MateTV Max: Huawei’s XXL attack on the home theater, 110 inches, 6000 nits and a lot of announcement

Huawei is going for it in a big way. With the MateTV Max, the Chinese company is unleashing a technological firework display that really packs a punch. a 110-inch screen diagonal, mini LED with RGB zone control, 6000 nits peak brightness and a sound system that can hold its own without a soundbar. What sounds like a home cinema fan’s wet dream on paper is far more than just an oversized screen. It’s a strategic statement.

Let’s start with the technology. The MateTV Max is still based on classic LCD technology and yes, that’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, RGB Mini-LED offers much finer backlight control than conventional Edge or Direct LEDs, but on the other hand, black remains black and not OLED black. Nevertheless: 6000 nits peak brightness is a statement, as is the stated color space coverage of 125% DCI-P3 and 91% BT.2020. Hardly any consumer display currently achieves this, at least not in this diagonal and price range. Huawei uses this technology under the marketing label “Super Mini LED”, which ultimately means more dimming zones, finer gradations and better control. Sounds good, but remains LCD.

The technical data speaks for itself and shows that Huawei wants to play more than just a little bit in the TV market here:

Huawei doesn’t want to do things by halves when it comes to sound: an integrated 3.1.2 setup with subwoofer (60 watts) and two up-firing speakers (20 watts each) is intended to simulate spatial audio without an external system. That may be enough for a hotel lobby, but for serious home theater it will be a bit tight. The integrated webcam with physical coverage is an interesting move, probably more relevant for the Chinese market, where video telephony via TV is more widespread. But it’s the inner workings that are really exciting: 12 GB RAM, 256 GB storage, a specially developed image processor with AI upscaling and dynamic HDR processing. Huawei is pulling out all the stops here and giving the MateTV Max an SoC that is normally found in premium smartphones. HarmonyOS as an operating system may have exotic status in the West, but it offers a solid basis for smart TV functionalities. HDMI 2.1 with eARC, ALLM, VRR, everything on board. On the interface front, Huawei doesn’t let itself down.

The price? The equivalent of 7900 euros in China. Sounds high, but is almost aggressively priced given the features. Should the TV come to Europe, 9999 euros or more is easily realistic due to taxes, logistics and CE certification, assuming Huawei still wants to tackle this market at all. In view of the political tensions and US sanctions, a launch outside China is no longer a matter of course. What remains? The MateTV Max is Huawei’s attempt to make a statement in the high-end TV market with a technology demonstration that has nothing to hide. But the competition is not sleeping. Samsung relies on Micro-LED, LG on OLED evo, Sony on “True RGB Mini-LED”. So Huawei has to impress not only with size, but also with quality and software. And that – as so often – is the real touchstone.

Picture idea: A living room with a futuristic look, dominated by an oversized TV showing a bright science fiction scene. Bright colors, strong contrasts. In the foreground a remote control with the Huawei logo, next to it a soundbar, unused.

Source: HiFi