Huawei Matebook X Pro (Hands-on) Review: 99% MacBook Pro Twin Windows 10 Flagship Laptop Packs a Surprise Function

Who is the Huawei Matebook X Pro for?

• Those who has MacBook Pro envy but dislike Apple's ecosystem restrictions will get all the premium build quality and design of the Mac - plus improvements, while running native Windows 10
• For Huawei phone users running EMUI 10.1 or later, the Huawei Share is a breakthrough in laptop/smartphone integration that allows the phone to be fully controlled directly on the desktop
• The 4:3 aspect ratio 3K screen is a businessman's dream work machine, being able to display a significant amount more of documents and websites that the typical 16:9 screens

The term 'jailbreak' might be familiar to some, and to those who are not familiar, it is the term used for a 'hack' that is done on iPhones in order to overcome limitations placed by Apple. Rudimentary functions such as the ability to connect the iPhone to the computer like a USB-storage device to drag-and-drop files, or installing third-party apps that are not available on the App Store are taken away and the only way to access them is to 'jailbreak' your device.

Even back in the days of the iPhone 3Gs, after jailbreaking my iPhone a few times (The hack gets undone by Apple's regular updates), I became disillusioned with the whole exercise: why do I need to hack my own device in order to do what I want to do with it?

The reason of course was Apple's top-notch hardware. Apple had the monopoly of the most beautifully made hardware, beautiful enough to make willing 'captives' inside of their ecosystem.

Over the years however, this monopoly has been shaken as competitors catch up in making impressive hardware builds that match Apple's products. Out of all the efforts to match the MacBook Pro's, I have found the closest doppelganger, and it's Huawei's Matebook X Pro.

Precision Machined Chassis

Starting from the main body of the Matebook X Pro, it gave off the solid metal vibe being hefty, cold to the touch and without a hint of flex when picked up. The anodized dark grey aluminum finish is sleek and beautiful to look at and touch, and its dull reflection reminds me of a DeLorean that looks both classic and modern at the same time. The corners of the Matebook X Pro is where it departs from the MacBook Pro, where the curve radii are smaller, giving it a more boxy, serious look.

Side on, the slim profile is thicker near the screen to take 2 USB-C ports and a 3.5mm jack as well as a USB-A 3.0 port on the opposite side - means plenty of USB devices can be connected without the use of dongles.

The Matebook X Pro looks like it has a tapered side, but it's an optical illusion. The laptop actually has uniform thickness throughout its width. The side taper, more than for looks, creates space for the laptop's third and fourth oversized speaker grills located on the bottom. Third and fourth? Oh yes, the Matebook X Pro has a total of 4 speaker grills with another two on the same plane as its keyboard. The array of speakers makes the stereo output extremely loud but clear, capable of filling up a whole room with a clean sound- the loudest I've heard on a laptop.

3K Screen with Little Bezel and No Webcam

Starting from being able to open the screen with one hand I knew Huawei did their homework and got the hinge tension right. Opening the laptop clamshell is something you do many times a day and it pays to get this detail right.

Once the screen is opened you're greeted with a taller-than-usual 13.9 inch glass screen. Huawei made a bold decision to make the Matebook X Pro 3:2 ratio, and this enables the user to read more of the document than the popular 16:9 widescreen configuration. After using it for a while I found that the tall screen to be useful, allowing for example tab preview windows to be permanently opened on the Edge browser while still having enough screen real estate to view websites normally.

The slim bezel around the screen is attributed mainly by moving the webcam away from the top of the display. Since most users stare at the screen much more often than use the webcam, it's an understandable compromise. The super-stealthy webcam is hidden beneath one of the keys on the keyboard, which springs open when pressed. The design choice removes the possibility of being spied on through a hacked webcam, and eliminates the need for a webcam cover or tape that suspect people use - a solution as elegant as wearing a tinfoil hat.

Turning on the laptop you're greeted with an extremely gorgeous 3K display that has a denser resolution than the Retina display. The screen is also very bright, giving it excellent legibility even under brightly lit environments.

Black Keyboard and Glass Trackpad

Perhaps the most twinning feature of the Matebook X Pro to the MacBook Pro is the keyboard aesthetics. The overlap goes from the white-on-black color scheme to the square profile of individual keys to the overall key layout, to even the icon on the keys.

The good news is that the mechanism of the keys have stayed away from the nightmarish butterfly-switches, but instead Huawei's switches have nice travel as well as fast recovery, comparable to the Thinkpads keyboards. Doing a quick typing speed test, I managed a 76 WPM comfortably.

Another thing that Huawei improved on the MacBook is the chamfering of the edges, which is perhaps not as handsome as MacBook's razor sharp aluminum edge, but I think most will welcome the compromise - the looks isn't worth the edges cutting into my wrists all day long!

The glass trackpad is one of the best I've tried on a Windows machine, completely on par with the practically flawless trackpads on the MacBook. Huawei even threw in multi-touch capability on its screen just for good measure. Along with multi-finger gestures, this is one of those laptops that can be navigated easily without a mouse.

Full Phone Remote Control through Huawei Share (Surprise!)

As the title of this article suggests, the Huawei Matebook X Pro packs a surprise function hinted by a square sticker on the palm rest that says: 'Huawei Share'. If you haven't guessed it yet, this Matebook can fully control a Huawei smartphone. Don't mistake this for a mere integration of notification and file transfer between devices, Huawei Share allows you to fully control the phone from a virtual phone screen in real time. Wi-Fi is not needed for this to work, the Huawei phone can be synced by enabling the NFC and tapping it on the palmrest.

Huawei Share improved my workflow when using Instant Messengers. Instead of having to install desktop clients for Instant Messengers - which is often loaded with sync issues, I am able to answer everything natively from the phone using the laptop keyboard. I found music on the phone can also be played directly on the laptop over Huawei Share. Over time, I'm sure even more useful functions will arise out of seamless connectivity of this level, like using the camera remotely and playing Android based games.

Dongle included

As if to rub it in Apple's face, not only does the Matebook X Pro have a built in USB-A port, eliminating most of the need for a dongle, it also includes a high quality USB-C dongle that has another USB-A port, USB-C port, VGA out and HDMI out. It is unlikely that the average user will need to fork out more cash to get connectivity. Just for reference, the HDMI dongle alone is $69 from the Apple store, which does not have a VGA port.

Final remarks

Envy Apple MacBook Pro hardware? With the Huawei Matebook X Pro, it's safe to say you don't have to anymore. The Matebook X Pro has even functionality that supersedes the MacBooks, functions that are not mere gimmicks, but actually improves the workflow and overall computing experience. With a significantly lower price tag, if Windows 10 is your operating system of choice, the Matebook X Pro is our Staff Pick (#HSX73M5) for the ultra thin with the best hardware.

Sam is a production engineer turned tech writer who specializes in seeking out gadgets that enhances productivity while still looking sharp. This is a contribution to an ongoing IBTimes review series on gadgets for Business Travelers.