Over the years there is a manufacturer who, more than others, has been able to create a line of notebooks and ultrabooks ready to really challenge Apple's Macbooks. So much so that they become quite iconic and recognizable at first sight, not only for the design, but also for the attention to detail, construction and materials used. We are talking about Huawei, which in the last few weeks has also launched the new 13-inch Matebook, 2019 version in Italy. We have put it to the test. Here's what we think.
Matebook 13 is a compact and portable notebook, although not the lightest in its category. a Front of 1.3 kg proposes measures of 21.1 × 28.6 × 1.4cm. The comparison is certainly feasible with the Macbook Air, which turns out to be just slightly lighter at 1.25 kg.
All appearance Matebook 13 is an ultrabook that has nothing to envy to its rivals. The aluminum finishes are very elegant and make it a premium product on the eye, although overall the laptop tends to retain a lot of fingerprints and fingerprints, and without a cloth in hand it will be difficult to keep it clean.
At first glance it is almost difficult to recognize it compared to the Matebook X Pro, if it were not for its smaller size. Opening the laptop (it is difficult to open the lid with one hand without lifting the entire notebook), you can see one of the main design differences, related to the camera. This time, in fact, Huawei did not hide the camera under one of the function keys, but placed it on the top, inside the very narrow and well optimized upper frame.
This choice, although aesthetically more invasive, will make all users who really use the camera for video calls really happy: it is the most comfortable position for video chats, because the retractable camera under the button returned a truly unusual and ineffective viewing angle.
At level aesthetic, therefore, it is one of the most minimal and appreciable laptops on the market, as indeed all the latest notebooks of the Matebook series.
In terms of connectivity, it offers two USB-C ports, not many, but certainly better than just one, in addition to the 3.5mm headphone jack input. In our test package, which we believe to be the one available to the end user, there is still a hub with USB-A, VGA and HDMI input, with an additional USB-C passthrough port. It should also be noted that only the left USB-C socket offers the charging function.
Display
The display offers a 13-inch diagonal with good optimizations in the frames thanks to a screen-to-body ratio 88%, slightly lower than the Matebook X Pro appreciated last year, equal to 91%.
This is an IPS LCD unit with a resolution of 2160 × 1440, which in practical terms is very appreciable, even if slightly lower. It covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut and has a contrast of 1,000: 1 and a claimed brightness of up to 300 nits.
The display provides a pixel density of 200 PPI, has a 3: 2 ratio and does not include touch screen technology. It has a glossy finish that tends to make the colors even more vibrant, as well as the text that stands out even more in sharpness.
The reflective screen penalizes it in direct sunlight, but nevertheless the viewing angles are very stable and there are no changes in color as the inclination varies.
Audio
The audio department consists of two speakers which offer a good stereo effect, but when speaking of bass, these are totally absent. The volume proposed by this Matebook 13 is not very high, but average to be able to watch a movie in a quiet environment.
Camera
The webcam of this Matebook 13 does not sure to cry out for a miracle. We have already reported on Huawei's choice to place it in a more traditional way on the top, but the quality of the peripheral does not honor the overall quality of the laptop. It does not offer 3D functionality, therefore it does not allow you to enable Windows Hello facial recognition, it has a quality that is not excellent, 0.9 MP, with the possibility of recording 720p videos.
As for the lack of 3D functions, to be honest, we do not believe that this is an important gap, also because the machine integrates the fingerprint sensor on the Home key, making any facial recognition almost useless for logging into Windows. On the quality of the room, however, some reservations cannot be ignored. Anyone who has video conferencing as their first necessity could be disappointed.
Keyboard and trackpad
The trackpad and keyboard are essential input elements in any computer, but even more so in a notebook. This is practically the same unit appreciated with the Matebok X Pro, with a stroke of 1.2 millimeters, perfectly average, considering that some laptops in the category use a stroke of 1.2 and others 1.8.
The keys are flat and seem to have an oleophobic treatment. Obviously it is backlit, with monochromatic light at only 2 brightness level, which will turn off automatically so as not to burden the battery life too much: it is good, but it would have been preferable to add an option to keep them on, at least with power connected.
As with Matebook X Pro we would like to promote keyboard, in our opinion preferable to the latest solutions used by Apple in Macbooks. You write well, the touch and feel of the keys is valid, and after the first calibrations, by way of the slightly closer keys, you can type quickly without any problem. Although the layout is QWERTY, the accented letter symbols are missing on our unit, which could cause some confusion in those unfamiliar with keyboards.
As for the trackpad, also in this case it offers a particularly large surface, which seems to us to use the same materials as the X Pro series. This makes the surface extremely smooth, where the finger runs optimally. It is absolutely accurate, and supports advanced use of up to four fingers and gestures for controlling the UI in a faster and easier way.
Performance and daily use
If you look at the technical data sheet of this Matebook 13 2019, you can only be satisfied. It features an i7-8565U CPU, the most powerful chip that can be expected on this type of machine. It is supported by 8 GB of RAM, without the possibility of expansion, and has a 512 GB Samsung NVMe SSD. Just run a benchmark test to see the goodness of the technical specifications.
Where the laptop seems to raise its hands is the graphics: Matebook 13 2019 is equipped with an integrated UHD620 GPU. This leads us to say, of course, that this is not a gamer laptop, and that the machine cannot handle the latest PC games.
If you eliminate the gaming department you will realize, however, that you have one of the most powerful laptops available on the market in your hands. The management of files and folders, as well as the daily use in the field of productivity is lightning fast. The fan turns on occasionally, but it can only be heard in totally silent environments.
Autonomy
Matebook 13 2019 is equipped with a 3660 mAh battery, which on paper does not seem to be among the most capacious values, even if it must be taken into account that it is a very compact ultrabook. In any case, the autonomy is fully satisfactory, and it will be difficult to see it turn off before 5 hours of use.
This means that non-continuous use will allow you to use it practically all day. Fortunately, a charger with a very long cable is included in the package, which allows you to practically not have to be attached to a power outlet, but which makes charging convenient.
Conclusions
Matebook 13 2019 is a laptop suitable for all users who want a complete machine, ready for (almost) all uses. Apart from hardcore gaming, it is among the best all-rounder ultrabooks on the market. It is ideal for travelers, with limited weight and dimensions, enjoys a truly appreciable aesthetic, and offers a quality display, with practically invisible or almost invisible frames. This MateBook 13 is the 2019 anti MacBook Air.
Pricing and availability
Of course the price is not far from Apple products. The version with 256 GB SSD and i5 processor is available on Amazon for 799 euros, while the more performing version, with i7 processor and 512 GB SSD costs 999 euros.
