At Mobile World Congress, Huawei jumped back into the Windows fold with its very first Windows 10 product, the MateBook. It's a premium 2-in-1 targeting people who want to get stuff done while still having a full day's battery life and something that looks and feels great to use.
Sounds familiar, right?
Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 is a premium 2-in-1 that offers long battery life, high-end design and specs and a full-sized physical keyboard. The Surface was always supposed to act as a yardstick and kick start the ecosystem, and here we are.
The MateBook is a gorgeous piece of hardware, with perhaps only its brand value in question compared to the relatively strong appeal that Surface has built up. Nevertheless, the MateBook is firmly in Surface Pro territory.
We'll need to spend a lot more time with one to really dive deep, but what we can do at least right now is see how the raw hardware stacks up. Which is exactly what we've done in the table below.
| Category | Surface Pro 4 | Huawei MateBook |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro | Windows 10 Pro |
| CPU | 6th Generation Intel Core m3, i5, or i7 (Skylake) | 6th Generation Intel Core m3, m5, m7 |
| Display | 12.3-inch PixelSense Display2763 x 1824 | 12-inch IPS TFT LCD2160 x 1440 (QHD) |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB SSD options | 128GB, 256GB or 512GB SSD |
| RAM | 4GB, 8GB or 16GB | 4GB or 8GB |
| Rear Camera | 8MPFull HD (1920 x 1080) | None |
| Front Camera | 5MP | 5MP fixed focus |
| Windows Hello | IR Camera for facial scanning | Single touch fingerprint scanner |
| Dimensions | 11.50 x 7.93 x .33 in (292.10 x 201.42 x 8.45 mm) | 10.97 x 7.64 x 0.27 in (278.8mm x 194.1mm x 6.9mm) |
| Weight | i5/i7: 1.73lbs (786g), m3: 1.69lbs (766g) | 1.41 lbs (640g) |
| Ports | Full-size USB 3.0, microSD card reader, 3.5mm headset jack, Mini DisplayPort, Type Cover port, Surface Connect | 3.5mm headset jack, USB-C, Keyboard docking pins |
| WiFi | 802.11ac WiFi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac MIMO, |
| Battery | Up to 9 hours | Up to 10 hours |
| Pen | Surface Pen1,024 levels of pressure sensitivityMagnetic storage | Optional Mate Pen, 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivityLaser pointer |
| Other | Stereo microphones, stereo speakers with Dolby audio, ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer | Dolby Audio, optional keyboard cover with LED backlighting |
While the Surface Pro 4 pulls away at the high end on specs, the MateBook, for the most part, keeps up. Of course, spec sheets tell only a portion of the story and we'll be looking forward to spending more time with the MateBook in the future to see what it's really all about.
So, what do you think of the Huawei MateBook? Let us know in the comments below! Or head to our main Huawei MateBook news page for all the latest info.
