Currently the best Android tablet for art: Huawei Matepad 12X
23/4/2026
Translation: machine translated
The Matepad 12X from Huawei scores with a matte display. In combination with the new stylus and its various tips, it even outperforms Apple products when it comes to digital art.
I use my iPad as an all-rounder for my hobbies: painting, writing, reading and making music. Huawei has been offering a top alternative for the Apple universe for some time now. With their tablets with a matte display and their own painting software.
The latest stylus accessory comes with three different pen tips for three areas of application. That's unique - and practical!
Highlight: M-Pencil Pro with three different refills
The new M-Pencil Pro is excitingwhich is compatible with this tablet - but not with the OLED model. It offers similar functions to the Apple Pencil Pro, such as haptic feedback as well as pressure and rotation sensitivity. The highlight: Huawei includes three different attachments. Two for writing (finer and thicker plastic tip) and one for drawing (soft tip).
First of all: You have to buy the stylus separately from a Huawei tablet, but it's definitely worth it if you're a creative traveller. Replacement tips are available at an affordable price - but only from Huawei itself or via Aliexpress. If, like me, you like to drop your stylus and break the tip (or - also like me - lose it), I highly recommend having a replacement ready.
Display and design: matt and bright
Huawei has a good feel for elegant design. I really like the back of the Matepad 12x. The mother-of-pearl shimmers in a fresh green colour. As a second colour, the device is available in mother-of-pearl white.
The 12-inch LCD has a resolution of 2800 × 1840 pixels and offers a frame rate of 30 to 144 hertz. Thanks to the matt coating and 1000 nits, I can also paint outside in bright sunshine with a clear view of my artwork. At no point did I miss the fact that it wasn't an OLED panel - even if the colours were a little more vibrant and contrasty.
At 555 grammes and a thickness of 5.9 millimetres, it is ideally suited for light luggage. Even if it is a little bulkier and heavier than my iPad Pro with nanotextured glass. The latter weighs 450 grammes and is 5.3 millimetres thick - but is also a tad smaller at 11 inches.
Hardware
Huawei uses its own Kirin 9000E chip. Compared to Samsung, it doesn't deliver top performance in the benchmarks. However, it is more than sufficient for office work, gaming and drawing. Here is the comparison with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 (Mediatek Dimensity 9400+) and the Huawei Matepad Pro 12.2 (Kirin T91).
Thanks to the 12 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory, I am well equipped for drawing, gaming and office applications. However, if the internal memory is not enough, I have no way of expanding it: there is no microSD slot.
The Matepad 12X surprised me positively in the battery test. In my test, the device achieved a runtime of just under 20 hours with its 10,100 mAh battery. In standby mode, the device feels like it lasts forever - while my iPad quickly runs out of power. Afterwards, I recharge it extremely quickly - provided I have the right 66 watt fast-charging power supply unit. In just under 90 minutes, the tablet is 100 per cent ready to go.
Huawei has equipped the Matepad 12X with two cameras. The front camera with 8 megapixels (MP) is quite sufficient for video calls. I am impressed by the 50 MP main camera. This is rare in tablets. I usually only need it for scanning documents or capturing reference motifs. With the Matepad, however, I can actually collect good images for my reference catalogue - even with bokeh.
The tablet also comes with a detachable keyboard. An absolute must-have for me. The keyboard comes with a German ISO layout and offers a pleasant typing experience. I can use it to write texts and emails. Thanks to the function keys, I can operate the tablet even more easily when I want to adjust the volume and brightness or take a screenshot, for example.
The keyboard also works as a cover, but the tablet is not fully protected as the edges remain exposed.
No Google software? No problem!
Huawei supplies the Matepad 12X with the HarmonyOS 4.2 operating system, which is based on Android. The manufacturer guarantees updates within a time frame of 5 years from the production date. In this case, that would be until at least 2030.
Huawei has not had access to Google services since 2019 as a result of the US trade embargo. These include the Play Store and YouTube. This discourages smartphone users in particular from purchasing a Huawei device. They can be easily installed on the Matepad 12X:
Download the Aurora Store via the Huawei AppGallery. During installation, you will also automatically receive MicroG. This is an open-source replica of the Google Play services. This allows you to use apps that actually require Google services without having to install them - because MicroG simply claims that they are available. With this automatic step, Huawei has considerably simplified the workaround.
I also need far fewer Google apps on a tablet than I do on my mobile or PC, for example. That's why I think the Matepad 12X is a great alternative to my iPad Pro. I only use it for drawing, editing photos, as a music pad when playing the guitar and for watching films. All of this is possible here even without the Aurora.
Painting on the matte display
Huawei's hardware is now as good as Apple's when it comes to painting. Huawei has developed its own app «GoPaint», which is very similar to the iPad painting app «Procreate». It is extremely good and if you already know «Procreate», you will quickly find your way around. It is also clear and simple in other respects. Together with the matte display, it offers the perfect conditions for digital art.
Halt. Not quite: A good stylus is also a must. Android competitor Samsung, for example, could still catch up a bit. Huawei, on the other hand, has really expanded its stylus and has also overtaken the Apple Pencil.
The M-Pencil Pro (3rd gen) can be highly personalised. On the one hand with the different tips already mentioned. But also in its use: when I press it together, a small menu with a quick selection appears. As I normally always squeeze the pen a little, the menu often appears by mistake. No problem: I can adjust the sensitivity and select a slightly more powerful option.
The only disadvantage I encounter when drawing compared to the iPad-Procreate combo is the more limited number of layers. But I'm complaining at a high level, because I can still create almost 30 layers for an A2 poster.
Notes with the other two pen tips
I also find the two tips that Huawei explicitly recommends for writing useful for outlining when drawing. For writing, I have even more control with them than with the slightly thicker plastic tip, especially with small writing.
In Huawei's note-taking app, I can use it to my heart's content. I have every conceivable option there: from different brush tools and colours to stickers, shapes and even inserting my own pictures. Using the stylus on the matte display for employees is also extremely pleasant.
In a nutshell
Perfect mix of good hardware and software
A tablet is only as good as its software. Huawei has taken this to heart and equipped the durable Matepad 12X with practical apps. Huawei provides its own free apps for drawing and note-taking. In combination with the M-Pencil Pro, nothing stands in the way of me capturing my art and thoughts. And thanks to the long battery life, I can have fun with it for over two full days. However, I have to buy the stylus separately - it's as expensive as an Apple Pencil.
Nevertheless, the overall package is only half the price of a current iPad Pro with a matte display. But you don't need OLED with Huawei. But the LCD also delivers a high-contrast image. A keyboard is also included in the scope of delivery in case I'm too lazy for handwritten texts or want to compose an email.
If you need apps from Google, you have to live with a workaround and use the Aurora Store. But then you are no longer restricted and can let off steam in YouTube, Google Maps and the like.
Pro
- matt display
- Good chip
- free first-class art and note-taking software
- Keyboard included in the scope of delivery
- Good stylus as an accessory (sold separately)
Contra
- Google services can only be used with a workaround
Header image: Michelle Brändle
Ever since I learned how to hold a pen, I've been doodling away in bright colours. Thanks to my iPad, digital art has also become part of my life. That's why I love testing tablets – from the graphic design range to the regular kind. When I feel the urge to express my creativity without lugging lots of equipment, I go for the latest smartphones and start snapping away.
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