Hands on with the Huawei Matebook X Pro 2021

Rory Cashin

In the market for a new laptop and not sure where to start? We got you covered with this one…

We probably all mostly know Huawei from their phones and airbuds, but their latest laptop has arrived in the Irish market with a splash. We’ve spent some time with the Matebook X Pro 2021, and these are our findings…

DESIGN

Okay, so, this laptop is gorgeous. Arriving in Emerald Green or Space Grey, exterior sheen is very pretty, surpassed only by that big beautiful screen. The 3:2 ratio of the almost 14-inches of visual takes up almost all of the top half of your laptop, so as far as getting an eyeful, you’re definitely getting bang for your buck here.

It is also remarkably light (barely over 1kg) and thin (less than 15mm), so it will fit snuggly and comfortably into whatever bag you need to bring it around in.

The touchpad also takes up more real estate on the lower half, meaning you’re not constantly stopping and starting your movements across the screen, and feels far more responsive that way.

The power button doubles as a fingerprint reader for added security, while the camera is built into the keyboard itself, only popping open when you need it. The double-down usage for both of these clears up space from both halves of the laptop, and are both clever ways of making you feel safer about your own privacy.

BATTERY

Based off a single charge, you can expect between ten and eleven hours of usage before you need to whip the recharger out. Considering that is longer than most people’s workday, that is more than enough for us, thanking you. Plus, if you do need that extra top out, a 30-minute charging period will get your going for another four hours or so.

We’re also told that the CPU is 22% faster than the previous generation. We didn’t compare and contrast those numbers ourselves, but we’ve absolutely no complaints with the speed of this device’s speed.

FEATURES

Talking of the screen again, it has full touch-sensitive control, so you can scroll, zoom, select and even screengrab in a way that is both reminiscent of how you’d use your mobile device, but also a way that feels completely unique to this laptop.

Then there is the Huawei Share function, which allows you to simply tap your phone against the touchpad, and it will share your phone’s screen on the laptop screen itself, so you can have your video calls that way, or edit stuff on your laptop and then send it back to your phone. Very nifty.

The speakers in the laptop are LOUD and crisp, giving you exactly the kind of power you might want if you’re enjoying a bit of a Spotify session, while also providing clarity should you need it for your Zoom calls. The mics within the device are also top notch, picking you up from the other side of the room if you need to walk ‘n’ talk.