Huawei's MateBook X Pro: A MacBook Pro Killer

I found myself stranded in a foreign country, six thousand miles away from home, with a busted power brick for my laptop. My trusty XPS 13, my lifeline to the world, was on the brink of failure. Panic set in as I realized the dire consequences of losing my laptop: no writing, no photo editing, no communication with my team back home. To make matters worse, my XPS was an older model without USB-C charging, and finding a replacement in Spain proved impossible.

In a moment of desperation, I remembered the review unit for Huawei's latest laptop, the MateBook X Pro, sitting in my bag. It was time for a real trial by fire.

The MateBook X Pro: A Masterpiece of Design and Performance

The MateBook X Pro is a stunning laptop, with a solid aluminum body, powerful speakers, a large trackpad, and a clever power button/fingerprint reader combo. The backlit keyboard, though shallow, provides a superior typing experience compared to modern MacBooks. Huawei also includes two USB-C ports (one with Thunderbolt 3 support) and a USB 3 Type-A port, eliminating the need for dongles. For those concerned about connectivity, Huawei provides a free MateDock 2, which adds extra ports.

The X Pro's brilliant screen is a standout feature. With a brightness of 485 nits and ultra-slim bezels, it offers an immersive viewing experience. The 13.9-inch 3000 x 2000 touchscreen display surpasses competitors in terms of screen-to-body ratio and color reproduction. The innovative pop-up webcam, hidden within a key, adds a touch of security and privacy.

Windows 10 Pro Signature Edition: A Clean and Bloat-Free Experience

While the X Pro doesn't run macOS, it comes with Windows 10 Pro Signature Edition, a clean and bloat-free operating system installed in partnership with Microsoft. This partnership ensures a smooth and efficient user experience.

Uncompromising Performance: Power and Efficiency

The X Pro is powered by an 8th-Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, up to 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, and an optional Nvidia MX 150 GPU. In benchmark tests, the X Pro outperformed competitors like the XPS 13 and LG Gram 15. Its battery life is also impressive, lasting over 11 hours on a single charge.

Minor Quirks: A Small Price to Pay for Excellence

One minor issue with the X Pro is its SSD, which is divided into two partitions by default. This seems unnecessary, as there is only one physical drive. However, this is a minor inconvenience.

Conclusion: The MateBook X Pro - A Superior Choice

The MateBook X Pro is an exceptional laptop that improves upon the MacBook Pro formula in many ways. With a starting price of $1,200, it offers more ports, a newer CPU, a larger and higher-resolution screen, and a unique pop-up webcam compared to similarly priced MacBooks. The high-end X Pro model provides even more value, with double the RAM and SSD storage for the same price as a MacBook Pro 13 with discrete graphics. After using the X Pro as my daily driver for a month, I can confidently say that it is the best laptop I have ever used.

Update: U.S. Pricing and Free Dock

The U.S. pricing for the MateBook X Pro has been updated, making it even more competitive. Additionally, customers in the U.S. will receive a free dock with their purchase, further enhancing the X Pro's connectivity and functionality.

Additional Notes:

The MateBook X Pro's 3000 x 2000 screen is stunning and has the smallest bezels of any laptop on the market.While the hidden webcam isn't in the ideal position, it's better than what you get from an XPS13. It's also cool as hell.The optional Nvidia GeForce MX150 isn't a full gaming-grade GPU, but it's a big boon to people who need a little extra graphics power.Two USB-C ports and one USB-A port is just enough connectivity, but an SD card reader would have been nice.In the US, the Matebook X Pro will come with a clean install of Windows 10 Pro signature edition and a free dock.Battery life is surprisingly good, despite its thinness and potent specs.

SPEC DUMP

Windows 10 Pro Signature Edition13.9-inch 3000 x 2000 resolution touchscreenIntel Core i7-8550U CPU16GB of RAM512GB SSDNvidia GeForce MX150 with 2GB of vRAMpower button with built-in fingerprint reader2x USB-C (one supports Thunderbolt 3)1x USB 3 Type-A3.5mm audio jack802.11 ac wifiBluetooth 4.11-MP webcam57.4 Wh batteryavailable in silver or gray