Huawei launches new premium tablet and wireless earbuds

Huawei unveiled its new premium MatePad tablet and the next iteration of its wireless FreeBuds 6 earphones at its Fashion Next event in Berlin on 15 May.

The new MatePad Pro boasts a 12.2-inch tandem OLED screen with a 2,800×1,840 resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate.

By combining two OLED panels, the MatePad Pro’s display is able to achieve 2,000 nits of peak brightness and and a 2,000,000:1 contrast.

Huawei has also integrated various anti-glare technologies that eliminate environmental light interference, making the MatePad Pro suitable for use in many bright scenarios.

The “PaperMatte” technology also gives the display a paper-like quality similar to an e-reader but with far more vibrant colours and brightness.

The display’s 3:2 ratio makes it ideal for working with multiple apps or windows in split-screen, essential for multi-taskers.

Despite a thickness of just 5.5mm and a weight of 508 grams, the MatePad Pro features a 10,100mAh battery, which can support up to 14 hours of local video playback on a single charge.

Adding more value to the package, MatePad Pro comes with a physical magnetically attachable keyboard and stand called the Huawei Glide.

Huawei said the Glide offered a long travel distance between keys for a laptop-like typing experience.

On the software side, the MatePad Pro also boasts an updated Notes application with new features to enhance productivity.

Artistic users can also play around on a new painting app that lets them use the Huawei M-stylus as an oil paintbrush.

The Mate Pad Pro 12.2-inch will be available in light gold and black colours and will be coming to South Africa towards the end of July 2025.

South African pricing will only be confirmed closer to launch. For reference, the premium tablet carries a starting price tag of €849 in Europe, about R17,180 at the time of publication.

Below are photos of the new Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2-inch.

The new FreeBuds 6 wireless earphones feature a plethora of upgrades over its predecessor.

Firstly, peak audio playback quality has been bumped from 990kbps on the FreeBuds 5 to 2,300kbps.

That is sufficient for high-resolution lossless audio playback at up to 48kHz and 24 bits.

The FreeBuds 6’s dual magnetic drivers also support sounds operating from as low as 14Hz frequencies to as high as 48kHz.

For an undisturbed calling or listening experience, Active Noise Cancellation on this generation of FreeBuds can cancel out up to 95dB noise.

The open-fit droplet design has also been improved using tens of millions of pieces of ear data to ensure a suitable fit to the contours of as many ears as possible.

Huawei reduced the earbuds’ weight by 9% compared to the previous generation while also making their handles 12% smaller.

The charging speed has also been improved. A 5-minute top-up using the egg-shaped charging case now adds 2.5 hours of music playback time.

With a fully charged case, Huawei claims the FreeBuds 6 can run for up to 36 hours.

The FreeBuds 6 will be available in black, purple, and white. South African launch date and pricing are yet to be confirmed.