Hands-on review: Huawei MateBook E

Huawei has been innovating and introducing new revolutionary products to the market constantly. The Huawei MateBook E, its latest product, claims to combine the benefits of a laptop, tablet and smartphone.

We got hold of the device for a hands-on review, and here’s our first impression.

Design and display
The MateBook E is a 3-screens-in-1 laptop that is lightweight and portable. The device weighs just 709g and is as thin as 7.99m, measuring 12.6 inches diagonally (2560×1600) and fitting perfectly into a standard-sized backpack.

The detachable smart magnetic keyboard is one of the exciting elements I enjoyed. The keyboard weighs only 440g and has a nice touchpad at the bottom.

When the keyboard is detached, it functions similarly to a tablet supporting touch. In addition, the round frame design makes it more pleasant to handle in tablet mode, whether for reading e-books or annotating documents. For a more enjoyable experience, users can take advantage of the M-Pencil that comes with the device.

It is also the first Huawei laptop to be equipped with an OLED display. It comes with a 90 per cent screen to body ratio with support for the P3 wide colour gamut and a peak brightness of 600 nits. The device is also TUV Rheinland Eye Care certified to alleviate the harmful effects of blue light.

Performance and battery life
Equipped with the 11th Generation Intel Core processor and the Intel Iris Xe graphics, the device features 8GB and 16GB RAM. The internals are kept cool by a new eight-layer heat dissipation system debuted with the device. Furthermore, the MateBook E supports up to an i7-1160G7 processor. It may also be configured with up to 512GB of fast SSD storage and 16GB of fast dual-channel RAM for a quick read and write performance.

Furthermore, the device features a 42Wh Lithium Polymer battery. In terms of charging, Huawei has included a 65W charger which can power up the notebook from zero to 54 per cent in 30 minutes. For a full charge, it would take 90 minutes (when the notebook is powered off). While in use, the charging may have slight differences due to individual usage habits.

Video conferencing and AI noise cancellation
The device comes with the Huawei Sound full-stack solution. It has four microphones and can pick up your voice within a five-metre radius. Furthermore, Huawei created a series of multi-path reverberation suppression algorithms for clear audio quality, whether the user is working at home or in the office. These algorithms reduce reverberation, while dampening the sound input to increase audio clarity.

The device’s AI noise-cancelling technology reduces background noise. For example, it can determine if the collected vocals are from the user and adjust levels accordingly while reducing the pitch of other people in the vicinity.

Multi-screen collaboration with Huawei devices
The MateBook E supports PC-smartphone/PC-tablet multi-screen collaborations. The smartphone and tablet can make use of cross-device collaboration and smart productivity experience.

Once connected, you can perform smartphone functions on your laptop with ease and move data across devices. You no longer need to flip between two devices; instead, focus on one screen and use both devices as required. With a simple drag-and-drop, you can share documents, photos and videos between gadgets.

Pricing and availability
The Huawei MateBook E will be available in premium finish Nebula Gray at Huawei Experience Stores and across select retailers with a starting price of Dhs3,799. The MateBook is available for pre-order in the UAE starting on February 18 including gifts worth of Dhs1,396.