Huawei MateBook X Pro (2023) review

Huawei’s premium MateBook X Professional laptops have lengthy been among the many finest high-end Home windows machines available on the market, and the 2023 version – whereas a minor revamp – does little to vary that. 

The slender, light-weight design and exquisite 90Hz show of final 12 months’s laptop computer return, this time bolstered by an improve to extra highly effective Thirteenth-gen Intel chips. 

With no discrete GPU possibility and solely USB-C ports, this gained’t work for artistic energy customers, and battery life stays a sticking level – however in the event you want a glossy machine for basic productiveness and might afford the steep asking value, this is without doubt one of the few machines on the market to actually rival Apple’s choices. 

Design & construct 

• Magnesium alloy or aluminium construct 
• Glossy and light-weight 
• Solely USB-C ports 

Huawei hasn’t up to date the bodily design of the MateBook X Professional for this iteration, which stays an identical to its late 2022 counterpart. 

The 2023 mannequin is offered in three colors and finishes, although availability varies by market. I reviewed the White mannequin, which together with the Ink Blue model has a tender, clean, nearly velvety end. Each of those are constructed from magnesium alloy, which helps preserve the laptop computer mild at 1.26kg. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

There’s additionally a less expensive ‘Core’ version of the laptop computer in some areas, which is offered in House Gray and constructed from an aluminium alloy, making it somewhat heavier at 1.38kg. 

Both approach, the laptop computer is slim and glossy, with a slender, angled chassis, rounded edges, and a skinny bezel across the show while you open it up – straightforward to do one-handed because of a slight lip on the entrance edge. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Ports are, barely frustratingly, additionally unchanged. There are many them at the very least: a headphone jack and 4 USB-C ports, with the 2 on the left additionally supporting Thunderbolt 4. Meaning in the event you nonetheless use USB-A equipment or SD playing cards then you definately’ll be residing that dongle life. 

Keyboard, trackpad & webcam 

• Wonderful, spacious keyboard 
• Giant haptic trackpad 
• 720p webcam 

Additionally unaltered, the MateBook X Professional’s keyboard and trackpad are wonderful. 

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The keyboard is a pleasure to sort on, with a spacious, edge-to-edge design, responsive motion, and adjustable backlighting. It truly is among the many finest round. 

The trackpad can be impeccable. It’s enormous for one, spanning all the best way to the very backside fringe of the chassis. 

It helps multi-touch, however extra impressively it’s among the many trendy wave of haptic trackpads, which Huawei makes use of to implement a variety of extra shortcuts.  

You’ll be able to take screenshots, regulate brightness and quantity, fast-forward or rewind video, and extra, all with a collection of fast trackpad interactions. None of those are game-changers, however the additional comfort is actually welcome. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

As for the webcam, the 720p digicam discovered on the highest bezel right here is okay, however nothing particular. Different producers are working to enhance webcam high quality and backbone, and this feels somewhat beneath par for 2023. 

You may as well use the webcam for facial recognition to log in, together with the fingerprint reader constructed into the ability button. Each have labored nicely for me. 

Display & audio system 

• 14.2in show 
• 3K decision 
• 90Hz refresh charge 

Cease me in the event you’ve heard this one earlier than: Huawei hasn’t modified the show from the final mannequin. 

That’s positively not an issue right here although, the place the display screen stays one of many laptop computer’s key strengths. It’s not OLED, however with a 90Hz refresh charge and 3K decision the tech is prime tier in each different respect. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Deep colors and inky blacks make this an excellent display screen for every part from work to watching motion pictures, and it impresses on color accuracy too – overlaying 98% of the DCI-P3 color vary in my testing – and it’s shiny sufficient to make use of in most lighting too. 

It’s a touchscreen too, so there’s an additional stage of comfort if you wish to faucet across the OS as you utilize the laptop computer. 

The keyboard is flanked by the laptop computer’s six up-firing audio system, that are punchy sufficient for a Netflix session, although you wouldn’t need to depend on them an excessive amount of on your music. 

Specs & efficiency 

• Thirteenth-gen Intel Core i7 
• No devoted GPU possibility 
• 16GB RAM and 1TB storage 

Huawei has saved issues easy with the MateBook X Professional this 12 months, which is available in only one foremost model, however the processor bounce right here can be the principle motive to purchase the 2023 mannequin over an older one. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

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That is powered by Intel’s Thirteenth-gen Core i7-1360P processor, delivering a decent generational bounce in efficiency – particularly as final 12 months’s X Professional scored oddly low in Geekbench. It’s a match for Apple’s customary M2 chip in its newest MacBooks, and on a par with related compact Home windows units just like the Dell XPS 13 Plus, although that’s working Twelfth-gen Intel. 

Along with 16GB of RAM there’s sufficient energy to drive net looking and Excel sheets with ease, and this may also be an excellent machine for mild artistic work together with Photoshop or somewhat video modifying.  

In case you’re a extra demanding consumer – whether or not that’s modifying 4K footage, creating 3D property, or simply taking part in the most recent video games – you’ll probably be restricted by the power-efficient P-series chip and the shortage of a discrete GPU, however for the remainder of us there’s greater than sufficient oomph right here. 

Storage is a beneficiant 1TB as customary, and Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E cowl the wi-fi networking choices. 

Battery & charging 

• Under-average battery life 
• Quick USB-C charging 

I’ve reviewed fairly just a few of Huawei’s MateBook laptops in the previous couple of years, and one of many frequent threads has been disappointing battery life. 

Regardless of effectivity positive factors from the 13^th-gen processor, that’s true once more right here. Battery life isn’t unhealthy per se – the laptop computer lasted somewhat over ten hours in our fixed HD video playback check – but it surely’s positively beneath par, and an space the place rivals are unequivocally higher. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

There’s sufficient energy to only about final a full workday as long as you aren’t doing something too demanding, however I admit I’d be hesitant to depart the home with no charger in tow simply in case. 

At the least that facet of issues is straightforward: charging is by way of USB-C, and any of the laptop computer’s 4 ports will work. It’s quick, too: the included compact 90W charger delivered 53% of the battery capability in simply half an hour in my check, among the many quickest available on the market. 

Software program & options 

• Runs Home windows 11 
• Huawei PC Supervisor with just a few additional options 

The MateBook X Professional ships with Home windows 11 as customary, and the core Home windows expertise is fairly unadulterated. 

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

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To its credit score, Huawei provides little or no additional software program to its laptop computer, so that you gained’t should fend off undesirable anti-virus or pre-installed video games. 

The one additional is the Huawei PC Supervisor, a comparatively unobtrusive program that handles driver updates together with connectivity options in the event you additionally personal different Huawei {hardware}. 

You’ll be able to share your display screen or recordsdata with Huawei telephones or tablets, or wi-fi hook up with a supported monitor. It’s all surprisingly slick, however after all you may solely get the profit if personal different Huawei package. 

Value & availability 

The 2023 MateBook X Professional is out now within the UK and Europe from Huawei’s official retailer or Amazon, but it surely’ll set you again £1799/€2,199. 

The laptop computer shouldn’t be accessible in any respect within the US. 

It could actually’t be denied that that is an costly laptop computer, although that’s partly because of Huawei’s alternative to start out from beneficiant 16GB RAM and 1TB storage allocations. 

The likes of the Dell XPS 15 and MacBook Air 15in each have decrease beginning costs (regardless of barely bigger screens), however spec them out equally and the Huawei really comes out extra inexpensive. 

Nonetheless, different producers provide you with extra flexibility to construct a machine to your tastes, so be sure to want all that RAM and storage earlier than you commit. 

Try our full rating of one of the best laptops for extra choices.

Verdict 

The MateBook X Professional is one other wonderful high-end laptop computer from Huawei, albeit primarily unchanged from the late 2022 mannequin aside from a bump as much as the most recent Intel chip. 

That brings with it a modest efficiency enchancment, however no actual positive factors to battery life, which stays the {hardware}’s foremost weak level.  

In case you can dwell with holding your charger shut at hand and don’t thoughts paying a premium for loads of storage then that is as premium as light-weight laptops get, a slick gadget that appears pretty much as good as something on the market and packs the efficiency to match. 

Specs 

• Home windows 11 House  
• 14.2in 3120×2080 LTPS touchscreen, 264ppi, 90Hz  
• Intel Core i7-1360P processor  
• Intel Iris Xe Graphics  
• 16GB LPDDR5 RAM  
• 1TB SSD storage  
• 720p webcam with Home windows Howdy  
• 4x USB-C (information, charging, DisplayPort, 2x Thunderbolt 4)  
• Headphone jack  
• Fingerprint Energy Button 2.0  
• Twin-band Wi-Fi 6E  
• Bluetooth 5.2  
• Six audio system  
• 4 microphones  
• 60Wh battery  
• 90W charger  
• 310x221x15.6mm  
• 1.26/1.38kg  
• House Gray, White, or Ink Blue