Huawei’s MatePad Paper might be the first serious Amazon Kindle rival
With lots of top-tier specs
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
WhileAmazon’s Kindledevices are by far the biggest names in ereaders, with E-Ink devices from Onyx and Xiaomi only getting limited attention, a big new device has just been announced which could be a serious rival.
This comes from tech giant Huawei, unveiled as part of its conference atMWC 2022, and it’s called the Huawei MatePad Paper. There are some seriously impressive specs here for an ereader, which is why we think it could rivalAmazon’s slates, particularly theKindleOasis.
The Paper comes with a 10.3-inch screen, which is pretty big for an ereader, has support for a stylus and there’s a fingerprint scanner built into the power button.
It uses a USB-C port which will allow for quick charging, has an Oasis-like spine to be easily holdable, and has a four-week battery life.
Software-wise, this runs Huawei’sHarmonyOS, and includes the Huawei Books app providing you access to over 2 million books. There’s support for over 20 languages and the store is accessible in over 170 countries/regions.
More than just books
Display: 10.3-inch E Ink4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity26ms low latency86.3% screen to bodyRAM: 4GBStorage: 64GBConnectivity: Wi-Fi 6+, USB-CBattery: 4 weeks standbyColors: black, khaki, bluePrice: €499
There’s more than just books though, as this seems like a fully-functioning productivity device with emails, calendars, certain apps available to download from the Huawei App Gallery, handwriting conversion (using the stylus), connectivity between the Paper and a smartphone or PC, voice recording, video playback and more.
Internally, this has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, so again it’s more powerful than the Kindles, but it’s quite a bit more expensive too.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
In Europe, it costs €499 (roughly $560 / £420 / AU$780) - we’re not sure where it’ll launch just yet, but given Huawei’s track record, we’d take the US off the list straight away.
With nearly two years of pandemic lockdown behind us, lots of companies have been unveiling new workplace and work-from-home gadgets, and the MatePad Paper seems like a tablet-slash-ereader that’s designed to be easy to look at, long-lasting and useful…
… saying that, we haven’t tested the thing, and won’t come to any full conclusion until we’ve given it a spin. We’re fond of our Kindle, and a rival needs to really impress us.
Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus review: a performance powerhouse for artists
Amazon is fixing the Kindle Colorsoft ‘yellow band’ issue – and we might know what went wrong
Smeg Combi Steam Oven review: a multi-functional countertop oven that looks stunning and cooks well
