iPad Air 3 is currently one of the best tablets available in the market. But the Huawei MatePad Pro has emerged as its competitor. In this article, these two devices are in a head-to-head battle. If you are confused between these two, read ahead to find out which one is the winner. And more importantly, which of the two is better suited to your needs.
| iPad Air 3 | Huawei Matepad Pro |
| A12 Bionic chip is blazing fast | Bright and sharp display |
| Fantastic display | Great audio performance |
| Affordable in price | Less battery life compare to iPad |
| Supports Smart Keyboard | No Google services |
| No Face ID | No headphone jack and fingerprint scanner |
Key Specification
| iPad Air 3 | Huawei Matepad Pro | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Chipset | Apple A9X | Kirin 990 (7 nm+) |
| Display | 9.7 inches | 10.8 inches |
| Memory | 32GB | 128GB |
| Camera | 8 MP | 13 MP |
| Sensor | Fingerprint sensor, Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope | Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope |
| Sim | No | Nano-SIM |
Design
| iPad Air 3 | Huawei Matepad Pro | |
| Dimensions | 250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1 mm | 246 x 159 x 7.2 mm |
| Weight | 437 g | 460 g |
| Screen Size | 9.7 inches | 10.8 inches |
| Technology | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Gold, White | Gray, White, Green, Orange |
The iPad Air 3 has the classic iPad look with some minor changes. It is 250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1 mm and weighs 437 grams. The back of the tablet is flat and so, are its sides, except for the quad speakers, USB port, and three buttons. At a glance, this gives it an industrial design. Turn it to the front, the selfie camera, seemingly, blends in the slim screen bezel. On the other hand, Huawei MatePad Pro is 246 x 159 x 7.2 mm and weighs 460 grams. As a result, the MatePad Pro is larger than Air 3, but this also means that it is heavier, giving it a disadvantage when using it for a longer period. On the front, there is a punch-hole selfie camera on the top corner like smartphones. On the flip, you have a dual-lens camera and some branding. The sides show the speaker grills and the USB Port-C charging.
iPad Air 3 is equipped with a 9.7-inches IPS LCD and has 2388 * 1688 pixels. Also, it has 120Hz technology, true tone colors, and 600 nits of brightness. In the face of these specs, the MatePad Pro falls behind with its 10.8-inches IPS LCD and has 2560 x 1600 pixels. The quality on this screen not only falls short of Air 3 but also is very inconsistent.
Performance
| iPad Air 3 | Huawei Matepad Pro | |
| Processor | Apple A12 | HiSilicon Kirin 990 |
| GPU | Apple GPU (four-core graphics) | Mali-G76 MP16 |
| RAM | 3 GB | 6 GB |
| Internal storage | 32 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage expansion | No | 256 GB |
| OS | iOS v12.0 | Android 10 |
| Materials | Aluminum Frame | Aluminum Frame |
The iPad Air 3 runs on iOS 12.0, which has a normal iOS feel but configured to work on a tablet. In contrast, the MatePad Pro runs on Android v10, which does not include any Google services on board. Therefore, the MatePad Pro users will have to depend on Huawei’s App Gallery, which is still in its infancy, has very limited app options.
Next, iPad Air 3 comes with A12X Bionic Chip, while the MatePad Pro has the HiSilicon Kirin 990. Furthermore, the iPad Air 3 runs on 3 GB RAM and 32GB storage compared to MatePad Pro’s 6GB RAM and 128GB storage with an option for storage expansion.
Camera
| iPad Air 3 | Huawei Matepad Pro | |
| Rear | 8 MP | 13 MP |
| Front | 7 MP | 8 MP |
| Rear Flash | No | Yes |
Multimedia
| iPad Air 3 | Huawei Matepad Pro | |
| Headphone jack | 3.5 mm | USB Type-C |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Audio Features | i-Tunes | Tuned by Harman Kardon |
The iPad Air 3 features a 3.55 mm headphone jack, which has become a sort of endangered species. In contrast, the Huawei MatePad Pro only has USB Type-C. However, MatePad Pro has stereo speakers. For audio features, iPad Air 3 has iTunes while MatePad Pro has Tuned by Harman Kardon.
Battery
| iPad Air 3 | Huawei Matepad Pro | |
| Capacity | 11000 mAh | 7250 mAh |
| Type | Non Removeable Li-Polymer | Non Removeable Li-Polymer |
| Fast Charging | Fast Charging | Fast charging 40W Fast wireless charging 15W Reverse wireless charging 7.5W |
| User Replaceable | No | No |
The iPad Air 3 has a better battery than the MatePad Pro. The former has an 11000 mAh battery while the latter has a 7250 mAh battery. Also, both devices offer fast charging.
Connectivity
| iPad Air 3 | Huawei Matepad Pro | |
| Sim | No | Nano-SIM |
| Bluetooth | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Wifi | Wi-Fi 802.11, a/ac/b/g/n/n 5GHz | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Usb OTG | Yes | Yes |
| Sensors | Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope | Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope |
Which is Better?
The final verdict leans in Apple iPad Air 3 because it has a better app selection. This is because the AppStore is older and more diverse than Huawei’s AppGallery. Now, if you are not thrown off by the lack of Google Playstore, then both tablets are a good choice.
The Huawei MatePad Pro has a slim slot, more RAM, more storage, decent cameras, and processing power. The iPad Air has a powerful chipset, decent cameras, bigger battery, sleek design, and top-notch display. As such, both tablets have their Pros and Cons. Therefore, the ultimate decision will be of the users depending on what features they value more.
