Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 review: 4 reasons to fall in love with it (and one to hate it)

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In the ultraportable genre, the Matebook It weighs only 980 grams and its small dimensions make it as discreet as a notepad (310 x 222 mm for a maximum thickness of 13.5 mm).

Of course, this is not the first time that we have come across such a light notebook, but this one surprises on more than one point. The manufacturer has chosen to dress it in a mass-tinted blue aluminum shell with a sandblasted finish. This provides a pleasant sensation when held in hand.

Huawei even managed to accommodate a 14.2” diagonally by minimizing the thickness of the borders surrounding it. It thus occupies 93% of the available surface area. Better yet, it has the luxury of embedding a traditional camera as well as a 3D ToF module ensuring reliable facial recognition, all of which is housed in the black border and therefore does not require a notch (hello Apple…)

The keyboard + trackpad pairing is a success. The first consists of comfortable keys with a clean stroke. It is of course backlit and has a fingerprint reader. The Free Touch trackpad recognizes a slew of additional gestures. They allow you to quickly perform certain actions without using the function keys (volume control, video capture, etc.)

Another positive point is the presence of two Thunderbolt 4 connectors and a USB-C 4.0, which allows you to connect at least two external devices while continuing to charge your battery. Let us point out in passing that Huawei has been kind enough to provide a USB-C to USB-A adapter in order to allow the use of peripherals in this format.

Last but not least, the audio aspect has been particularly careful . And to be honest, we didn't expect to get such sound on a notebook of this size. The six integrated speakers produce an excellent quality stream while offering good spatialization of the stereo scene. The utility concocted by Huawei allows fine adjustment of the rendering, to the delight of music lovers.

Finally, the device has four good quality microphones used of course for audio recording, but also for canceling ambient noise during a video conference. The result turns out to be completely convincing in all the scenarios where we were able to test it.

At the same time elegant, light and well equipped, the Matebook X Pro can legitimately be loved for its design and ergonomics!

As mentioned briefly, the Matebook X Pro screen is made up of a 14.2” displaying 3120 x 2080 pixels. Huawei insists in its communication on its “flexible” aspect . It is this which makes it possible to obtain such fine borders: the connection cables are folded under the display, which saves a lot of space.

Its technical specifications tick all the boxes for a high-end product: 10-bit depth (display of a billion shades), 120 Hz refresh rate and maximum brightness of 1000 nits. It can be used outdoors on a sunny day without any problem. We appreciate the fidelity of color reproduction, the almost perfect contrast and the absence of a light halo in the contrasting areas.

Whether gaming, watching videos, editing photos or simply working, the image produced by the Matebook X Pro will always be satisfactory.

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The Matebook X Pro has an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor and an Intel Arc graphics chip. It has 32GB of RAM and 2TB SSD storage, both of which are non-expandable. This is hardly surprising given the compactness of the machine.

This equipment suggests excellent performance, which is indeed the case. During this test, we were able to run a wide variety software requiring computing power. Whether it's image editing, video editing, CAD, the Matebook X Pro always delivers.

We of course tried to run games. We might as well say it right away: we were pleasantly surprised by its ability to run recent titles. The Arc graphics chip displays much higher performance than the previous generation. We have not yet reached the level of a gaming machine and we will have to settle for Full HD definition to maintain the fluidity of the game.

Heat evacuation is effective thanks to correctly sized fans. Classically, two slots located on the edges of the lower part of the hull allow the entry of fresh air. The heat is then evacuated through the grill housed under the hinge. The machine heats up when it is heavily used, but never becomes unpleasant to use, the keyboard and palm rest maintain an acceptable temperature. We can hear the noise of the fans when they are in action, even if it is not annoying.

Such performance in an ultraportable is rare.The Matebook X Pro should therefore not disappoint users looking for a powerful and compact machine. While it does not replace a gaming PC, it allows you to take your favorite games with you on the go.

Generally, compactness and good battery life are not compatible. This is not the case here since the Matebook X Pro lasts a good day with intensive use and almost 1.5 days if you stick to classic use. We do not yet reach the performance of a MacBook Air M3, but we are getting closer and closer. Could Intel be on the verge of finding the right energy combination for the aging x86 architecture ? It would be almost miraculous…

The machine is supplied with a compact charger reminiscent of that of smartphones. It benefits from SuperCharge Turbo 90 Watt technology which should allow rapid filling of the battery. This is indeed the case since it took us exactly 82 minutes to go from 0 to 100%.

In addition to offering good battery life, the Matebook X Pro has the luxury of requiring less than an hour and a half to fully charge its battery. Bravo!

Perfection is not of this world, the Matebook. Its public price, set at 2499 euros, is high. But is it too much? Yes, for traditional use: in this case, a less expensive model like the Matebook 14 will offer a sufficient level of performance for a lower price. We could of course turn to the competition, which produces less powerful machines, but which are perfectly suited to everyday tasks.

The price of the Matebook X Pro is already more justified for specialized use, such as the creation of multimedia content or graphic design. Its processing capacity allows it to run very resource-intensive software without problems. We are not saying that it can replace a workstation, but it will be able to replace one to a certain extent when traveling in the field.

For example, we used it to develop complex RAW files with Adobe's Creative Cloud, but also to develop them with DxO PhotoLab. No problem either when it comes to video editing or with 3D modeling software. Better yet: the touch screen makes it easier to manipulate objects with your finger and recognizes certain gestures. This will make life easier for designers who will be able to move or enlarge objects on the screen without using the trackpad.

Finally, gamers who do not wish to carry around a heavy machine may consider purchasing a Matebook to indulge their passion. The latest titles will struggle a little if you activate detailed rendering, but most games are still quite usable.

You surely understood it by reading our test: the Matebook X Pro vintage 2024 is a more than attractive machine. Its processing power makes it a versatile mobile workstation. Its light weight and great autonomy mean that you won't hesitate to take it with you.

We also appreciate its design which we consider very successful, the possibilities offered by the Free Touch trackpad and of course the quality of its screen.

This perfection (and we are careful with our words) unfortunately has a major flaw: a public sale price of 2499 euros which puts it out of reach of a traditional user. Too bad.

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Teilor Stone

Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116