Huawei confirms India tablet comeback after 5 years with MatePad 11.5, SE 11; prices revealed
Huawei is getting back into the tablet game in India after more than five years, and not with just one device. After the company’s store page appeared on Flipkart with a teaser, Huawei has confirmed the MatePad 11.5 and the more affordable MatePad SE 11 are both on the way.
The MatePad 11.5 is doing most of the heavy lifting. Priced at Rs 33,999 with bank offers of over Rs 2,000, it comes with an 11.5-inch 2.5K PaperMatte display, which is Huawei’s way of making the screen feel closer to paper and easier on the eyes. There’s also a detachable keyboard and stylus support, so the tablet is good for productivity features like notes, documents, and long reading sessions, not just multimedia.
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There is a large 10,100mAh battery inside with 40W charging, and Huawei claims up to 14 hours of video playback. The tablet is also slim at 6.1 mm and uses a metal body, which should help it feel a bit more premium than most options around this price. A quad speaker setup rounds things off, so it is not ignoring entertainment either.
Then there is the MatePad SE 11, which is aimed at a very different buyer. With an effective starting price of Rs 13,749, it sits in the budget segment where big screens at low prices tend to do well. It gets an 11-inch display with TUV Rheinland certifications for reduced blue light and flicker, a 7,700mAh battery with 22.5W charging, and support for Huawei’s M Pen stylus. The cameras are basic, which is expected at this price, but the quad speakers suggest it is still being pitched as a decent media device.
This is Huawei’s first tablet push in India since the MatePad T8 back in 2020. Apple’s iPad lineup still dominates the premium end, while Samsung and Lenovo have filled out the Android space across price points. Even in the sub-Rs 30,000 range, buyers now expect a solid app experience, regular updates, and reliable performance.
Huawei’s approach becomes a bit more complicated there. The hardware checks out for the price, but the lack of Google Mobile Services is still a factor. Everyday apps like Gmail, YouTube, and the Play Store are not available in the usual way, and while workarounds exist, they are not always seamless.
For buyers, the MatePad 11.5 makes sense if you want something for note-taking, reading, and light work, especially with the keyboard and stylus in play. The MatePad SE 11 is more straightforward. It’s a large screen for streaming, browsing, and online classes at a relatively low price.
