Huawei MateBook 14s test. A versatile laptop from the premium segment

The range of portable and lightweight computers from Huawei is really rich. The Chinese manufacturer has already made a home in the notebook market, offering usually thoughtful and reasonably priced devices. At the end of 2021, MateBook 14s went on sale, which should attract potential customers not only with the quality of workmanship, but also with efficiency and an efficient battery. How is it actually? I invite you to review the Huawei MateBook 14s. First, let's look at the variants that you can reach for. The manufacturer offers the MateBook 14s in a configuration with an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB operating memory and 1 TB internal memory for PLN 7499. On the Polish market, there is also a MateBook 14s in a configuration with an Intel Core i5 processor, 16 GB operating memory and 512 GB internal memory for PLN 5999 and in MateBook 14s in a configuration with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB operating memory and 512 GB internal memory . The recommended price of this variant is PLN 4,999. It is worth adding that the new MateBook 14s is available for pre-sale at the time of the publication of our test - until November 14 it can be ordered in a set with the Huawei Watch 3 Active smartwatch.

Elegant, but already bearing design

If you ask me if the MateBook 14s is nice? I will answer: yes. But does it look original? Not necessarily. Huawei has opted for an already dated design and I miss a bit of a breath of fresh air here. It is true that when it comes to the elegance of notebooks, it is difficult to experiment with the look, but it can be done, which was perfectly shown by Apple this year by presenting the new MacBook Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max processors. "matt green", but a gray variant is also available. Both look really interesting, but if you want to stand out from the crowd, go for green. The design of the laptop is reminiscent of Huawei devices from previous years. Therefore, we get a housing made of high-quality aluminum. The edges of the notebook have been slightly rounded, and the character of the whole is given by a glossy cut running along the edge. The flap of the computer could not be missing the shiny Huawei logo. The manufacturer openly boasts of the slenderness of the whole structure, which is actually very compact. Let me remind you that this is a computer with a 14.2 "screen and the laptop is 313.82 mm wide and only 16.7 mm thick. The whole thing weighs 1.43 kg and it is perhaps not the lightest structure in this size on the market, but less than 1.5 kg is enough to make the equipment an ideal companion during business trips.

A screen for demanding customers

The new Huawei laptop is equipped with a 2.5K FullView touch screen made in LTPS technology with a diagonal of 14.2 inches, an aspect ratio of 3: 2 and a resolution of 2520 x 1680 pixels. The parameters of the panel are really good - screen brightness at 400 nits, 100% sRGB color palette mapping rate and support for 10-bit image depth. In addition, the MateBook 14s display supports a refresh rate of up to 90 Hz. In addition, the laptop uses advanced eye protection technology (two TÜV Rheinland certificates), which reduces blue light emitted by the display and eliminates image flickering. Thanks to the narrow frames, the screen covers as much as 90% of the front panel area. Interestingly, the manufacturer finally managed to install the conversation camera in the frame above the screen. Until now, many MateBook series computers had a webcam hidden under one of the buttons on the keyboard. This provided a high level of discretion, but unfortunately also resulted in an unfavorable viewing angle. The view at the interlocutor "from below" looked a bit strange. Now we get a centrally located camera, which will be much better for video calls. Unfortunately, the quality of the sensor is not knocking down, it's only 720p. As a consolation, we get support for logging in with a face scan using Windows Hello.

Keyboard and trackpad

The manufacturer managed to design the device so that the keyboard takes up almost the entire working space. So I could not complain about the layout of the keys and their size. The key travel at the level of 1.5 mm flooding is comfortable to write even longer texts, and an additional advantage is the three-stage backlight. The only drawback of the keyboard are the small up and down arrow keys. It is also worth appreciating that the power button is not integrated with the keyboard as in many notebooks. It is located in the right corner above the keyboard and additionally has a built-in fingerprint scanner, so we get a convenient and safe method of unlocking the device. I did not notice any problems with the trackpad during testing - it is large enough and its slippery surface makes it easy to navigate the cursor. We can use gestures and traditional "clicks" to support Windows. Huawei has placed an NFC module under the trackpad for communication with other devices from the brand's ecosystem. This element is responsible for data transfer using the Huawei Share solution.

Basic set of ports

For a computer with such compact dimensions, you cannot complain about the number of ports and connectors, although you would always like a bit more. On the left edge you will find 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (supports data transfer, charging and DisplayPort), a full-size HDMI 1.4 socket and 3.5 mm jack audio connectors. On the other side, it is not so rich - there is a USB 3.2 Gen 1 type A connector. It is a pity that the manufacturer did not equip the computer with a MicroSD memory card slot. The manufacturer states that in the version with the Core i7 + 16 GB + 1 TB processor, the second the USB-C port on the left supports Thunderbolt 4.

Specs and Performance

MateBook 14s is offered in several variants - for testing we received a version with an Inte Core i5-11300H processor, 16 GB of LPDDR4x Dual Channel RAM and a 512 GB SSD disk. The processor from the Tiger Lake family was made in the 10 nm SuperFin lithographic process - it dials 3.1 GHz base and up to 4.4 GHz in turbo mode. The typical TDP of this chip is 35 W. Complemented by Intel Iris X 1.30 GHz graphics, with 80 executive units. The components used make working on MateBook 14s a pure pleasure. The computer is fast, responsive, and you can upgrade your pre-installed Windows 10 to "eleven".

Intel Iris X graphics, unfortunately, will not show off in games, especially if we would like to run newer titles in native resolution. However, you can play in 1080p or 720p quality with reduced graphics parameters. For example, in Apex Legends I was able to pull out 60 fps without any problems. in 720p quality. A high work culture and low noise level should be required from slim and mobile computers. In this respect, the equipment from Huawei is exemplary. During typical office tasks, the computer is passively cooled, so it does not emit any noise. With higher load, even when playing, it is also quiet (approx. 28 dB). This is probably thanks to the cooling system, which has two copper heat channels and two fans with ultra-thin S-shaped blades. Quiet operation goes hand in hand with reasonable temperatures. The housing does not get hot to unpleasant values. Even with higher loads, the housing temperature should not exceed 40 ° C.

Battery and audio

In the discussed equipment, the manufacturer used a battery with a capacity of 60 Wh. The link is larger than in Matebook X Pro (56 Wh) or Matebook D15 (42 Wh) Working time obviously depends on many parameters, such as screen brightness, operating mode, load, etc. During tests in office conditions, I was able to get from 9 up to 11 hours of continuous work and this is a very decent result. In the set with the computer we get a SuperCharge 90 W power supply with a disconnected USB-C cable. Therefore, the charger can also be used to supply other devices at home, such as smartphones or tablets. The charging speed is impressive - you can recharge the battery to approx. 60% in half an hour. The 4-speaker system using HUAWEI SOUND technology is responsible for the audio experience. "A specially developed algorithm produces deep, spacious sound using the full potential of the 4 speakers." - informs the producer. The sound is surprisingly good for such mobile equipment. In addition, we have as many as 4 microphones at our disposal, the task of which is to optimize the sound during videoconferences.

PC Manager

Huawei is a company striving to offer its customers a coherent ecosystem combining equipment and services. The MateBook 14s in question comes pre-installed with Windows 10, which I have upgraded to Windows 11 without any problems. Huawei Share function, and by using Multi-Screen Collaboration we can wirelessly send the smartphone screen to the computer screen. Additionally, from this level you can control the functions of the phone, receive calls or use mobile applications. Not only that, Huawei also offers file transfer from a mobile device to a computer. Data can be transferred using the convenient Drag-and-Drop function.

Summary

The latest MateBook 14s is another proof that Huawei is doing great on the light and mobile notebook market. The computer is not only well-made, but also efficient. I especially appreciate the work culture - silent work in many scenarios is a feature desired by users. The efficient battery, comfortable keyboard, audio system and bright screen also deserve praise. When looking for cons, I can stick to the poor camera. It is also a pity that the manufacturer did not try to get at least one additional USB A port or a MicroSD memory card reader. The MateBook 14s in a configuration with an Intel Core i5 processor, 16 GB operating memory and 512 GB internal memory costs PLN 5999.