6 reasons why a tablet with a matte display is better
Why are tablets with a matte display better than the rest? There are at least six good reasons.
You know what a tablet looks like, right? Gray rectangle, large screen, etc. Now imagine that we will only change one thing in such a tablet: we will take out shiny, shining like you know what, you know who display and replace it with a matte one. What will happen?
Fortunately, we don't have to imagine it anymore. This is exactly what the company did Huawei with the model MatePad 11.5” PaperMatte Edition. Let me tell you that although it may seem like a small, even insignificant change, in practice it is a real game changer.
What's more, I can replace it without any problems at least six good reasons for whom such a tablet with a matte display is simply better.
1. Sunlight readability
The first and most obvious issue is readability. Specifically, readability when using the tablet outdoors, in intense sunlight or surrounded by intense light sources.
I don't think there's much to explain here. If you have ever used a tablet, you know perfectly well that the displays of most of them are hidden under a sheet of shiny glass, and the thing about shiny glass is that… well, it sparkles. Add strong light to this and it turns out that instead of the projected image in front of our eyes, we have a series of reflections or – horror of horrors – our own reflection. Of course, you can try to save yourself by setting a higher backlight brightness, but then you waste the battery racing with the Sun. I'll leave it to you to decide whether this is a good idea.
In the case of MatePad 11.5″ in the PaperMatte Edition version, the matter is much simpler. The device's screen is covered with a matte coating, which according to the manufacturer is designed to eliminate up to 97 percent of all unwanted reflections. We can sit somewhere on the beach in the exclusive resort of Międzyzdroje with the sun shining straight on the screen and still comfortably use the tablet without any inconvenience. That means, no inconvenience from the display – unfortunately I can't help with the noise coming from behind the adjacent screen.
2. It does not strain the eyes
But a matte screen is not only convenient. It turns out that there is such a panel too more friendly to our eyes. Honestly, I'm not an expert, so I won't speculate on where exactly this “friendliness” comes from. However, I can refer to the opinion of experts, and more precisely, mention the certificates obtained by Huawei MatePad 11.5″ PaperMatte Edition.
Their list is quite long, but it is worth paying attention to a few specific ones, especially the certificate SGS Low Visual Fatigue Premium Performance and TÜV Rheinland Reflection Free. In short, we can use the MatePad 11.5″ in the matte version without worrying about excessive eye strain, and the manufacturer has papers to prove it. Of course, it is worth emphasizing that this is not solely due to the matte display coating, but it is undoubtedly an important element of the puzzle.
3. It looks like paper
So far, I have written about the relatively objective advantages of a matte screen on a tablet, but it cannot be denied that some of them are simply a matter of taste. Well, that doesn't mean they're less important, right?
Personally, what I like about the MatePad 11.5″ PaperMatte display is that looks like paper. Maybe not one-to-one, but when using it, I associate it much more with reading a newspaper or a book than with staring at another screen. After a whole day of staring at the monitor while working and constantly checking your smartphone, it's a nice change.
You know, it's a bit like listening to music on vinyl instead of a compact disc or streaming. There may not be any higher quality behind it, but it doesn't matter, because it's about something else – about the fun of interacting with something a bit more “analog”.
And by the way, a little apart from the main topic, it is worth mentioning that this “paperiness” in the case of the matte MatePad has another dimension. if you have M-Pencil stylus – and when you buy a tablet in the promotion at the beginning of the sale, you will receive it as a gift – when you write on the screen, the device will try to simulate the rough texture of paper by means of vibrations. It's nice if you plan to use it as a notebook.
4. It will replace an e-book reader
It is also worth mentioning several applications for which a tablet with a matte display is perfect, and certainly much better than the glossy competition. One of them is reading e-books. As I mentioned earlier, the matte coating guarantees excellent readability in bright sunlight, reduces glare to virtually zero and looks like paper. In short, such a tablet has virtually all the advantages of a dedicated reader.
It is true that the technology behind the screen is different than that of typical e-paper, but this will be an advantage in many situations. A tablet with a matte screen will do the trick much better color reproduction than readers with e-ink displays and significantly higher responsiveness. It will also have a larger diagonal, making it more convenient to read publications with a large number of illustrations and view PDFs.
Using a tablet with a matte screen as an e-book reader is such an obvious idea that the Huawei MatePad 11.5″ PaperMatte Edition even includes special e-book mode. After its activation, the screen switches to a warmer white balance and the color saturation is reduced. In this way, the tablet imitates devices with e-ink panels even better, making reading much more comfortable and your eyes less tired.
5. Perfect for reading comics
Talking about it in a separate point may be a bit of a cheat, but I would be kicking myself if I didn't mention one more application in which a tablet with a matte screen is basically irreplaceable. We're talking about reading comics.
The graphic novel is an interesting medium that does not adapt well to any screen. Reading comics on a horizontal display of a laptop or computer is moderately comfortable, just like on a tiny smartphone. E-book readers, on the other hand, do not require any color display. Moreover, most of them are also too small to comfortably follow the dialogues in small speech bubbles.
Substantially the only way to comfortably read comics in digital form is on a tablet. And while in fact every tablet should perform very well in this role, models with matte displays – such as the Huawei MatePad 11.5″ PaperMatte Edition – have one significant advantage: they imitate the paper original much better.
6. We lose nothing
I suspect that at least some of you watching this video and listening to my admiration may wonder where the catch is. If such matte displays in tablets have so many advantages, why aren't they more popular? There must be something to it – some flaws, compromises… right?
The best part is that it doesn't. Display on board Huawei MatePad 11.5” PaperMatte Edition has all the advantages of a typical IPS panel: high resolution, high refresh rate and excellent colors – even though on paper the coverage of the color palette is theoretically slightly worse than in traditional solutions. OK, maybe the maximum brightness is a bit lower compared to models with a glossy matrix, but the lack of reflections more than makes up for this.
Let's take e-ink displays for comparison, which seem to be a natural alternative to this solution. Their advantage is that they do not need backlighting, but this is where the advantages end and the compromises begin. Epaper means a longer refresh time, which is not suitable for displaying smooth animations, poor colors (if we get a color screen at all, because it is still exotic) and a high cost if we intend to go for a diagonal larger than the standard 6 or 7″ .
In the case of the Huawei MatePad 11.5″ in the matte version, such problems do not occur. Sure, the price is similar to “large” readers. Instead however, it offers much greater possibilities, so it's hard to talk about any real competition here.
To be clear – I'm not saying that a tablet with a matte display is a solution that absolutely everyone will love. The anti-reflective coating has its own specific character, which requires some getting used to, and in the end, there will probably be people who will choose a model with a traditional glossy screen instead. And there's nothing wrong with that. Well, Huawei understands it too, a The MatePad 11.5″, which I used as an example in this text, is available in two versions: in addition to the matte one, there is also a classic glossy one.
But in my opinion, this solution simply makes sense. In most of the applications for which I use the tablet, a matte screen performs simply better, and I regret that we rarely see this type of devices. And for now, we have it available Huawei MatePad 11.5” PaperMatte Edition. If you would like to see for yourself how a tablet with a matte display works, this is a really nice option. Especially since this equipment is relatively inexpensive – you will pay for it in the manufacturer's store PLN 1,399. Additionally, if you decide to purchase until May 31, 2024, you can get a special promotion for the start and receive the 2nd generation M-Pencil stylus with a charger for a symbolic PLN 1. In turn, when making a purchase in the official Huawei online store, you can also get a dedicated keyboard Huawei Smart Magnetic Keyboard for PLN 199 and mouse Huawei CD23 for only PLN 49.
Check out the offer on Huawei MatePad 11.5″ PaperMatte Edition
Sponsored article commissioned by Huawei.