WORKING ON THE GO

Fri November 25, 2016

When you’re working on the go, space and design matters. That’s how HUAWEI P9 lite and MateBook were designed with portability in mind. Presented in an ultra-thin design, the HUAWEI MateBook and P9 are the perfect companion to accompany you during your travels. Here I want to show you, why HUAWEI MateBook and P9 are great devices for daily use.

This year in June, I had the chance to meet HUAWEI P9 for the first time, and I was quiet surprised by its dual lens technology, slim design, stunning photography quality, great camera experience, super fast fingerprint scanner and the glorious display.

Now I had the opportunity to test the new HUAWEI MateBook and P9 lite. Being always on the go and traveling a lot, the compact design matters a lot. The HUAWEI MateBook is designed with simplicity in mind, it’s sleek exterior crafted from high quality materials ensures that every bit is streamlined, highlighting only what’s necessary. Weighing only 640 grams and measuring only 6.9 mm in width, this MateBook still manages to house a 12-inch screen within a sturdy metal unibody.

The fingerprint scanner works very well, as well as the keyboard and trackpad, optional MatePen is genius. Its keyboard-meets-cover wrap-around – which, just like the Surface Pro, is sold separately, but is a must buy really – and the HUAWEI becomes slightly chunkier, so between those three devices you’ll not notice a substantial difference.

The typing experience on the MateBook is great. There’s enough give from the plastic keys, while the trackpad has a normal size and responsive. While the HUAWEI MatePen gives you greater control and focus over your actions. Featuring a sensor that detects over 2048 levels of sensitivity and an easy access eraser mode, you can make clear expressions with bold strokes.

With a 12-inch screen, the MateBook is a touch smaller than the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 in all dimensions, with a black bezel surrounding the screen in equal portions throughout. This scale is ideal for a portable laptop-replacement in our view – and notably smaller than the MacBook Air 13-inch we’re used to using for work.

There is a work-around, as with so many of these kinds of devices, in the form of the Huawei MateDock, a twin USB, Ethernet, HDMI and VGA output dock, which connects via a dedicated USB Type-C wire (charging with this dock attached is possible, thanks to a USB Type-C port dedicated to power).

Summary

The MateBook proves that HUAWEI can make a good looking device, and is surprisingly comfortable to hold with one hand, and it feels pretty solid too. Around the sides, you’ve got the usual power and volume buttons, as well as a single USB-C port for charging and plugging in accessories. It’s great for those who work out-of-the-office or travel a lot, as well as having perfectly designed.