In the 2020 generation, Huawei’s notebooks, the Matebook X Pro and the Matebook 13, will be upgraded to Intel’s Comet Lake CPUs. The Matebook 13 also comes in a cheaper version with the Ryzen 5 3500U processor from AMD.
The spellbeam of the US administration has passed Huawei’s notebook department. You can buy processors from AMD and Intel as well as Microsoft Windows 10 without restrictions. Therefore, the Chinese manufacturer has no problem launching the new generation of Matebook models X Pro and 13.
Matebook X Pro
The only 14.6 mm thick 13.9 inch notebook Matebook X Pro is the flagship in Huawei’s notebook range. Its 13.9-inch touch display with 91 percent screen-to-body ratio delivers the 3K resolution with 3,000 x 2,000 pixels. The display is fed by an Nvidia Geforce MX250, which the manufacturer has put together on the mainboard of the X Pro with an Intel Core i5-10210U or a Core i7-10510U. The two processors of the Intel Comet Lake family each offer four cores and eight threads. However, the i7 manages a significantly higher Turbo clock and has eight instead of six MB cache. The working memory of both models consists of 16 GB LPDDR3, the PCIe SSD holds twice as much data with one TB in the i7 variant. One of the two USB-C ports with DisplayPort and charging function is attached to a Thunderbolt 3 controller. There is also a USB Type A socket. The battery of the 1.33 kg notebook is said to be sufficient for up to 14 hours in office use and 13 hours of video playback.
The WLAN module masters a maximum of the 802.11ac standard and also Bluetooth 5.0. The 1 MP camera for video conferencing is retractable in the middle between the function keys, as there is no more space available in the 4.4 mm thin display frame. However, the viewing angle is not particularly favorable. The manufacturer has installed four microphones for this. The power button also serves as a fingerprint sensor.
The Matebook X Pro is scheduled to hit stores on June 16. The Core i5 model should cost 1,599 euros (RRP), the Core i7 version costs 1,899 euros. The cheaper model is only available in the color “Space Gray”, the more expensive one in “Emerald Green”. If you pre-order now, you will receive the Smartwatch Huawei Watch GT 2e and the wireless headphones Freebuds 3.
Matebook 13
Also on June 16, the 2020 generation of the Matebook 13 will be launched. With a starting price of 749 euros (RRP), the 1.3 kg light notebook doesn’t even cost half the X Pro. However, the 13-inch display without touch function with 2,160 x 1,440 pixels only provides the 2K resolution and the additional Nvidia GPU has to be dispensed with. The RAM is 8 GB in all Matebook 13 models. For the cheapest Matebook 13, Huawei uses an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U as a processor. The processor from the Picasso family is still a Zen + processor, i.e. a refinement of the first Zen generation. It comes with four cores, eight threads and an integrated Radeon RX Vega 8 GPU. The PCIe SSD holds 256 GB. For 50 euros more, the AMD notebook is also available with a 512 GB SSD.
The Intel version of the Matebook 13 with Core i5-10210U for 899 euros (RRP) is basically equipped with a 512 GB SSD with PCIe interface. For them, the manufacturer specifies a battery life of nine hours in office use and 11.5 hours in video playback. The AMD models don’t get quite as far with 7.5 or 7 hours. The equipment of all Matebook 13 variants includes an AC WLAN module with Bluetooth 5.0 and a USB-C port on each side of the flat housing. One of the two USB-C ports also offers a charging function, while the other supports video output via DisplayPort. The webcam sits above the display in the not so narrow frame. When you pre-order the Matebook 13, Huawei offers the Freebuds 3 and the USB-C Dock Matedock 2 with HDMI, VGA and USB-C as a free encore.
Huawei share for selected smartphones
Both Matebooks offer the multi-screen function Huawei Share with a range of Huawei and Honor smartphones with NFC. The screen content of the smartphone is transferred to the notebook display via WLAN and the mobile device is remotely controlled using a touchpad or touchscreen. With some smartphone apps, text input is possible via the notebook keyboard. In addition, files can be exchanged simply by dragging and dropping or content by copying and pasting.
