Huawei MateBook reviewed: A Surface clone that puts style first, work second

Another company is getting into the hybrid space. Chinese manufacturer Huawei, known primarily for its smartphones, released the MateBook for people who want tablet features in a device that can also stand in for your regular laptop. There's a bunch of competition in this space: Microsoft has its Surface line of two-in-ones and the Surface Book; Lenovo has its new ThinkPad X1 hybrid along with its Yoga series; HP and Dell each have their own entrants; and you can even lump Apple into this category with its iPad Pro devices, too.

With its first two-in-one, Huawei tried to make the MateBook stand out. The 12-inch tablet is powered by Core M processors, has a side fingerprint sensor, and has keyboard, pen, and docking accessories to suit every type of user. But really, what it comes down to is the twofold experience of using a hybrid: how well does it work as a tablet, and how well does it work as a laptop? If any hybrid is lacking in either respect, it'll be hard to make a case for spending hundreds of dollars on it. Thanks to steep competition, Huawei's $699 MateBook has an uphill battle to set itself apart from the competition.

Look and feel

Huawei's MateBook takes notes from the playbooks of Microsoft's Surface line and Samsung's TabPro S. The tablet itself is a 12-inch rectangle with a 2160 x 1440, IPS touchscreen display surrounded by a 10mm bezel. It has a metal unibody design, so there's no hardware interrupting the satin-finished back of the device (there isn't even a rear camera, which is important to note if you have a habit of taking photos with your tablet). The tablet alone weighs just 1.5 pounds (or about 690 grams) and measures 6.9mm thick, so it is heavier than the iPad Air 2 (.95 pounds) and just a hair thicker than that device as well (6.6mm).

Specs at a glance: Huawei MateBook
	Worst	Best	As reviewed
Screen	12-inch, 2160 x 1440, IPS LCD	12-inch, 2160 x 1440, IPS LCD	12-inch, 2160 x 1440, IPS LCD
OS	Windows 10 Signature (US)	Windows 10 Signature (US)	Windows 10 Signature (US)
CPU	Intel Core m3	Intel Core m5	Intel Core m5
RAM	4GB	8GB	4GB
HDD	128GB SSD	512GB SSD	128GB SSD
GPU	Intel HD 515	Intel HD 515	Intel HD 515
Networking	802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO, Bluetooth 4.1	802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO, Bluetooth 4.1	802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO, Bluetooth 4.1
Ports	1 USB Type-C	1 USB Type-C	1 USB Type-C
Size	10.9 x 7.6 x 0.27 in (278.8 x 194.1 x 6.9mm)	10.9 x 7.6 x 0.27 in (278.8 x 194.1 x 6.9mm)	10.9 x 7.6 x 0.27 in (278.8 x 194.1 x 6.9mm)
Weight	1.4 pounds (640g)	1.4 pounds (640g)	1.4 pounds (640g)
Battery	33.7Wh (4430mAh@7.6V)	33.7Wh (4430mAh@7.6V)	33.7Wh (4430mAh@7.6V)
Warranty	1 year	1 year	1 year
Price	$699	$1,199	$849
Other perks	5-megapixel front-facing camera, ambient light sensor, fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope	5-megapixel front-facing camera, ambient light sensor, fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope	5-megapixel front-facing camera, ambient light sensor, fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope

The top edge of the MateBook has a couple of speaker holes, a headphone jack, and the device's power button. Aside from the nodes that connect the tablet to its keyboard base on the bottom edge, the right edge hosts a volume rocker and a press-down fingerprint sensor. I liked the change of pace from a round, home button-esque fingerprint sensor like on the iPad Air to this narrow, rectangular design. It's placed conveniently, too, since your hands naturally grab the sides of the tablet when you want to pick it up, so it'll be just as easy when you want to unlock the tablet using your index finger.

The single USB Type-C port is also on the right edge of the tablet. This is how you charge the tablet, and you can connect the MateDock to it if you have decided to buy that accessory separately. While having one USB Type-C port keeps the MateBook on par with Samsung's TabPro S, it can't compete with the ThinkPad X1, which includes a built-in USB Type-C port, USB 3.0 port, MiniDisplay port, and a Kensington Lock slot.

We'll get to the design of the keyboard dock in the next section, but what should be noted is that the starting price of $699 only gets you the Huawei MateBook tablet. No accessories are included in that price, so you will be paying extra for the keyboard case, the MatePen, and the MateDock. Considering the keyboard case is $129, the total price to make the MateBook a laptop replacement is about $829, which makes it slightly more expensive than the $799 TabPro S (which includes the keyboard in its price).

Keyboard, trackpad, and MatePen

Aesthetically, the MateBook's Portfolio Keyboard case complements the device's design. Coming in black and tan-and-crème color schemes, the faux-leather case attaches to the bottom edge of the tablet with one set of magnetic nodes. It fully wraps around the device when closed, too, giving it a folio effect and a look that screams "You bought me at a Moleskine shop for twice as much as you should have paid." It's not a bad look—it's trendy yet subtle, like most accessories that you have to pay extra for.

The keyboard case adds 450 grams to the weight of the tablet (or .99 pounds, about the weight of the iPad Air 2 alone). When paired together, the device is quite light and easily portable, and I liked the wrap-around design, because there's little chance that the tablet could fall out or be exposed much to the elements. But because it has such a flexible design, it isn't best keyboard case for laptop mode. Like most other keyboard cases, the back of Huawei's folds into a triangle that props the tablet up so you can type on the keyboard and use the pair as a notebook. When sitting on a desk or other hard, flat surface, the MateBook was secure, but problems arose when I propped it up on my lap and other uneven surfaces. The entire triangle support system fell flat on me numerous times, and forget sitting cross-legged on my couch—the entire device basically caved in on me when I tried that.

There's also not a lot of wiggle room with the angle of the tablet. The bottom half of the tablet's back is magnetic, and that's how one side of the triangle adheres to it and keeps it in place. You can only slide that flat to position the tablet in one of two angles (157 degrees and 142 degrees), so you're limited in that respect. Overall, I felt more comfortable using Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 hybrid with its metal kickstand and keyboard attachment on uneven surfaces.

The keyboard itself is more spacious than most 12-inch tablet keyboards are, but mostly because of the design of the keys. Each key is a large rounded square with very little actual space between each one—while the key travel is 1.5mm, the keys are enlarged so there's more surface area for you to hit with your fingers while typing. Also, the keys are built into the case itself, making them flush with the surface of the deck. It's a surprisingly easy design to use, and I didn't find myself hitting the wrong keys very often even if they're larger than most. The keyboard is also backlit, and it will light up when it senses too much darkness in the room.

I wish I could say I had the same good experience using the trackpad that I did typing on the keyboard. While the trackpad is quite smooth, many times my taps, clicks, and swipes wouldn't register on the screen. Huawei didn't have an explanation for this when I contacted them about the issue.

The other two optional accessories are the $59 MatePen and the $89 MateDock. Huawei's stylus has a pretty sleek design, featuring satin silver finishes at the top and bottom with a white, textured part in the middle for a better grip. The top button turns on the laser pointer at the back end of the pen, making it a useful tool if you're using the MateBook to give a presentation and want to point things out. The top button on the bottom of the pen, closer to the tip, activates the eraser tool so you can erase anything you might be writing on the tablet itself. With 2048 points of pressure, the MatePen was smooth to use, and the tablet auto-recognized my handwriting most of the time. I ended up using the stylus a lot when I just lounged around my apartment with the device in tablet mode, although I always find it easier to scroll webpages using my fingers rather than a stylus.

While the MatePen could be used for doodling or giving a presentation, the MateDock is undoubtably a productivity tool. Encased in the same faux-leather cover that the keyboard is made out of, the MateDock has an Ethernet port, two USB ports, and HDMI and VGA ports, so it really gives you a lot of options to connect different accessories and peripherals. Considering the only port on the MateBook is its charging, USB Type-C port, the MateDock will be crucial for anyone looking to use the device as a work hybrid.