker setup and four mics.
This tablet has a 7,250mAh battery with 22.5W fast-charging support. It also supports Huawei’s new M-Pencil stylus and the company’s smart keyboard accessory. The Huawei MatePad 11 costs EUR 399 (around PHP 23,274).
In the Philippines, the Huawei MatePad 11 retails for PHP 26,999. It’s available for pre-order starting August 6 until August 26 via the official Huawei Experience Stores and online through Huawei Store, Shopee, and Lazada.
When you pre-order the tablet, you can get freebies worth up to PHP 16,926, including the Huawei M-Pencil 2nd Generation, Huawei Smart Magnetic Keyboard, Huawei MatePad Sleeve, and Huawei Cloud storage with benefits up to PHP 2,308.
Buy the Huawei MatePad 11 HERE.
Huawei Watch 3 & Watch 3 Pro
Huawei refreshes its smartwatch offerings with two new stylish wearables. There’s a slight difference between the Huawei Watch 3 and the Watch 3 Pro regarding design, materials, and battery life. The company introduces a new 3D rotating crown on the top right side of both smartwatches, making it easier to navigate the UI than with the touchscreen alone.
The base Huawei Watch 3 also gets slimmed-down bezels paired with its slightly bigger 1.43-inch AMOLED screen. The watch’s display gets sufficiently bright with 1,000 nits brightness and 326 ppi pixel density. Its display is protected by strengthened glass, and its body is made with high-quality steel with a ceramic back. The Watch 3 is water-resistant to up to 5ATM. Huawei didn’t mention its processor, but it comes equipped with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage.
There are four different designs for the watch: Active (with a silicone strap), Classic (leather strap), Elite (metal band), and Classic (Milanese band).
The Watch 3 is armed with heart rate, blood oxygen, and skin temperature sensors to help track your health 24/7. It can log over 100 workout modes, including 17 professional workouts.
For those outdoor activities, you don’t even have to worry about bringing your phone with you. The Watch 3 supports eSIM with 4G connectivity. It can take calls (even video calls), stream songs from Huawei Music, and connect to your Bluetooth headset. The video calls will be a bit one-sided, though, as this smartwatch just has a built-in speaker and no camera.
Its 4G connectivity will also come in handy with its fall detection feature, which can send out an SOS if you’ve been hurt.
The Huawei Watch 3 can download HarmonyOS apps directly from AppGallery, which means you don’t have to interface with a smartphone to do that. Its UI now has a grid launcher to make it easier to get to the app or function you need.
Huawei claims you can get up to three days in standard mode with 4G enabled or up to 14 days in Ultra-Long Lasting Mode. The latter will still keep essential features running, like SpO2 monitoring, 14 workout modes, Bluetooth calling, and even animated watch faces.
If you’re more interested in a more premium Huawei smartwatch, the Huawei Watch 3 Pro looks more like a traditional timepiece. It has more of a bezel around the display, and its body is made out of titanium. The screen is protected by sapphire glass. But like the Watch 3, it has a ceramic back. It lasts for five days in standard mode or 21 days in Ultra-Long Lasting mode.
The Watch 3 Pro is one of the first smartwatches to have a dual-band GPS receiver, which allows for more accurate, stable position reading even when you’re in dense concrete jungles.
The Huawei Watch 3 retails for CNY 2,600 (around PHP 19,465). Meanwhile, the Huawei Watch 3 Pro costs CNY 3,300 (around PHP 24,706). Pre-orders kick off today in China, with sales starting on June 11.
Starting from PHP 18,999, the Huawei Watch 3 Series will be available for pre-order beginning today, July 6, to Thursday, July 15, on Huawei Store, Shopee, Lazada, Huawei Experience Stores, and authorized retail stores with a FREE Huawei Band 4 worth PHP 1,890.
From July 16 to 23, you can get a FREE Bluetooth speaker worth PHP 1,499. On Huawei’s official online store, you can get an extra PHP 100 off until July 18. On Lazada, you can score that additional PHP 100 off until the end of today, July 16.
Huawei MateView GT, MateView
Huawei also talked about its new monitors that it plans to bring to more markets soon. The Huawei MateView GT is its first gaming monitor, which has a 34-inch curved ultra-wide LCD panel. It’s built for gaming and multimedia use, even coming with a built-in soundbar with customizable RGB-backlit touch controls, 2x 2.5W stereo speakers, and two mics. There’s an option to plug into a 3.5mm audio jack for your voice chats, too.
This monitor has a 21:9 aspect ratio, 3,440 x 1,440 resolution, 350 nits of brightness, 4,000:1 contrast ratio, 1500R curvature, and 165Hz refresh rate. It supports gaming features like Crosshairs and Dark Field Control, allowing it to crush overexposed and dark areas so you can spot your opponents faster. It supports HDR10, 90% DCI-P3 coverage, 121% sRGB coverage, and it is calibrated to deltaE < 2.
To use the full 165Hz at 1440p, you will need to utilize the DisplayPort 1.4. For lower refresh rates, you can use the two HDMI 2.0 ports. It also has two USB-C ports, with one used for power.
The Huawei MateView GT will come to Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, the Nordics, Russia, Japan, the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and other areas.
If you’d rather get a flat display, there’s also the MateView. It’s a 28.2-inch IPS LCD panel with 3:2 aspect ratio and 3,840 x 2,560 resolution. It’s sharper and brighter at 500 nits with a DisplayHDR 400 certification and flicker-free DC dimming. Contrast is lower though at 1,200:1.
The MateView supports 10-bit color depth, covers 98% of DCI-P3 and 100% of sRGB, and is calibrated to deltaE < 2.
You can position this monitor as the central hub of your work desk. It has USB-C with video-in support and 65W charging, allowing you to plug your smartphone or laptop into this monitor with a single cable. It also supports Huawei’s OneHop wireless connection for supported Huawei handsets.
The MateView has better speakers than the GT with 2x 5W ones and two mics capable of picking up voice from as far as 4m. It also comes with a 3.5mm combo jack and a 135W power adapter, allowing the USB-C port to output 65W.
There’s no pricing and availability for both monitors yet.
Huawei has launched the MateView GT monitors for today’s corporate gladiators and new-gen gaming champs in the local market. The Huawei MateView GT comes with a price tag of PHP 28,999. Hardcore gamers looking at elevating their rig can get first dibs on the device through pre-order. From July 6 to 15, the MateView GT will be available for pre-order via Huawei Store, Shopee, and Lazada and will be coming with a free classic backpack worth PHP 5,990. You may purchase the Huawei MateView GT via these participating stores.
From July 16 to 23, it will be coming with free Bluetooth speakers worth PHP 1,499. On Huawei’s official online store, you can get an extra PHP 100 off until July 18. On Lazada, you can score that additional PHP 100 off until the end of today, July 16.
Buy the Huawei MateView GT HERE.
Huawei FreeBuds 4
The Huawei FreeBuds 4 have a similar look to last year’s FreeBuds 3 with 14.3mm dynamic drivers, three microphones for picking up voice and other external noise, active noise cancellation, and a low latency mode for gaming. They also come with an IPX4 splash rating, Bluetooth 5.2 with support for two devices connected simultaneously, and 22 hours of playback.
A couple of weeks after their debut in China, Huawei will bring the FreeBuds 4 to the UK for GBP 130 (around PHP 8,800) for the wired charging case and GBP 150 (around PHP 10,155) for the wired charging case the wireless charging model. The former is arriving on June 21, while the latter will be launched in mid-July.
Priced at PHP 7,999, the Huawei FreeBuds 4 will be available for pre-order for only PHP 5,999 from July 6 until July 15 via Shopee. If you pre-order via Huawei Store and pay PHP 1,000, you get 3,000 off, meaning pre-order customers can get the FreeBuds 4 for as low as PHP 5,999! Lastly, pre-order customers are entitled to get a three-month HUAWEI Music VIP subscription.
The Huawei FreeBuds 4 in Ceramic White or Silver Frost will be available for a discounted price of PHP 5,999 from July 16 – 23 via Shopee, Lazada, and Huawei Store and get FREE Huawei Bluetooth Speaker worth PHP 1,499 and FREE 3-month Huawei Music VIP subscription.
Buy the Huawei Freebuds 4 HERE.
Huawei P50
Huawei also took the event as an opportunity to show off the upcoming P50 series. It’s a 45-second promo of the device featuring a slow pan of its back with that quad-camera system. The new smartphones are expected to launch with a 1-inch Sony IMX800 sensor. But Huawei didn’t say when it planned to launch the new phone.
UPDATE 1: 2021/06/25 6:17 P.M. GMT+8 BY NICOLE BATAC
Added local availability and pricing for the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.6
UPDATE 2: 2021/07/06 9:02 P.M. GMT+8 BY NICOLE BATAC
Added local availability and pricing for the Huawei Watch 3, FreeBuds 4, MateView GT
UPDATE 3: 2021/07/16 7:06 A.M. GMT+8 BY NICOLE BATAC
Added first-sale pricing info on the Huawei Watch 3, FreeBuds 4, MateView GT
UPDATE 4: 2021/08/05 9:46 P.M. GMT+8 BY NICOLE BATAC
Added local SRP and pre-order details for the Huawei MatePad 11
UPDATE 5: 2021/08/27 10:36 A.M. GMT+8 BY NICOLE BATAC
Added local SRP for the Huawei MatePad Pro 1.08
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