Microsoft isn’t the only one releasing a slew of new devices. Huawei‘s also got some toys to show us and they’re an update to the company’s previous first Windows 10 device, the MateBook. This time, there are three variants — called the MateBook X, MateBook E and MateBook D — and they’re all a little different from each other.
We’ll start, of course, with the sexiest device, the MateBook X. It’s an ultra-thin ultra-portable laptop in the traditional laptop form factor. It’s got a 3:2 aspect ratio 13-inch 2K IPS display that’s protected by Corning’s Gorilla glass. Inside, it’s powered by either an Intel Core i5-7200U or an Intel Core i7-7500U Kaby Lake processor, paired with 4GB or 8GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of SSD storage.
Huawei’s new laptop is also super thin and portable, coming in at just 12.5mm thick and weighing about 1.05kg. In fact, it’s so thin that Huawei hasn’t shipped it with a fan for cooling but that also means that this device will be completely silent. It’s also rather small, measuring 286mm (W) x 211mm (L) and that’s because the display has some really slim bezels. Battery life is rated at 10 hours of FHD video playback.
Despite the ultra-portable nature of the laptop, it’s actually pretty OK when it comes to ports. You get two USB Type-C ports — one for charging and one for data — so it’s still going to be dongle life for most of us but Huawei is including their MateDock 2.0 USB Type-C dongle in the box for some markets. This dongle offers pretty much any port you need: USB Type- A, DVI, HDMI and a second USB Type-C port for pass-through charging. My only qualm is the lack of an SD card reader.
That’s not all the goodies Huawei has bundled with the new MateBook X. The Chinese company has also worked with Dolby to develop an Atmos Sound System for the laptop. This technology combines hardware and software elements from Dolby to give you a good sound experience. The MateBook X also features a fingerprint scanner for ease of access.
It’s no secret who this laptop is going after and I think it has the looks, performance and practicality to maybe pull it off.
The second new product in the MateBook lineup is the MateBook D. The D is another traditional 15-inch laptop that’s offering more performance than portability. As a result, it’s got a Full HD 15.6-inch IPS panel alongside either an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 Kaby Lake processor. There’s also the option to add a discrete graphics card in the form of an NVIDIA GeForce 940MX.
Memory options include 4GB, 8GB and 16GB of RAM plus either a 128GB, 256GB or 512GB SSD. There’s also a 1TB hard disk drive for mass storage. It’s also got the same Dolby Atmos Sound System as the one on the MateBook X.
Finally, we have the MateBook E which is basically an update to Huawei’s original 2-in-1 MateBook. This new MateBook E features Kaby Lake Core m3-7Y30 and Y-Series Core i5-7Y54 processors paired with 4GB/8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB of internal storage. Besides that, you’ve got a 12-inch 2160×1440 pixel screen and a 4,430 mAh battery.
Huawei’s MateBook X has prices starting at EUR1,399 (around RM6,719) and can go up to EUR1,699 (around RM8,159). The MateBook D, on the other hand, sees prices start at EUR799 (around RM3,837) and can go up to EUR999 (around RM4,797). Finally, the MateBook E’s base model will be priced at EUR999 (around RM4,797) and go all the way up to EUR1,299 (around RM6,238) for the top spec.
