Huawei has just unveiled its 16-inch MateBook that comes with the latest H-series APUs from AMD. Despite featuring top of the line processor along with other high-end specifications, the laptop is pretty lightweight. It strikes the perfect balance between power and portability.
Huawei MateBook 16 brings a Ryzen 5800H APU, 16'' 3:2 display inside a sub-2kg metal body" />
Design and Display
The Huawei MateBook 16 is built around a 16-inch IPS panel with a 3:2 aspect ratio, 2520 x 1680 pixels resolution, 189 PPI pixel density, HDR support (8 bit + FRC) that offers 100% sRGB coverage, excellent color calibration (deltaE is under 1), and 1500:1 contrast ratio. The brightness, however, is a little disappointing as it tops out at 300 nits.
The keyboard comes with a minimal configuration. Despite being a 16-inch laptop, the Huawei MateBook 16 ditches the Numpad. Moreover, the navigation keys like Home/End need the Function key. We usually see this in 13-inch laptops where space is an issue, this type of space-saving does not really make sense on a 16-inch laptop. The backlit keyboard is enclosed between stereo speakers.
The laptop features a glass touchpad and the fingerprint sensor is built in the power button. As far as the ports are concerned, the MateBook 16 has a reasonable selection. It has two USB-C ports, two USB-A 3.2 Gen1 ports, a full-size HDMI, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. There is no Ethernet jack on board, but you get Wi-Fi 6 for fast wireless connectivity. Moreover, it does not come with a memory card reader. What did Huawei even do with all that space?
Internals
The laptop has two configurations:
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600H (6 cores/12 threads)
- Ryzen 7 5800H (8 cores/16 thread)
Both processors are built on 7nm parts according to the Zen 3 architecture. Both allow you to run the laptop in a 54W performance mode that can be launched by tapping Fn + P.
To keep the processor’s temperature in check, the laptop is equipped with a dual-fan solution that keeps the APUs running cool even in the high TDP mode. The setup includes two 2 mm heat pipes that lead to heat sinks with a shark fin.
As far as the GPU is concerned, the laptop does not allow you to add an external GPU, but the Vega GPU it comes with is fast enough to handle most workloads that don’t involve gaming. Regardless of which APU you pick, you get 16 GB of dual-channel RAM and an NVMe SSD. However, you only get one SSD Bay.
It runs with Windows 10 pre-installed and a suite of Huawei Share features that integrate other Huawei devices.
The Huawei MateBook 16 packs an 84 WHr battery, which can play 1080p+ video for 12 and a half hours straight. Temperature sensors monitor the battery and can cut off charging if it ever gets too hot. It comes bundled with a 135W charger and also supports Huawei’s SuperCharge tech.
Pricing and Availability
The laptop is currently available for pre-order in China. The Ryzen 5600H configuration is priced at $980 while the 5800H variant costs $500 more.
