Huawei joins the 10.3-inch MatePad e-reader with Paper

Huawei has announced its first e-reader, the MatePad Paper. But it's a little different from the normal Kindle. For starters, it's compatible with Huawei's M-Pencil stylus, so it can be used for taking notes in addition to reading, like the Noteworthy 2 or Onyx Box Note Air 2, and a built-in microphone for voice recording. Is also. It also has a larger 10.3-inch E Ink display, compared to the roughly 7-inch screen found on most Kindles.

These specifications mean that the MatePad Paper has the potential to be a productivity tool apart from a device that is purely for consumption purposes. It's almost like an Android tablet equipped with an E Ink screen, right down to the fact that it's running Huawei's HarmonyOS software and comes pre-installed with the company's app gallery.

If you only want to use the device as an e-reader, Huawei advertises that it is equipped with the company's own Huawei Books Store, which provides access to 2 million books. Huawei said it is compatible with PDF files as well as other standard e-reader formats. But popular ebook marketplaces like Amazon's Kindle app and Google Play Books aren't currently listed in Huawei's app gallery, which could mean your existing library of ebooks won't grow natively.

Huawei says the MatePad Paper's power button has a fingerprint sensor, USB-C port for charging and data transfer, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, and a backlight with 32 brightness levels. According to Huawei, its battery can last up to four weeks on standby. The company didn't provide any specifics on what technology it's using to allow the M-Pencil to write on the display, but since the stylus requires a charger, we're assuming it's more like the iPad. Powered by AES. -style drawing layer, instead of EMR like its e-ink rivals.

Not all of these features come cheap, with the Huawei MatePad Paper at its recommended retail price of €499 (about $558). That's a lot compared to a starting price of around €90 for Amazon's Kindle, but it's in line with comparable Android tablets like the Onyx Books Note Air 2, which retails for €499 in Europe. At least Huawei includes the M-Pencil and is covered with MatePad paper as standard. Huawei has yet to announce a release date or markets for its first e-reader, but a US release is unlikely.

The MatePad Paper has been announced along with a range of new Huawei devices at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. MateBook X Pro laptop, MateBook E 2-in-1, MateStation X All-in-One PC, a laser printer called the Huawei PixLab X1, and a portable Bluetooth speaker called the Sound Joy.