MateBook X Pro – Portable power for serious professionals

Huawei recently launched its powerful premium laptop – the MateBook X Pro – in South Africa.

This formidable machine stands at the top of the MateBook lineup, which also includes the MateBook D14 and D15.

While the latter systems are intended for users seeking a balance between price and performance, the MateBook X Pro pulls no punches when it comes to hardware, design, and features.

Huawei claims that this portable powerhouse delivers a “new level of professional performance” with a hardware configuration up to a Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and GeForce MX250 graphics.

It is ideally suited for demanding users who need great performance in a compact form factor wherever they go.

We were provided with a MateBook X Pro to test out, – below are our thoughts.

Robust yet sleek

Our model came in a Space Grey colour, although Silver and Emerald Green are also available.

From our first hands-on impressions, it was evident that the MateBook X Pro’s stunning all-aluminium chassis had a robust build quality.

However, measuring only around 300mm wide and 14mm thin, with a weight of just over 1.3kg, Huawei clearly did not sacrifice portability.

Its unibody design, brushed finish, and smooth round edges with simple glossy Huawei logo on the lid make for a bold yet understated look.

The laptop’s weight is also well distributed, which made it easy to open the lid with one finger without the main body lifting off the table.

Display

The 3K FullView Display is a thing of beauty – comprising a 3,000 x 2,000 panel stretching across its 13.9-inch screen.

The side, top, and bottom bezels are also incredibly thin, providing a 91% screen-to-body ratio.

The display also boasts 100% sRGB colour accuracy, which makes it great for viewing and working with multimedia – particularly for precision colour editing.

With its touch support, users can quickly and easily navigate the Windows 10 interface with taps and swipes.

Ports aplenty

Few things are as frustrating as not having enough ports to connect all your storage or peripherals.

While many new ultra-compact notebooks scale down on expansion, the MateBook X Pro has plenty to offer in this department.

On the left, the laptop features a 3.5mm audio jack and two USB-C ports, either of which can be used to connect to the power provided by its 65W SuperCharge adapter.

The right side sports a single USB Type-A connection – which is perfectly positioned for connecting a wired mouse or a wireless dongle.

That’s not all you get in terms of expandability, however, as Huawei includes an adapter with additional ports for free inside the box.

This hub sports HDMI and VGA ports, in addition to USB-C and USB Type-A connections.

Keyboard and Camera

Essential to keeping productive on a laptop is a well-designed keyboard and mousepad.

The large keys and gracious travelling distance of its buttons resulted in a pleasant typing experience.

At first sight, it appears as though this laptop has no webcam, with the razor-thin bezels showing no signs of a lens.

However, the MateBook X Pro has a neat trick up its sleeve, with its camera being hidden in a button between the F6 and F7 keys.

Pressing this button will raise the keycap, revealing a 720p webcam for video calls and recordings.

Pushing it down will hide the camera again, ensuring the utmost privacy.

The MateBook X Pro also sports a fingerprint reader on its power button for quick and secure login.

Pricing and specifications

The MateBook X Pro is available from the Huawei Online store at R34,999.

Buyers also get a free Huawei Bluetooth Mouse and Classic backpack with a combined value of more than R3,000.

Below are the specifications and images of the MateBook X Pro we tested out.