Huawei has released their latest laptop, the MateBook X Pro, and it could genuinely end up being Window’s MacBook Pro killer.
If we were to look at the MateBook X Pro and cover the great big Huawei logo, it would be difficult to really tell the difference between it and the MacBook Air.
The designs are strikingly similar, and I remember it was actually one of the reasons I was so drawn to the MateBook when I bought my first one back in 2018.
I was looking for something that had an excellent minimalist design and the specs to boot that was Windows and wasn’t as pricey as the MacBooks tend to be.
That’s when I ended up finding out about the MateBook.
I mean, even the name is very similar to the MacBook.
It’s pretty evident that Huawei’s been heavily inspired by Apple’s laptops when coming up with their powerful compact laptop.
However, I don’t think that should be an issue.
If I were Apple, I’d be flattered that Huawei thinks their laptops are the ones to emulate.
Could the MateBook X Pro really be the MacBook Pro killer?
The Huawei MateBook X Pro is my favourite Windows laptop, hands down – Credit: Small Screen
Read more: Huawei Freebuds 3 Review
However, this new 2020 version of the MateBook X Pro is more than just a pretty face.
If you take a look under the hood, then you’ll quickly realise that this machine really does pack a hefty punch.
But, before discussing the internals, I think I need to talk about the things that really matter to me in a good laptop.
I write a lot, and one of the things that really stopped me from forking out the $1,500 plus on a MacBook was their awful keyboard.
Now, they have fixed them recently, but I still think I prefer typing on Huawei’s MateBook X Pro.
The keys have just enough travel to them, and they’re really satisfying to type on.
Then there’s the screen, which has an incredible 3000 x 2000 resolution and it can go up to 450 nits maximum brightness.
This means the MateBook X Pro can get crazy bright even in direct sunlight.
Huawei also claims that it has an100% sRGB colour gamut, and it all just means that the screen looks gorgeous.
I’d actually say that the screen on the MateBook is better than the MacBook’s Air and on par with the MacBook Pro’s.
However, it ends up being better than both of them because the MateBook X Pro’s screen is a touch screen.
It’s also got much smaller bezels, which makes the whole thing just look even more beautiful.
Extra bonus points for Huawei there. However, I will admit that I never touch my laptop’s screens because I’m genuinely allergic to fingerprints.
The design is sleek and beautiful
The MateBook X Pro’s screen is to die for – Credit: Small Screen
Read more: These Are The Top Three Reasons To Switch To Digital
I’ve already mentioned how much I love this laptop’s design, but I think it’s worth repeating.
I just love looking at the Huawei MateBook X Pro.
It’s so thin, so light and is made out of Aluminum alloy and the whole thing just feels like a premium machine.
I mean, it feels like a premium machine because it is one.
This is hands down, the best-looking Windows laptop on the market.
I realise that people will be shouting at this point, “What about Dell’s XPS 15!”
Yeah, that laptop looks good, but the MateBook X Pro looks better.
I would also say that the speakers on the MateBook X Pro are better than both the XPS’ and the MacBook Air.
I think they’re on par with the MacBook Pro (13-inch), and slightly behind the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
It also has great I/O. The laptop comes with two USB-C ports (support data, charging and DisplayPort), one USB-A 3.0 and a 3.5 mm headset and microphone jack.
It’s pretty rare to find a USB-A port on a laptop like this nowadays (looking at you Apple).
OK, now it’s time to talk about the specs and what’s inside this laptop.
There’s a lot of good here, but also some bad.
First off, one of the reasons why I was really excited to use this 2020 model of the MateBook X Pro is because of the updated specs.
The model I have is the one with the 10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-10510U Processor, 1TB SSD hard drive and 16GB LPDDR3 RAM.
I would have preferred LPDDR4 RAM, which is slightly faster.
That said, the performance on this thing is incredibly fast, even with the slightly slower RAM.
Huawei Share is a real game-changer
Huawei Share is a game-changer – Credit: Small Screen
Read more: Is YouTube Preventing People From Finding The Out Of Shadows Documentary?
I wonder whether Huawei opted to put the slower RAM in this machine because they knew it wouldn’t make too much difference.
It then has a pretty big battery. Huawei claims that the 56 Wh battery can get up to 13 hours of video playback use.
While using it, I was getting about 4 to 5 hours of use without having to charge it.
That’s pretty much standard as far as these laptops are concerned, and I tend to use software that quickly drains the battery.
I think if I were to use it just to watch Netflix all day, I think it could do it on one charge.
I haven’t tested that out yet, so don’t quote me on that.
The issue with having all this stuff inside such a small and thin laptop is that it does get very, very hot.
This thing also gets loud at rather odd times.
I’ll be just watching something on Netflix or browsing the web, and the fan will start to kick in.
This is also an issue with the MacBook Air.
The laptops’ chassis are just too small to have all that power inside it.
They struggle to get enough air inside them to cool it all down.
It means that my MateBook X Pro could hit temperatures of 100 degrees celsius, which is just crazy hot.
The MateBook X Pro does run a bit hot
This little camera is pretty innovative if a little useless – Credit: Small Screen
Read more: Here Are The 10 Best Horror Films From The Past Decade
Thankfully, these moments on intense heat don’t last for too long.
But, it does make me worry a bit for the laptop’s longevity.
It basically means I can’t use Premiere Pro too much.
This is fine for me because I’m a Final Cut Pro guy anyway.
I’ll end this review by talking about some fun and slightly quirky things about the MateBook X Pro.
First off, the camera. This laptop, like the MateBook X Pros before it, hides its camera away in the keyboard.
This is ingenious because I’m someone who uses the camera very rarely and tends to put a sticker over it.
However, it does make for a very odd angle when you do use it.
The person you’re Skyping or Zooming with will end up looking up your nose, which is not too pleasant.
As I said, I barely use laptop cameras, so I’m OK with this.
The second aspect of this laptop I wanted to finish on which I love is Huawei Share.
This laptop comes with a sticker on the bottom right which has an NFC chip in it.
This enables you to use something called Huawei Share.
What you can do with this is place your Huawei phone on this sticker.
Your phone’s homepage turns up on the screen.
You can then control your phone from your laptop.
You can also take documents and photos off your phone and onto your laptop and vice versa.
It’s a piece of simple ingenuity which I think other companies will replicate.
I’ll be very surprised if Apple doesn’t do some sort of version of this on their next laptops.
What do you make of this review?
Will you now look at the Huawei MateBook X Pro as your next laptop?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
What do you make of this review? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!
And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!
[…] Source link […]