Huawei's MatePad Pro Max is 4.7mm thin — thinner than the iPad Pro M5
Huawei is set to unveil the MatePad Pro Max on May 7, 2026, and its headline spec is hard to ignore: a 4.7mm-thin body, which would make it slimmer than Apple's current thinnest tablet, the iPad Pro M5 at around 5.1mm. The company teased the device with three claims — "Incredibly thin. Incredibly light. Incredibly powerful." — giving very little else away ahead of the official reveal.
The screen
The MatePad Pro Max carries a 13.2-inch OLED panel with Huawei's PaperMatte coating, which reduces glare and is designed to feel closer to paper when drawing or writing. Resolution sits at 3K, and bezels measure just 3.55mm — narrow enough to be genuinely impressive on a slate this size. There's also a hidden front camera: no notch, no punch-hole cutout, just an uninterrupted display.
The MatePad Pro Max teaser highlights its 4.7mm profile — Huawei's thinnest tablet yet.
Keyboard and stylus support are confirmed via the teaser, keeping the Pro Max in contention as a productivity and creative tool. Huawei has not disclosed processor, RAM, storage options, battery size, or weight ahead of the launch event.
The UK and US picture
Outside China, buying a Huawei tablet takes some navigating. The previous MatePad Pro 12.2 (2025) retailed at £850 in the UK — the Pro Max will almost certainly cost more, putting it in direct competition with the 13-inch iPad Pro M5 at £1,299. For US buyers, Huawei tablets are not sold through major carriers or mainstream retail chains; availability is limited to Amazon and specialist importers.
The bigger structural issue remains software. The MatePad Pro Max runs HarmonyOS and does not support Google Play Services natively. That means no Gmail, no Google Maps, and no access to the wider Android app ecosystem without workarounds — a real barrier for most buyers in the UK and US who rely on Google's apps daily.
Worth watching
If Huawei's thinness claim holds up, the Pro Max will have a genuine hardware edge over the iPad Pro M5. But hardware alone hasn't been enough to move Huawei tablets in Western markets since US sanctions reshaped the company's distribution. Pricing and availability details are expected at the May 7 launch event — Huawei Central first reported the teaser.
