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00:07Hey, how's it going guys? This is Dave2D and this is a video on the Huawei MateBook.
00:12So this is a 12-inch Windows tablet, cost $700, it's got 2-in-1 capabilities, it's got a very clean design.
00:18Let's take a look.
00:19So, when you open the box, you get the MateBook itself, 24-watt adapter, a double male USB-C cable,
00:24and then some components to adapt to other USB devices.
00:27This cable lets you connect to micro-USB, and then if you plug this in, the adapter, you get a standard USB port.
00:33So the build quality is really nice, recent Huawei devices have had excellent build quality, and this one's no different.
00:39Aluminum body, chamfered edges, the exterior finish feels very similar to an iPad, it's that silky smooth texture.
00:45The device has a little bit of flex, but it doesn't bother me at all.
00:49Now in terms of how it feels when you use it, this is a very comfortable tablet to hold.
00:53It's got rounded corners, rounded edges, it's not too heavy, I like handling it.
00:57Now going around the edges, we have a volume rocker, power button, stereo speakers up top,
01:02a headphone jack, mic, and the keyboard connector pins on the bottom.
01:06There's only one port on this device, it's a USB 3.0 Type-C connection.
01:10It's not Thunderbolt 3, so there's no external GPU connections.
01:13You can charge the device through this port, and you can also connect drives and peripherals.
01:18There's an optional Mate Dock by Huawei that connects to the port, I think it's $90.
01:22This thing has USB-C passthrough, so you can charge it while it's docked,
01:26and has a couple USB-As, Ethernet, HDMI out, VGA out, and it magnetically fits into a carrying case.
01:32If you're using the MateBook for work or for college, a dock like this can be super useful.
01:37The volume rocker actually has a fingerprint sensor in the middle.
01:40It's fast, it's accurate, and works with Windows Hello to log you into the tablet pretty quickly.
01:45The display is a 12-inch IPS panel, and it's pretty good.
01:48Quad HD, so 2560x1440.
01:51If you turn off the automatic controls, you can get up to 400 nits.
01:54It's still not great for viewing outdoors because of the glossy screen, but indoors, it's awesome.
01:59Viewing angles are great, and so is the color gamut when I'm measuring with the Spyder 4.
02:03The bezels are also pretty thin at 10mm, and overall, I really like this screen.
02:07The speakers on the top edge of the tablet sound okay.
02:10They get loud, louder than you would think for the size that they are,
02:13but they don't sound particularly clear.
02:15I'd say they sound a little bit worse than the speakers on the Surface Pro 4.
02:18The webcam up top is 5 megapixels, and it's actually pretty good.
02:21But if you'll notice, there's no rear-facing camera on the device.
02:24And at first, I thought this was pretty cool because, well, I'm not a tablet photography person,
02:29and it keeps the back really clean by not having a camera cutout.
02:32But, I used this for Skype a few times, and once, I wanted to show what I was looking at to the person I was talking to,
02:38and I realized that in order for me to do this, I had to flip the device around,
02:42use the front-facing camera, and kind of hope that I was aiming it in the right direction.
02:45It's not a big deal, and it won't affect most people, but if you are a frequent video caller, keep that in mind.
02:50There's an optional $60 Mate Pen.
02:52It's rechargeable by micro-USB.
02:54Kind of wish they'd made it a Type-C connector, but it works well.
02:572048 levels of pressure sensitivity, and it has a laser pointer if you want to go old school.
03:02The Portfolio Keyboard costs $130, and it connects magnetically using pogo pins.
03:07The keyboard has backlighting, and the keys have 1.5mm of travel.
03:11It's a pretty comfortable keyboard, and I think most people will get used to it quickly.
03:14I would say that the keyboard from the Surface Pro 4 is better.
03:18Not by a lot, but I do think it's better.
03:20The trackpad is big for this type of device, so if you're coming from a laptop, it's an easy transition.
03:25It has a nice texture on the glass surface.
03:27Tracking around is good, but the button mechanism feels kind of average to me.
03:31Clicking and dragging sometimes feels unresponsive, but I've been told that a software update will fix this soon.
03:37The cover to the Portfolio Keyboard has folding flaps,
03:40and because the structural support is dependent on the flaps, it's not sturdy using it on your lap at all.
03:45Now, if you're using it on a table or any kind of flat surface, it's structurally sound, you don't have to worry about it.
03:50But if your workflow requires you to use the MateBook on your lap, it's not going to be easy.
03:54Now, in terms of screen tilt, it's not universally adjustable.
03:58In fact, there's only two sets of positions.
04:00One of them you set up like this, it's sturdy in a flat position.
04:03The other position is tilted back a bit more, but it uses magnets to secure it into place, and it's pretty easy to knock down.
04:10But fortunately, I think the first position is a good angle for most people.
04:13The unit I have is the base model, Skylake Core M3 HD515 integrated graphics with only 4GB of RAM.
04:20It's the same loadout as the base models of the Surface Pro 4 and the Samsung Tab Pro S.
04:26Drive speeds are okay, but the performance overall is good.
04:29If you're doing light tasks like email, web browsing, or typing up documents for work, it's more than enough.
04:34But you might feel limited with 4GB of RAM if you have a lot of browser tabs open.
04:38Gaming isn't great, even the lightest 3D games run at pretty crappy frame rates,
04:42but overall I'm happy with the performance on the base model.
04:45Thermally, it's a little warm with heavy use, but on my M3 version, it never gets uncomfortable to hold.
04:51Okay, the battery life is less than the advertised 9 hours.
04:54I was getting around 5 to 6 hours of light use and screen at 75%.
04:58It doesn't have good battery life, especially for a tablet,
05:01but it does support quick charging, and it gets you a full charge in around 2.5 hours.
05:05Alright, the Huawei MateBook. It starts at $700.
05:08It's a 6.9mm thick tablet, nicely machined aluminum with no camera on the back.
05:13It has a 12-inch IPS panel that's bright, with pretty good color gamut and the bezels are nice and thin.
05:18There's two speakers on the top that get loud, but they don't sound amazing.
05:21There's a super quick fingerprint scanner for Windows Hello.
05:24The portfolio keyboard is backlit, has good key travel, and it's a pretty solid typing experience.
05:29The glass trackpad is spacious, but the button mechanism isn't the best.
05:33The fold-up stand only has a couple positions.
05:35It's good on a flat surface, but it's not really usable on the lap.
05:38On the inside, the Core M3 processor is sufficient for work and media consumption,
05:43but it's not great for gaming.
05:44The RAM and storage are not user-replaceable,
05:47but the base model with 4GB of RAM is enough for light computer use.
05:51And then juicing this tablet is a battery that lasts around 5 to 6 hours of regular use.
05:55Now, there's obviously things I don't love about the MateBook,
05:57and for some people these might be deal-breakers,
05:59but things like the portfolio keyboard,
06:01I wish it had more tilt positions for the screen,
06:03I wish the portfolio keyboard was a little more sturdy so that I could use it on my lap,
06:07and I also wish it had a bigger battery or a longer battery life.
06:10But aside from those things, I really like this device.
06:13It's one of the best Windows experiences.
06:16In terms of the ergonomics of the tablet,
06:18most Windows tablets are uncomfortable to hold.
06:21This one just nails it.
06:23And if you look at the laptop experience, it's also really good,
06:25as long as you don't have to use it on your lap.
06:27So if you're a student or you're a professional that's looking for a 2-in-1
06:30that has a really good tablet experience as well,
06:33take a look at the MateBook, you might like it.
06:35That's the end of this video, hope you guys liked it.
06:37Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved it.
06:39It's been nice, and I'll see you guys next time.