Saturday, June 27, 2020

Huawei MateBook D14 Hands-On

Huawei recently announced its AMD-powered laptops, the MateBook D14, equipped with a 14-inch IPS display, up to AMD Ryzen 7 3700 U processor, up to Radeon RX Vega 10 graphics card, and up to 512GB internal storage. Huawei also shared that the D14 will be available in the next few days. Take a first look at this sleek laptop.

The latest 14-inch laptop from Huawei sports an elegant look. It has an aluminum alloy body which gives it a metallic finish. Designed for those who are always out and about, it weighs at just 1.38 kg. It comes in two colors, Space Grey and Mystic Silver, with the latter as our review unit. Just like its predecessors, the MateBook D14 has the iconic Huawei logo engraved on its outer shell.

Flipping it over reveals the hinge and rubber feet of the device. At the top is the rectangular grille for air ventilation while near the rubber feet are the downward-firing speakers.

On the left are three ports that provide connectivity for the laptop. There’s the USB-C port for charging and transferring data from the laptop to other supported Huawei smartphones; a USB-A port for opening files from storage devices or connecting peripherals, and an HDMI port for extending display.

Looking over at the right is another USB-A port and a 3.5mm audio/microphone jack.

Opening the lid reveals the laptop’s 14-inch FullView display (1920 x 1080) capable of up to 250 nits of brightness. Ideal for streaming digital content, it offers up to a 178-degree viewing angle and comes with TUV Rheinland certification for lower emission of blue light which causes eye strains. Its top and side bezels are 4.8mm thick to maximize the screen size.

The laptop dons a minimalist chiclet keyboard with black keys and a large touchpad in a lighter color from its chassis. It shares arrow and navigation keys, which can be accessed with the Function key, eliminates the number keypad. Those who have sweaty hands won’t have any problem using it since it doesn’t attract dirt and smudges. However, don’t expect it to have backlighting.

Placed between the F6 and F7 keys, the MateBook D14 also adapts the same 720p HD recessed webcam from its predecessors.

On the top left corner of the keyboard is the power button. It also serves as a fingerprint scanner for a more secure login on the device.

The model that we got is powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 3700U chipset matched with Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphic as its graphics card. Onboard is an 8GB RAM and a 512GB PCle SSD. On paper, the laptop has a battery capacity rated at 56Wh which can last up to 9.5 hours on continuous playback of a 1080p video. Running on Windows 10 Home, the laptop ships with Huawei Share, Huawei PC Manager, Huawei Monitor Manager, and a dedicated cooling system called Huawei Shark Fin Design 2.0 out of the box.

The Huawei MateBook D14 will be available at Huawei concept stores, online stores in Lazada and Shopee, and authorized Huawei dealers on June 29, 2020. It will be bundled with Huawei Freelace earbuds, Bluetooth mouse, and backpack until July 3, 2020.

Prices are as follows:
• MateBook D14 (Ryzen 5 3500U) – PHP 39,990
• MateBook D14 (Ryzen 7 3700U) – PHP 42,990

Customers who will get the Huawei MateBook D14 from July 4 to July 31, 2020, will get a free Huawei backpack.

Huawei MateBook D14 specs:
14-inch FullView (1920 x 1080) IPS display, 250 nits
AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, AMD Ryzen 7 3700U CPU
AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics, Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics
Huawei Shark Fin Design 2.0 cooling system
8GB DDR4 RAM
256GB, 512GB PCle SSD
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2×2 MIMO
Bluetooth 5.0
1x USB-A 3.0
1 x USB-A 2.0
USB-C
HDMI
3.5mm headset and microphone 2-in-1 jack
2-in-1 power button and fingerprint scanner
Chiclet keyboard
1MP (720p HD) recessed webcam
2x 2W speakers
2x microphone
56Wh battery
Windows 10 Home
Huawei Share
322.5 x 15.9 x 214.8 mm
1.38 kg
56 Wh battery
Metallic body
Mystic Silver, Space Grey