With a slightly larger and more defined panel, a 100 g lighter chassis thanks to the abandonment of aluminum in favor of magnesium and a lot of ergonomic work around the touchpad, Huawei’s flagship computer has plenty to offer. mouth watering. If you have the budget.
When the first Matebook X Pro was released in 2018, its incredible 3K screen in 3/2 format was the first thing that jumped out at me. Four years after this first iteration, Huawei is launching a 2022 version which corrects errors and pushes the limits of an ultraportable PC at a truly premium price – €2,199 anyway. For this price and this range, no surprise, it’s Intel inside (since the first generation). 2022 obliges, we are entitled to Core 17 1260P with its integrated Xe graphics chip and 16 GB of LPDDR5 (soldered) and 1 TB of SSD for the shoulder. Certified Intel EVO with WiFi 6E which is going well and its Thunderbolt sockets, the Matebook X Pro sticks to high-end standards. To differentiate itself, Huawei has therefore worked on the side of the screen and the touchpad.
The touch screen has been, from the beginning of the range, the strong point of the series. And that of the 2022 version is still a notch above that of the previous season. While the Matebook X Pro 2021 integrated a 13.9 ” screen with an LTPS panel in 3000 x 2000 at 60 Hz with a brightness of 450 cd / m² (nits) and a coverage rate of 91%, the 2022 model do better. And better in each of these areas: the 14.2 ” panel turbine at 90Hz, displays 3120 × 2080 pixels (264 ppi) and offers 92.5% coverage with a maximum brightness of 500 cd / m². And add to that a certification against “blue light” from the Germans of TÜV Rheinland. While taking advantage of a new anti-reflective treatment, a colorimetric certification of 100% of the P3 and sRGB spectra and a factory calibration of these colors to promise a Delta E of less than 1 (below 1, this is very fair and the higher we go, the more false it is).
The touchpad, haptic, is as large as that of Macs. And take advantage of a software overlay integrated into Windows 11 which allows you to quickly perform tasks such as screenshots, brightness adjustment, etc. Without having to resort to a keyboard shortcut or several pointer operations and clicks. Huawei boldly asserts “qit’s the best touchpad ever built into a laptop “. It is to be hoped that Huawei has worked hard on its “hardware + software” partition to manage to shake up Apple on this ground. But we will try it with all the more care.
Goodbye aluminum, goodbye horrible webcam under the keyboard
The previous Matebook X Pro weighed 1.35 kg and this new version weighs only 1.26 kg. The trick being the abandonment of the anodized aluminum of the previous versions in favor of the use of a new magnesium alloy. Which is reinforced by a process called plasma electrolytic oxidation (micro-arc oxidation in English). To obtain the exterior durability of aluminum with a lighter magnesium alloy, the latter must be immersed in an electrolytic bath with a very powerful current. This bath transforms the surface of the magnesium alloy into a very resistant ceramic. We can’t wait to take the machine in hand to evaluate the touch (promised as “soft as silk” by Huawei’s marketing) but also its scratch resistance – my keychain is waiting for the PC with a firm footing.
In addition to this change in material, there is also and above all the disappearance of THE biggest ergonomic friction point of this series: the webcam under the keyboard. Arrived at the beginning of the Sino-American tensions in 2018, in a context where privacy hacks via the webcam and microphones were legion in the press, the first, even the second iteration of this device could be understood. And the advantage for Huawei was that the integration of an edge-to-edge screen was easier. But the limits – unflattering angle, inconvenient to use, etc. – were quickly identified. And Huawei still persisted in 2020 and 2021.
The passage (finally!) of this webcam from the upper keys of the keyboard to the upper edge of the screen removes a major stumbling block, especially for those who have a significant need for videoconferencing. No more goiter, hello front framing! Since not everything can be perfect, we regret to tell you that for this first iteration of a machine with a REAL webcam, Huawei settled for a 720p model. Hoping for Full HD in 2023?
A global brand, Huawei develops different colors and versions depending on the market. But it seems that in France only one color in a single configuration of the machine will be launched: the version with the midnight blue chassis in Core i7/16Go/1To. And it will cost you €2199 from September 16th.