PC

Sleek laptop with good build quality

The MateBook X Pro by Huawei has a 3:2 display, which is optimal for productivity as it offers more vertical screen real estate to let the user view more of a document or Web page.

Huawei made its name in smartphones, but laptops may be the Chinese tech giant's best shot at expanding outside its homeland.

Unlike its Google-less smartphones, Huawei's notebooks are not affected by the United States trade ban.

On the contrary, Huawei's laptops are stuffed to the gills with American tech, including a 10th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, an entry-level Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics chip and Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system.

Its latest MateBook X Pro, which was launched last month in Singapore, is a premium model that will give high-end ultrabooks such as Dell's XPS and HP's Spectre series a run for their money.

For one thing, the 13.9-inch MateBook X Pro is as sleek as its rivals. Its build quality is impeccable with an all-metal chassis that is firm and unyielding.

The design is unchanged from last year's version. But this is probably a moot point to local consumers as the 2019 edition was not launched in Singapore.

At 1.3kg, the MateBook X Pro is reasonably light, though there are more portable laptops on the market. I feel that its heft helps to convey a sense of quality.

The MateBook X Pro is one of the few notebooks with a 3:2 display, which is optimal for productivity as it offers more vertical screen real estate to let you view more of a document or Web page.

This touchscreen is also said to offer 100 per cent coverage of the sRGB colour space. It certainly looks lively and vibrant. It is also brighter than usual, at up to 450 nits, though its Corning Gorilla Glass finish is more reflective than a matt surface.

While the screen bezels are incredibly slim, they come at a price. Because the razor-thin top bezel cannot accommodate a Web camera, Huawei has relocated it between the F6 and F7 keys.

This pop-up camera is hidden from view until you depress it. While this design ensures privacy when the camera is not in use, its placement means the camera is looking up at your nostrils and chin.

  • FOR

    • Impeccable build quality

    • Near-bezel-less 3:2 touch display

    • Huge, clicky touchpad

    • Excellent battery life


    AGAINST

    • Web camera placement

    • Expensive

    • No Wi-Fi 6

  • SPECS

  • PRICE: $2,698

    PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7-10510U (1.8GHz)

    GRAPHICS: Nvidia GeForce MX250 2GB GDDR5

    RAM: 16GB DDR3

    SCREEN SIZE: 13.9 inches, 3,000 x 2,000 pixels

    CONNECTIVITY: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1, USB 3.0 Type-A, audio jack

    BATTERY: 56 watt-hour


    RATING

    FEATURES: 4/5

    DESIGN: 4/5

    PERFORMANCE: 4.5/5

    VALUE FOR MONEY: 3.5/5

    BATTERY LIFE: 5/5

    OVERALL: 4/5

One of my favourite features of the laptop is its huge touchpad. It is clicky, with ample room for multi-touch gestures. The keyboard, though, is stiffer than expected - more pressure is required for a key press to be registered.

Another useful feature is the PC Manager utility, which is a convenient dashboard to monitor hardware issues and check for new drivers. There are also short cuts to useful tools like the calculator, screenshot utility and notepad.

Those with a recent NFC-capable Honor or Huawei smartphone that supports the Huawei Share feature can tap their phones on the MateBook X Pro's palm rest to connect to the notebook.

Once the two devices are linked, you can drag and drop files and copy text between them. You can even control the phone via the laptop and make calls or view phone notifications.

The MateBook X Pro has a USB Type-A port, so you do not need a dongle to connect a USB Type-A device, such as an external hard drive.

There are also two USB Type-C ports, which can be used with the compact power adaptor, to charge the notebook battery.

Surprisingly for a laptop boasting the latest computing hardware, Huawei seems to have neglected the Wi-Fi adaptor, which supports the older Wi-Fi 5 standard and not the latest Wi-Fi 6.

But in general, I have no complaints about the MateBook X Pro's performance. It is responsive and fast. In the PCMark 10 benchmark, the laptop scored 4,162 compared with 3,747 for Huawei's mid-range Core i5-powered MateBook 13.

The MateBook X Pro also performed very well in the video-loop battery test. With the screen set to maximum brightness, the notebook lasted just six minutes shy of the nine-hour mark, putting it among the top notebooks for battery stamina.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 19, 2020, with the headline Sleek laptop with good build quality. Subscribe