Huawei Matebook review – a super slim Surface Pro 4 rival

Display

It’s a shame the Matebook doesn’t have more stamina, as its 12in, 2,160×1,440 IPS display looks stunning. Covering 98.4% of the sRGB colour gamut, colours look wonderfully rich and vibrant, and its peak brightness of 346cd/m2 is more than enough for indoor use, and just about high enough to use outside, too.

Its contrast ratio of 843:1 is a little low, admittedly, so I wasn’t able to see quite such a high level of detail in some of my darker test images, but it’s still a gorgeous-looking display that easily rivals the one on the Surface Pro 4, even if its overall pixel density is a smidge lower.

Keyboard case

However, the Matebook’s attractions soon start to fall away as soon as you try to do any work on it, as its keyboard case is arguably one of the worst accessories I’ve ever tested. Protection isn’t the issue, as its tan leather surround looks reasonably smart and wraps securely all the way round the front and back.

The main problem is the stand, as its default angle – supported by the same kind of folding triangle shape as the iPad Pro – is far too steep if you’re sitting up straight at your desk. For me, it only became comfortable if I leant all the way back into my chair, which may not be ideal depending on how you like to work.

There is a second angle you can pick by shifting the flap magnets up a centimetre or two on the back of the tablet which tilts it back a few degrees, but even the lightest tap on the touchscreen will send it tumbling backwards, as the magnets simply aren’t as secure as the case’s default position.

It hardly inspires a lot of confidence, but the keyboard itself isn’t really that much better. The backlit keys are a decent size and provide a good level of tactile feedback, but I found it very difficult to type accurately at speed. This is partly because the keys are all crammed together, but it they also bounce up and down while you’re typing due to the not-quite-flat layout of the keyboard. There’s no option to raise the keyboard to provide more stability either, unlike the Surface Pro 4 which has an extra magnetic strip at the bottom of the tablet that can latch onto the top of its TypeCover keyboard.

Thankfully, the touchpad was much easier to use, as its generous size, silky smooth finish and confident click action are all perfectly suited for easy, hassle-free navigation. It was so quick and responsive, in fact, that I rarely felt the need to attach a mouse, which is more than I can say for other hybrid touchpads I’ve tested in the past.

Stylus

The optional stylus works well, too. With 2,048 of pressure sensitivity, it’s a great tool for doodling and note-taking alike, and the tablet’s excellent palm rejection means you needn’t worry about making accidental marks where your hand leans on the screen. It has two buttons near the tip to enable panning and a right-click, and there’s also one near the top that turns the stylus into a laser pointer provided it’s got enough charge.

There’s nowhere to store the pen inside the tablet, sadly, but you do get a magnetic loop in the box that can snap onto the keyboard case to prevent it from going walkabout. That said, given the relative weakness of the magnets, I wouldn’t be surprised if it got knocked off in your bag anyway, which rather negates its overall usefulness.

Conclusion

The Huawei Matebook does several things right, but in the end, you’ll be wishing you’d paid a little bit more for the extra convenience afforded by the Surface Pro 4. The Matebook has a lovely screen, a beautiful design and reasonably quick performance, but its poor battery life, frustrating keyboard and limited flexibility hamper its overall appeal. The fact that you also have to buy Huawei’s additional port dock just to get the extra USB ports – something that comes as standard on the Surface – also makes its lower price a bit of an illusion.

As a result, I can’t give the Matebook a whole-hearted recommendation at this point, although this might change once we get official UK pricing. Based on our current estimates, it’s just a little too close to the cost of a Surface Pro 4 to make it worth the potential savings. However, if the final prices end up being that much lower, then I might be inclined to bump it up an extra star. As it stands, though, the Matebook just doesn’t do quite enough to break out of the Surface Pro 4’s shadow.