Huawei launches its all-rounder, the MateBook 14

Matebook 14

Huawei is targeting young professionals with its newly upgraded MateBook 14.

The ultra-portable lightweight 14-inch notebook was launched in Australia this week and combines FullView display, high performance, extreme portability and solid build quality. 

Fitted with a 10th Generation Intel Core processor and MX350 discrete graphics, the notebooks offer up to 16 GB RAM, and add supports for 2K Huawei FullView Display with Multi-touch (optional) and Huawei Share.

Managing Director of Huawei Consumer Business in Australia, Larking Huang, says, “Interconnection and interoperability between PCs and smartphones allows consumers to enjoy a seamless one-stop user experience. Together, they are a key pillar supporting the all-scenario ecosystem, and by extension, Huawei’s all-scenario strategy. 

“Combining premium design, FullView display, high performance and better connectivity features, the Huawei MateBook 14 is the perfect, stylish companion for Australian consumers looking for notebooks with extreme portability, high performance and superb all-scenario connectedness.”

Ultra-slim FullView display

The ultra-slim notebook market is experiencing rapid growth. The Huawei MateBook 14 is equipped with Huawei’s signature FullView display, with the top and side bezels measuring only 4.9mm, according to the company. 

Credit: Huawei

The MateBook 14 comes with a 3:2 display, effectively increasing the viewable area by 8.4 per cent compared to the more common 16:9 displays. This ratio makes it more ergonomic and better suited for productivity tasks.

The FullView display on MateBook 14 supports a resolution of up to 2160 x 1440, at 185ppi. It also supports 100 per cent of the sRGB color gamut, a 1000:1 contrast ratio and a peak brightness of up to 300nits, making it suitable for any type of content ranging from static images to Blu-ray movies, as well as facilitating the work of graphics and video editors.
A 2K Huawei FullView Display with Multi-touch is also available as an option. The display not only tracks multiple touch inputs with high precision but also supports Fingers Gesture Screenshot (this function is only available on MateBook 14 with PC Manager version 9.1 or above and with relative drivers). The innovative recessed camera also makes a return, protecting user privacy by hiding the camera underneath a key.

The new notebook has an elegant, minimalist metallic chassis, which is sandblasted to create a soft matte finish. It is also extremely portable despite the heavyweight hardware powering the device. It measures 307.5 x 223.8 x 15.9mm and weighs just 1.53kg.

Solid performance

Powered by a 10th Generation Intel Core processor, the MateBook 14 comes with up to 16 GB dual channel RAM and  features the latest high-performance NVIDIA GeForce MX 350 GPU. It can be used as gaming machine as a well as business device.

With high performance comes a need for effective cooling. Inspired by its namesake, the Huawei Shark Fin Fan 2.0 has a higher air output and cooling performance thanks to its large fins. The intelligent filtering technology monitors the system temperature and manages the fans in real-time, smoothening the fan curve and ensuring quiet operation.

Credit: Huawei

The MateBook 14 is also equipped with a 56Wh battery and intelligent power saving measures to provide long-lasting endurance. According to Huawei, it can play 1080p videos for  14.7 hours, run regular operations for 13.6 hours or browse the internet for 10.7 hours. 

The laptop has a 65W Type-C portable adapter which can be used with a range of charging outputs. As well as using the power adapter to charge the laptop, it supports Huawei SuperCharge for some Huawei phones including the P40 Pro, P40, Mate Xs, Mate30 Pro and Mate30.

Multi-screen Collaboration

Laptops in the future will be more intelligent, more efficient, and more connected. The new Matebook 14  also comes with Multi-screen Collaboration (but requires PC Manager 10.0.2.99 and relative drivers), a function of Huawei Share.

Credit: Huawei

Multi-screen Collaboration not only enables file transfer between the laptop and a smartphone, but also allows for  seamless collaboration between the laptop and smartphone. By building on powerful processing capabilities and the basic system capabilities of the MateBook, Huawei says it was able to clear the obstacle between the basic architecture of Windows and Android systems, realising the full potential of seamlessly connecting the two. 

Photos and files can be dragged and dropped between devices. Multi-screen Collaboration also allows smartphones to access the microphone and camera on the laptop so that users can make or answer audio and video calls without picking up the mobile phone.

At the same time, laptop accessories such as the keyboard and mouse can be used as peripherals of your smartphone.

The company says in terms of device unlocking speed, today’s notebooks still leave much to be desired, especially when compared to smartphones, which is why the MateBook 14 features a two-in-one Fingerprint Power Button that integrates the fingerprint sensor into power button for fingerprint log-in.

Pricing and availability

The new HUAWEI MateBook 14 is available in Space Grey from JB Hi-Fi, Mobileciti, Mwave and, in  Sydney, at Huawei Authorised Experience Stores in Chatswood and World Square Shopping Centre. It is also  available from selected computer retailers including Scorptec. RRP: $2499