You might recognize the Huawei brand more for their phones and tablets rather than laptops, but they’ve been making laptops for years. The Huawei Matebook X Pro (see the lowest price) is their most expensive laptop, and it looks like an excellent alternative to other premium Windows laptops and the MacBook Pro.
Specs
Processor: Intel Core i5-8250U – 1.8 GHz – 4 Cores
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 256 GB SSD
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620
Screen: 13.9″
Resolution: 3000 x 2000
OS: Windows 10
Weight: 1.32 kg
Dimensions: 30.4 x 15.5 x 2.17 cm
USB 2.0: none
USB 3.0: 2
USB-C: 3
HDMI: 1
Ethernet port: no
Backlit keyboard: yes
Drives: no
Separate numeric keypad: no
Touchscreen: yes
Benefits
This is the cheapest model in the MateBook X Pro range, and it comes with 8 GB of RAM, a 256 GB SSD and a quad-core Intel Core i5 processor. If you have in mind video editing and faster gaming you can choose a dedicated graphics card, more storage, and a Core i7 processor. Connection-wise you get two USB-C Ports and a full-size USB port as well on the laptop. Inside the box, you get a dock that adds another full-size USB port, a VGA and HDMI port and another USB-C port.
This laptop has a similar price with the latest MacBook Air. Both the MacBook Air and the MateBook X Pro have an Intel Core i5 processor. Though the one in the MateBook X Pro has four cores rather than two which means it’s more powerful. You get about 0.6 inches of extra screen space but that comes with a bit of extra weight as well.
The SSD helps with the speed of the boot-up (five seconds) which is faster than laptops with standard HDD’s. It also helps with the quick opening of files and programs. The Intel Core i5 gets the job done whether its office tasks, emails, documents or editing photos.
The screen has more vertical space than the average widescreen laptop with an aspect ratio of 3:2. This makes for better reading and writing text. The display also manages to get beautiful and realistic colours while the 3000 x 2000 pixel resolution makes the text and images crisp and clear. A minimal downside may be the reflections caused by the touch-sensitive glass layer on top.
Although not as good as the Apple laptops speakers, the speakers on this laptop are way better than the average laptop. They have some bass, music and vocals. There might be a bit of shrillness when you turn the volume up, but that’s not enough to make you buy speakers for your desk if you lack the space.
The battery should last easily a full working day if you use it for documents, spreadsheets and emails, and between nine to twelve hours when browsing the internet or playing video.
If you don’t like typing your password every time you log in you can use the fingerprint scanner or the facial recognition camera. The keyboard and touchpad are among the best we’ve reviewed.
Downsides
The biggest downside, although a minor gripe, it’s the webcam placement. The so-called “Innovation” that Huawei applied to the webcam to make the border around the screen thinner provides a plain view up your nostril during video chats and if you want to type while video chatting your fingers will take a lot of webcam space. The webcam is positioned under a physical key on the keyboard about where the F6 key would generally be. While this may not be a dealbreaker it is a bit odd.
Verdict
This is a fantastic laptop that should be considered. It has a significant advantage over the Microsoft Surface laptop 2, Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Pro and that is the bigger, higher-resolution screen. It is also worth noting that it comes with a dock and it has fast performance.
See The Lowest Price On This Huawei Machine
For information on how to choose a laptop, check out our laptop buying guide.
