Huawei’s next Android tablet could be a high-end model with support for a digital pen and a keyboard cover — which would help explain why Evan Blass says the tablet will have a new name. Goodbye Huawei MediaPad. Hello Huawei MatePad Pro.

The name’s not the only thing that’s new though — a series of leaked images making the rounds this month suggest that this could be the first tablet to feature a hole-punch camera.

Smartphone makers have been competing to see who could offer the highest screen-to-body ratio in recent years by shrinking the bezels surrounding their displays. That’s led to some creative decisions about where to place the front-facing camera.

Some phones have pop-up cameras. Some have no front camera at all — and have a second screen on the back to help you frame selfies using the rear cameras. And others have notches or hole punches cut out of the display.

Up until now we haven’t seen that sort of design in tablets. But it looks like 2019 could be the year that changes.

According to 91Mobiles, which posted a set of pictures of the upcoming Huawei tablet earlier this month, the MatePad Pro is expected to feature a Kirin 990 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage.

Huawei hasn’t officially launched the MatePad Pro yet, so it’s possible that those specs could be inaccurate. But I suspect that if and when this tablet is released, it’ll mark the start of the era of creative camera placements for tablets.

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14 replies on “Hole punch cameras are coming to tablets (Huawei MatePad Pro leaked)”

  1. Moronic. People are highly educated who design these things. Guess what they lack? Common sense. Imagine bitching about a dead/stuck pixel these days. How many dead pixels does a pin hole make? F these guys. Put a hole in a pristine table display?

  2. What are these people thinking? A hole punch is not acceptable on a device designed for stylus use

  4. Both Huawei’s and Samsung ‘s supposedly premium tablets are narrower than the now discontinued 9.7″ iPad line. what’s the points? Why are these tablets called premium at all?

    1. Because not everyone wants a 4:3 aspect ratio screen. I myself prefer 16:9 and 16:10 screens on tablets.

      1. But in such a narrow form factor?

        I didn’t talk about the 4:3 form factor by the way. Between 4:3 and 16:10 you have IMAX (1.43:1, the iPad Pro and the late Pixel C) and 3:2 (Microsoft and Chrome devices). Those aren’t narrow.

  5. Well that’s…really not an improvement and I hope it doesn’t catch on. I wonder how the UI is going to manage the hole. That’s pretty big hole.
    It’s just unnecessary. There’s often a lot more room for stuff inside android tablets. A pop out camera could fit in there easy.

    1. An old feature phone I had cleverly made a near-free viewfinder out of mirrored plastic. Next to the camera and flash LED was a 8mm x 6mm gently curved (fish-eye) plastic trim element. This gave a ‘mini viewfinder’ for selfie uses, and the side volume buttons on the keypad drove the camera shutter.

      But no, let’s add screens since that’s a sexier sales element.

    2. You don’t even need a pop out, slightly larger bezels are actually good on tablets because it makes them easier to hold without putting your thumb on the screen. The hole punch is even more unnecessary here.

      1. I agree. A tablet is meant to be handled, as opposed to a laptop. There should be room for your hands to prevent constant accidental touches on the screen. Bezels are ugly but they serve that purpose.

        1. To be honest, the hole-punch isn’t that noticeable and you can have palm rejection software.

          That being said, I think this tablets kinda sucks because it won’t have Google Services, Android is no longer good for tablets, and having a loose pen could be very annoying (why no silo). I suspect the price is going to be pretty steep too. I wouldn’t get any tablets, owning a large phone and a small laptop combination fills that niche. If I had to, iPad is the only one worth getting honestly.

          1. I agree with you most of the time Kangal…but this time is not one of them. Hi have a M5 Media pad and absolutely love it! Android is great on this tablet. I have had several Android tablets but this one gets used all the time. I even have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse so I can use it with Androffice as a productivity device. Most of the time it is used as a web surfing device, for watching videos, reading epubs, etc. One of my most used devices.

          2. Adding Google Services is a 15 minute process: enable 3rd party sources and download 3xAPKs.

            I agree that the loose stylus is a bit frustrating, I have a Huawei Mate 20X that has a similar issue – and the same with a Wacom Cintiq Companion 2.

            But it is funny to then recommend the iPad which has the same problem.

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