Huawei gets into e-readers with the 10.3-inch MatePad Paper

Image: Huawei

The MatePad Paper is the first e-reader from the company. This is not the same as a typical Kindle. It's compatible with the M-Pencil stylus fromHuawei, so it can be used for taking notes, and it also has the ability to read like the reMarkable 2 or Onyx Boox Note Air 2. It has a larger E Ink display than the 7-inch screens found on most Kindles.

The MatePad Paper has the potential to be both a productivity device and a device for consumption. It's almost like an iPad with an E Ink screen, pre-installed with the company's App, and it's also running a Chinese software called HarmonyOS.

If you want to use the device solely as an e-reader, then you should know that the company's own store offers access to 2 million books. It is compatible with PDF files as well as other standard e-reader formats. It's possible that your existing library of e-books won't work if your ebook marketplaces aren't listed on the App Gallery.

The MatePad Paper has a power button with a fingerprint sensor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, and a 32 brightness levels. The battery can last up to four weeks. The company hasn't provided any details on which technology it is using to allow the M-Pencil to write on the display, but given the stylus requires a charge, we're assuming it's using an AES.

The recommended retail price for all these features is 499 dollars. It's more in line with a comparable Android tablet like the Onyx Boox Note Air 2, which retails for about the same price. The M-Pencil and cover are standard with the MatePad Paper. It's not clear if the US will see a release of the debut e-reader from Huawei.

At this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, there will be a range of new devices announced. There's a laptop called the MateBook X Pro, a 2-in-1 computer, a laser printer, and a portable speaker called the Sound Joy.