Home Reviews ,,,,, Launched at the Mobile World Congress 2018 (find our gallery here), it immediately caught the eye of critics for its attention to detail, such as the pop-up room, to be lifted by clicking the appropriate button on the keyboard. We are talking about Huawei's Matebook X Pro, which tries to challenge Macbook hegemony from all points of view: from design to technical specifications. Here's what we think.
The model we tested is the Matebook X Pro with the Intel Core i7-8550, 16GB, and 512GB SSD, with NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics processor, and Windows 10 Home operating system. This is the fastest configuration available on the market, with “Space Gray” color, slightly darker than the classic “Silver Mystic”, as if to recall the new version of Apple's iMac Pro or Mac Mini 2018.
Aesthetics
On an aesthetic level there is nothing to say: Matebook X Pro is really a little gem, even if in terms of weight we would have expected something better. It measures exactly 304 x 217 x 14.6 mm and weighs 1330 grams. There are obviously not too many, but it is not a featherweight either. Really well assembled it is simply a feast for the eyes. The dimensions are compact, especially considering that it mounts a 14-inch display (13.9 to be exact), with bezels reduced to the bone and a frame made up mainly of aluminum.
From the aesthetic point of view it is certainly a machine that can easily compete with the various MacBook Pro or Air. The edges are well rounded, and when you use it you feel an almost soft sensation, thanks to the materials of excellent workmanship.
It is the details that make the difference, such as the front speaker grilles visible in small holes carved into the aluminum block. Again, it is worth noting the precision with which the power button is “sculpted”, which also integrates a well-made fingerprint sensor. The cutouts, however, are absolutely flawless, and it would not be possible to notice any smudging, even looking for it with a magnifying glass.
The unibody aluminum used makes the Huawei Matebook X Pro solid, it does not bend or you feel any brittleness. Another minor detail, but which makes the difference is the ability to pull up the monitor with a single finger without the notebook body rising.
Keyboard and trackpad
The trackpad and keyboard are essential input elements in any computer, but even more so in a notebook. The keyboard is 277.2 mm², very large for a notebook with such compact dimensions, with keys slightly closer together than competitors. Travel is 1.2mm, which is perfectly average, considering some laptops in the category employ 1.2 and others 1.8 travel.
The keys are flat and appear to have an oleophobic treatment. Obviously it is backlit, with monochromatic light at only 1 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.
In any case, the keyboard is absolutely promoted, preferable to the solutions used by Apple in the Macbook 12. It is written well, the touch and feel of the keys is valid, and after the first calibrations, by way of the keys slightly closer together, 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 bewilderment in those unfamiliar with keyboards. 
As for the trackpad, the surface material is glass, which is usually found in high-end laptop trackpads and serves to emphasize comfort during use. The surface feels extremely smooth. It is quite large with an area of approximately 13.21 square inches. This is an area that is at least a good 25/30% larger than its competitors. Supports advanced use of up to four fingers and gestures for faster and easier UI control.
Ports and connectivity
As for ports and connectivity, the Matebook X Pro defends itself really well. It offers standard audio input with 3.5mm jack, a first generation USB-C 3.1 port, a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 port , and a USB Type A 3.0 port. This is a satisfactory and convenient equipment, which also lends itself to Pro uses in the field of video: with a very fast external disk we can remedy any “narrowness” of the internal SSD.
The audio department is also among the pros. Being a notebook optimized for multimedia use, it offers four speakers. Two are located on either side of the keyboard, two more are located on the sides, visible from the rear. The laptop supports Dolby Atmos, thanks to which Matebook X Pro is able to offer an appreciable and thick sound experience, more full-bodied than other competitors, obviously if the comparison remains anchored to laptops.
The speakers are suitable for watching movies or listening to occasional music, and you won't feel the need to connect the notebook to external speakers or headphones.
Display
And we come to one of the highlights. The display of the Matebook X Pro has a diagonal of 14 inches (13.9 ”) with very thin and well optimized bezels. The panel immediately catches the eye upon first opening, and claims a 91% screen-to-body ratio. When it comes to small bezels, only the Dell XPS 13 can be a viable competitor. The panel is practically a mirror, thanks to the resolution of 3000 × 2000: in practical terms it is much more appreciable than any 1080p competitor, and touches the quality of a 4K panel.
The display provides a pixel density of 259 PPI, has a 3: 2 ratio and includes touch screen technology, which does not hurt even in productivity or gaming. The display specifications speak of a brightness of “450” NIT, but in reality it manages to have a higher brightness, much more than many other competitors on the market. The screen has a glossy finish that tends to make the colors even more vivid, as well as the text that stands out even more in sharpness. 
Technical measurements show an excellent contrast ratio of 1719: 1 and a high value of 0.32 cd / m². The colors appear very strong and distinct from each other. Blacks are intense and deep. Users can expect 98% color space coverage on sRGB scale and 62% Adobe RGB color space.
The reflective screen penalizes it in direct sunlight: outdoor use is not recommended. Nevertheless, the viewing angles are very stable and there are no changes in color as the inclination varies.
Retractable webcam
Among the peculiarities of the laptop, cross and delight, the retractable room. No doubt about it, a brilliant idea on paper: you press a key and the camera jumps off the keyboard. The only drawback of this choice is the framing angle of the room, which is not too comfortable. It certainly frames the subject, but it offers a view from below: if you move slightly away from the keyboard you will disappear completely from the frame. Also, it would have been nice if pressing the button had been associated with the automatic launch of the Camera app.
It has a 0.9 megapixel resolution, with a maximum photo resolution of 1280 × 720 and a maximum video resolution of 720p at 60FPS. This makes it far superior to many other 30FPS cameras, typical of almost all laptops available on the market. The webcam has a fixed focus and is optimized for video conversation.
In general, it offers good quality, but with the disadvantage mentioned above, of not being able to move away from the front, or even get too close, because you would run the risk of seeing yourself with your head cut off ”. However, privacy lovers could not ask for anything better: when closed they will not be able to frame anything, not even inadvertently. 
Performance
We start talking about performance right from the press of the power button: the boot takes about 10 seconds. Huawei MateBook X Pro is equipped with a Toshiba SSD which has a capacity of 512GB. From the factory it is divided into two partitions; the one of 80 GB, which contains the operating system, the other of 381 GB available for common use. Read and write times are good (typical for an SSD) and slightly above those of the competition.
The graphics card present is the Nvidia GeForce MX150. It is the most energy efficient version, N17S-LG-A1, and has a clock frequency of 936 MHz and a TDP of 10 watts. It achieves higher performance than notebooks equipped with an Intel UHD Graphics 620 or AMD Radeon RX Vega 10. However, the Huawei MateBook X Pro is also suitable for gaming. Obviously, not for the newest blockbusters, but the laptop is also the ideal choice for slightly older or less demanding titles, which always run at appreciable speeds. 
It is really silent in the most common uses, such as video writing and web browsing, but the fan makes itself heard as soon as heavier applications are opened. 
Battery
The test model has a battery capacity of 57.4 Wh, among the highest levels in the category. The MateBook X Pro achieves an autonomy of 8.5 hours: during our tests we found that it will certainly survive a busy working day.
Conclusions
Huawei Matebook X Pro is aesthetically very valid and the screen-to-body ratio of about 91% is the real flagship of the product.
The Matebook X Pro is well built, has a good autonomy and performance that is certainly more than appreciable on a laptop. The retractable chamber gives that “wow” effect that does not hurt, even if on balance it is not the best of usability.
Huawei Matebook X Pro is a balanced notebook and perfectly embodies the idea of work / leisure on the move.
For those looking for a Windows machine to support their Mac it could be a good choice with good performance at an above average price, it will not be as low as the “Chinese” competitors but here there is a large company behind with a structure in great expansion also in Europe: the result is a price not among the most competitive but justified by the quality and power of the product: and the configuration with i7 CPU 8 GB of RAM can be purchased for 1699 euros. The version with i5 processor, on the other hand, costs 1499.
It is possible to update the internal SSD but it is not possible to increase the basic RAM which for video uses or in the field of design may be lacking.
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