Professional's Ranking
Professionals
- Slender, light-weight design
- Nice keyboard & haptic trackpad
- Robust efficiency
- Quick charging
Cons
- No discrete GPU
- Sub-par battery life
- Solely USB-C ports
Our Verdict
The 2023 MateBook X Professional is sort of similar to its final iteration, however an improve to a Thirteenth-gen Intel Core i7 unlocks superior efficiency – if solely lets say the identical for the battery life.
Value When Reviewed
Unavailable within the US
Huawei’s premium MateBook X Professional laptops have lengthy been among the many greatest high-end Home windows machines in the marketplace, and the 2023 version – whereas a minor revamp – does little to alter that.
The slender, light-weight design and delightful 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 choice and solely USB-C ports, this received’t work for artistic energy customers, and battery life stays a sticking level – however for those who want a glossy machine for basic productiveness and might afford the steep asking value, this is likely one of the few machines on the market to essentially rival Apple’s choices.
Design & construct
- Magnesium alloy or aluminium construct
- Smooth 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 similar to its late 2022 counterpart.
The 2023 mannequin is on the market in three colors and finishes, although availability varies by market. I reviewed the White mannequin, which together with the Ink Blue model has a gentle, clean, nearly velvety end. Each of those are constructed from magnesium alloy, which helps preserve the laptop computer gentle at 1.26kg.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
There’s additionally a less expensive ‘Core’ version of the laptop computer in some areas, which is on the market in House Gray and constructed from an aluminium alloy, making it a bit of heavier at 1.38kg.
Both manner, the laptop computer is slim and glossy, with a slim, angled chassis, rounded edges, and a skinny bezel across the show while you open it up – straightforward to do one-handed due to a slight lip on the entrance edge.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Ports are, barely frustratingly, additionally unchanged. There are many them no less than: a headphone jack and 4 USB-C ports, with the 2 on the left additionally supporting Thunderbolt 4. Meaning for those who nonetheless use USB-A equipment or SD playing cards you then’ll be dwelling that dongle life.
Keyboard, trackpad & webcam
- Glorious, spacious keyboard
- Massive haptic trackpad
- 720p webcam
Additionally unaltered, the MateBook X Professional’s keyboard and trackpad are glorious.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
The keyboard is a pleasure to kind on, with a spacious, edge-to-edge design, responsive motion, and adjustable backlighting. It truly is among the many greatest round.
The trackpad can also 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 fashionable wave of haptic trackpads, which Huawei makes use of to implement a spread of further shortcuts.
You may take screenshots, alter 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 further 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 determination, and this feels a bit of beneath par for 2023.
You may also use the webcam for facial recognition to log in, together with the fingerprint reader constructed into the facility button. Each have labored nicely for me.
Display & audio system
- 14.2in show
- 3K decision
- 90Hz refresh charge
Cease me for those who’ve heard this one earlier than: Huawei hasn’t modified the show from the final mannequin.
That’s undoubtedly not an issue right here although, the place the display 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 amazing display for all the pieces 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 vivid 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 employ 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 to your music.
Specs & efficiency
- Thirteenth-gen Intel Core i7
- No devoted GPU choice
- 16GB RAM and 1TB storage
Huawei has saved issues easy with the MateBook X Professional this 12 months, which is available in only one major model, however the processor soar right here can also be the principle cause to purchase the 2023 mannequin over an older one.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
That is powered by Intel’s Thirteenth-gen Core i7-1360P processor, delivering a good generational soar 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 comparable compact Home windows gadgets just like the Dell XPS 13 Plus, although that's operating Twelfth-gen Intel.
Along with 16GB of RAM there’s sufficient energy to drive net searching and Excel sheets with ease, and this will even be an amazing machine for gentle artistic work together with Photoshop or a bit of video modifying.
In case you’re a extra demanding person – whether or not that’s modifying 4K footage, creating 3D property, or simply enjoying the newest video games – you’ll possible 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
- Beneath-average battery life
- Quick USB-C charging
I’ve reviewed fairly a number of 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 beneficial properties from the 13th-gen processor, that’s true once more right here. Battery life isn’t unhealthy per se – the laptop computer lasted a bit of over ten hours in our fixed HD video playback check – nevertheless it’s undoubtedly 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 go away the home and not using a charger in tow simply in case.
At the very least that facet of issues is simple: charging is through 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 in the marketplace.
Software program & options
- Runs Home windows 11
- Huawei PC Supervisor with a number of further options
The MateBook X Professional ships with Home windows 11 as customary, and the core Home windows expertise is fairly unadulterated.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
To its credit score, Huawei provides little or no further software program to its laptop computer, so that you received’t need to fend off undesirable anti-virus or pre-installed video games.
The one further is the Huawei PC Supervisor, a comparatively unobtrusive program that handles driver updates together with connectivity options for those who additionally personal different Huawei {hardware}.
You may share your display or recordsdata with Huawei telephones or tablets, or wi-fi connect with a supported monitor. It’s all surprisingly slick, however in fact you'll be able to 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, nevertheless it’ll set you again £1799/€2,199.
The laptop computer is just not obtainable in any respect within the US.
It may’t be denied that that is an costly laptop computer, although that’s partly due to Huawei’s selection to begin 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 reasonably priced.
Nonetheless, different producers offer you 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 the most effective laptops for extra choices.
Verdict
The MateBook X Professional is one other glorious high-end laptop computer from Huawei, albeit basically unchanged from the late 2022 mannequin aside from a bump as much as the newest Intel chip.
That brings with it a modest efficiency enchancment, however no actual beneficial properties to battery life, which stays the {hardware}’s major weak level.
In case you can reside with protecting 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 system that appears pretty much as good as something on the market and packs the efficiency to match.
Specs
- Home windows 11 Residence
- 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 Hey
- 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