The Huawei MatePad SE 10.4 is being positioned as an entry-level entertainment machine. It does have a couple of attractive features including a relatively high-resolution screen for its price point, quad speakers, a decent enough chipset, and a long battery life. Though it has all these under its belt, is it a smart buy for a discerning budget hunter?
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 |
| Screen | 10.4-inch IPS, 2000 x 1200 |
| RAM | 3GB, 4GB |
| OS | HarmonyOS 3.0 |
| Rear Camera | 5MP f/2.2 |
| Front Camera | 2MP f/2.2 |
| Storage | 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, MicroSD |
| Network | N/A |
| Connectivity | WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C |
| Battery | 5,100mAh, 10W Charging |
| Others | Dual Symmetrical Stereo Speakers, Huawei Histen8.0 |
| Dimensions | 246.94 x 156.7 x 7.85mm |
| Weight | 440g |
| Colors | Graphite Black |
The main highlight of the Huawei MatePad SE 10.4 is its 10.4-inch 2000 x 1200 IPS display. It is large enough to become a dedicated entertainment center for watching movies or quick shorts. The resolution might not be as high as higher-tiered tablets in the range but it’s a decent middle ground for detail and price. The IPS panel also adds to the experience as colors look rich though blacks could be better.
Another feature that the company spotlights on the tablet is its quad speakers. Huawei calls the tablet’s audio as Dual Symmetrical Stereo speakers and they are fantastic for an entry-level tablet. The speakers have good detail, a surprising amount of soundstage, and okay bass.
When its display and speakers are paired together, the Huawei MatePad SE 10.4 becomes a terrific budget media consumption machine. It will be able to smoothly play 1080p videos without stuttering and those who have an external audio solution can use its 3.5mm audio jack.
The tablet comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 – a decent enough chipset for budget-oriented devices. Though it will be able to play games at low to medium settings and run programs like a champ, the base model only comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. This will limit you to the number of programs in the background and apps you can install. It does have a MicroSD slot inside so you can at least mitigate the latter down the road.
HarmonyOS 3.0 powers the device and supports Huawei Super Device for seamless integration to other Huawei devices like turning it to a secondary screen for a notebook. It does not have access to Google Mobile Services but it does have AppGallery and a plethora of 3rd party sites to download apps from. You can use apps like Gbox if Google app access is imperative to your workflow. It is a fairly simple workaround for those who don’t want to find Google alternatives.
A 5,100mAh battery powers the Huawei MatePad SE 10.4, which should be enough for a movie marathon. Charging capabilities are limited, however, as it only supports 10W charging through its USB-C port.
We don’t expect people to take photos with its 5MP f/2.2 rear facing camera but it’s there if you need it. The front-facing camera, however, is a bit of a low point as it is only a 2MP f/2.2 shooter. It would have been better if the selfie shooter had a higher pixel count for better performance in video calls.
The Huawei MatePad SE 10.4 is shaping up to be a decent entertainment-focused tablet for the masses. It might not have a full suite of software support unlike other devices in the market and the charging speed and selfie camera could be improved. It does, however, get the things that matter right like a large 10.4-inch 2000 x 1200 screen and decent quad speakers for a tablet starting at PhP 10,000.
The Huawei MatePad SE 10.4 is priced starting at PhP 9,999 in the Philippines. Three variants are available: 3GB/32GB WiFi + LTE and 4GB/64GB WiFi for PhP 9,999 and a 4GB/128GB WiFI + LTE version for PhP 13,999.
