HUAWEI MateBook 14 Review

When it comes to laptops that combine style, power, and innovation, HUAWEI sets a high standard. True enough, the new HUAWEI MateBook 14 aims to redefine what a smart PC can offer for users who are always on the go.

But, is it really worth the investment? Here’s our review.

HUAWEI MateBook 14 Review: Design

With all the laptops available in the market, it’s important to have a device that suits young professionals and even students without breaking the bank. In terms of design, the MateBook 14 delivers this generation’s aesthetic standard: sleek, minimal design—which makes the device even more beautiful and premium-looking. It comes in two colors: Space Grey and Green. We got our hands on the Green version, and honestly, it’s a refreshing change from the usual color options.

Weighing just 1.31 kg, it’s super portable for anyone constantly on the move. And despite its thin 14.5mm profile, it packs all the essential ports: a USB-C for charging and DisplayPort, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone and mic combo jack.

With its lightweight yet functional body, it can easily fit in a backpack or even an office tote bag without straining your back or shoulders.

Meanwhile, its ripple gentle curve design adds a touch of sophistication, and the frameless keyboard offers a smooth typing experience. Typing on this device is fantastic. The keyboard is backlit with two brightness levels, and the keys have a good travel distance without feeling flimsy. The spacious trackpad is smooth and provides solid left and right clicks.

Additionally, the power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which is both quick and responsive.

However, it’s worth noting that if you have sweaty hands, the body and keyboard easily absorb marks. Though it’s easy to clean, it’s a hassle when you’re out somewhere, like when we’re working in a cafe. We needed to keep our hands 100% dry or else thoroughly wipe the keyboard and body to eliminate the marks. You don’t want your device to look dirty and ugly.

HUAWEI MateBook 14 Review: Multimedia

The 2.8K OLED touchscreen on the MateBook 14 is nothing short of stunning. With a 120Hz dynamic high refresh rate, everything from video editing to browsing is buttery smooth. It’s also TÜV Rheinland Eye Comfort certified, meaning your eyes won’t feel strained even during long work sessions. For those who need color accuracy, the multi-color-gamut switching (Adobe RGB, P3, and sRGB) is a godsend. Even those of us with personal laptops featuring 2K Full Display noticed the improvements when switching to the MateBook 14.

Our favorite feature? The touchscreen is covered in glass, allowing for smooth navigation. It even supports the HUAWEI M-Pencil (3rd-gen), perfect for taking notes or quick sketches.

The dot pattern vents and speakers under the laptop add to its cool factor and functionality. The audio quality is pretty solid for laptop speakers—loud enough for movies and series, though we didn’t hear enough bass.

HUAWEI MateBook 14 Review: Performance

Under the hood, the MateBook 14 is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor with a max clock speed of 3.8GHz, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. So, we’re not surprised that this laptop handles almost everything we throw at it with ease. The new processor not only offers better CPU performance but also improved GPU performance with its Intel Arc Graphics. Its Super Turbo 2.0 also optimizes the system, making apps open and respond faster.

Its Dual HUAWEI Shark Fin fans also keep the device cool by efficiently expelling warm air through the back vents.

HUAWEI MateBook 14 Benchmark Scores:

It worked perfectly fine when used as our main driver, mainly using it for work tasks like surfing the web, browsing social media, and editing photos. We didn’t experience visible lags even when multiple tabs and windows were running. However, it’s worth noting that when we ran one of our benchmark tests, it heated up and the display went black, although the keyboard still had its backlight on. We waited for a few minutes before we could resume the benchmark test.

With this experience, we could say that the MateBook 14 can handle usual daily tasks but might struggle with tasks that require heavy graphics. Anyway, we didn’t mind this too much, as it was never meant for gaming.

HUAWEI MateBook 14 Review: Productivity

HUAWEI’s Super Device features like Multi-Screen Collaboration and AI Search are game-changers. Dragging and dropping files between our phone and laptop was seamless, making multitasking convenient. The AI Search function is also a lifesaver, helping users locate files quickly without digging through folders.

And since it’s a HUAWEI device, you can leverage HUAWEI Share and HUAWEI Super Device to sync with other HUAWEI gadgets like smartphones, tablets, Smart TVs, or other laptops. If you’re already in the HUAWEI ecosystem, this feature significantly boosts productivity and convenience.

The laptop also includes a dedicated NPU for AI features such as an AI camera that enhances the 1080p webcam for sharper video calls, AI Sound, and Personal Voice Enhancement for better audio clarity, and, as mentioned earlier, AI Search to easily find files on the laptop.

HUAWEI MateBook 14 Review: Battery Life

The MateBook 14 is packed with a 70Wh battery, promising up to 19 hours of use on a single charge. In our experience, using it as our main laptop for work, it was able to accommodate our needs for 9 hours before it reached 20%. To fully test its battery power, we didn’t charge it despite reaching 20% battery. Hence, we discovered that even at this low battery percentage, it could still deliver 2 hours and almost 15 minutes, totaling a little over 11 hours on a single charge.

Of course, its battery life depends on how you use it. Ours lasted this long with tasks including heavy web surfing, social media browsing, minimal photo editing, and using Google Workspace tools.

HUAWEI MateBook 14 Review: Verdict

The HUAWEI MateBook 14 2024 starts at Php59,999 for the Intel Ultra 5 model with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, while the Intel Ultra 7 version is priced at Php69,999. If you purchase between July 12 and July 31, you’ll also get a free Huawei MateView SE worth Php7,999, a Logitech Mouse and a backpack.

Consumers can get it on HUAWEI store, Lazada, and Shopee.

If you’re in the market for a laptop that combines style, power, and smart features, the HUAWEI MateBook 14 is definitely worth considering.

Learn more about the device here.