Huawei - MateBook X

[5piN]

Hi Guys,

Just adding my two cents, I recently picked up the i7 with 512ssd and use it as my daily driver.

I've not had any issues either with the track-pad and its been about a week of daily use,its about as good as my surface pro 4.

I was confused my Vlad's assessment and a bit disappointed by the final score considering the rMB (2017) got a score of 8.5, this is at least as good if not better.

On a side note I also picked up a Xiaomi Air 12 a few months ago, which also has exceptional build quality and especially at the price point of $480 US. Though it ended up being a little under-powered with a Core M3 and 4gb of ram but amazingly it can host two m2 SSDs. Was easy enough to open up and stick in a 960 Evo.

Eventual plan is to use it has a Hackintosh, I had Sierra running but with no support for wifi without a dongle or any track-pad support it's annoying.

Fire any questions you have my way!

Also when i have sometime i will try getting Sierra on the Matebook.

 

[Queen6]

Hi Guys,

Just adding my two cents, I recently picked up the i7 with 512ssd and use it as my daily driver.

I've not had any issues either with the track-pad and its been about a week of daily use,its about as good as my surface pro 4.

I was confused my Vlad's assessment and a bit disappointed by the final score considering the rMB (2017) got a score of 8.5, this is at least as good if not better.

On a side note I also picked up a Xiaomi Air 12 a few months ago, which also has exceptional build quality and especially at the price point of $480 US. Though it ended up being a little under-powered with a Core M3 and 4gb of ram but amazingly it can host two m2 SSDs. Was easy enough to open up and stick in a 960 Evo.

Eventual plan is to use it has a Hackintosh, I had Sierra running but with no support for wifi without a dongle or any track-pad support it's annoying.

Fire any questions you have my way!

Also when i have sometime i will try getting Sierra on the Matebook.

With the Xiaomi Air depends on the model, if you opt for the Air 13 it has full i5 and even has a dGPU. Agree fabulous value for money nor are they low quality systems, very much the opposite. As I've stated before companies like Huawei and Xiaomi will overtake Apple in a matter of a couple of years, especially Huawei as it's very much building it's brand presence globally.

My own i5 256 MB-X is significantly better than my rMB so I've no real idea where he got his conclusions from, and I've been using the rMb professionally for over two years. Trackpad is as good as my Surface Book, all I did was bump up one notch to High Sensitivity. Ultimately the MB-X is replacing the rMB as it's simply a much better notebook overall.

Q-6

 

[5piN]

With the Xiaomi Air depends on the model, if you opt for the Air 13 it has full i5 and even has a dGPU. Agree fabulous value for money nor are they low quality systems, very much the opposite. As I've stated before companies like Huawei and Xiaomi will overtake Apple in a matter of a couple of years, especially Huawei as it's very much building it's brand presence globally.

My own i5 256 MB-X is significantly better than my rMB so I've no real idea where he got his conclusions from, and I've been using the rMb professionally for over two years. Trackpad is as good as my Surface Book, all I did was bump up one notch to High Sensitivity. Ultimately the MB-X is replacing the rMB as it's simply a much better notebook overall.

Q-6

The 13 was something I looked at but it was essential for the system to be fanless, was sick of those fans spinning on the Surface Pro 4!

The only thing I miss is the touchscreen, would have been perfect if they could have squeezed that in.

 

[5piN]

Another interesting machine is the ASUS ZenBook Flip S (UX370UA) , which can be decked out with a 1tb and 16gb. Not released yet because i cant find stock anywhere but apparently its the worlds thinnest convertible.

 

[Queen6]

The 13 was something I looked at but it was essential for the system to be fanless, was sick of those fans spinning on the Surface Pro 4!

The only thing I miss is the touchscreen, would have been perfect if they could have squeezed that in.

My original thoughts were to replace the rMB with the new Surface Pro i5 as it too is fanless, however once I tried the MB-X I was sold on it due to the portability and build quality. I do believe that Touch and Pen input brings a lot to W10, equally I also own a Surface Book, with my usage being mostly laptop centric (85/15), therefore a secondary system with Touch & Pen input was not a priority.

I'll aways own at least one fanless system as once you get used to the silent operation the noise an actively cooled system generates is far more noticeable. Now with passively cooled notebooks employing i5/i7 U series CPU's they are really coming into their own. Certainly my i5 MB-X can stretch it's legs with ease, while the rMB can and does run out of headroom.

The MB-X having a 13" 3:2 display is a significant draw for me as it hardly impacts the notebooks footprint, and the keyboard which is positively luxurious in comparison to the rMB. Overall still very pleased with few if any drawbacks to the MB-X.

Q-6
[doublepost=1501610615][/doublepost]

Another interesting machine is the ASUS ZenBook Flip S (UX370UA) , which can be decked out with a 1tb and 16gb. Not released yet because i cant find stock anywhere but apparently its the worlds thinnest convertible.

I did look at the ZenBook 3, however was not impressed by the build quality, I found that the keyboard deck easily deformed, the Huawei MB-X is in word solid. The ZenBook Flip does indeed look to be an interesting prospect, another is the Toshiba Portege X20W-D another slimline 2 in 1

Q-6

 

[Queen6]

For those interested; Recently picked up an ELE Thunder power-bank 16000MAh top job, can power both MB-X and rMB over USB A - USB C at over 3 Amps. I Like this power-bank as is has genuine LG cells and Qualcomm QC3, which works for charging devices and charging itself. Also has USB C as well, although none of my current USB C - USB C cables will charge either notebook not that it would charge at a higher rate anyway.

With the MB-X idling the ELE Thunder power-bank can the notebooks internal battery at the rate of approximately 10% - 15% per hour possibly more, which is ok as it's not a huge power-bank by any means. Think the smart money would be if you know your going to be off the wire for a significant time is to connect the power-bank sooner rather than later, rather more maintaining the notebooks internal charge versus attempting to charge a dead notebook. Major message is the MB-X can charge from adequately rated power-bank

Q-6

 

[ZapNZs]

I'm getting an itch to buy one of these...

 

[kazmac]

I just pulled the trigger on this as I needed a PC laptop, and wanted something with as little fuss as possible. I couldn't make up my mind between Lonovo and HP, so I decided on this because of the great reviews here and elsewhere.

@Queen6 and @5piN many thanks for your experiences especially with the trackpad settings. I may have questions for you both.

Even though I did not want to spend $ on tech right now, I had no choice. Bootcamp and windows on this Mac is not something I want to risk. I've become increasingly frustrated with Apple (and am annoyed I threw so much $ at them this year for features I do not use etc.)

This is good. It will ease me into becoming truly cross platform. d I can dip my toe into Windows at home and be ready for the next job. Having an open mind and I look forward to getting my laptop tomorrow. Space Gray (ha ha) version.

 

[kazmac]

*Sigh* The Matebook X arrived D.O.A. a little while ago. Not angry, as I'd rather have the machine be a dud on arrival rather than breaking down a few months in. It happens with every manufacturer.

It looked beautiful, perhaps once I am more acclimated to Windows and such, I will try a future gen. I do not mind that other companies are paying homage to Apple's design while moving forward in various ways. If they release a 15" version I'd be all over that.

 

[Queen6]

*Sigh* The Matebook X arrived D.O.A. a little while ago. Not angry, as I'd rather have the machine be a dud on arrival rather than breaking down a few months in. It happens with every manufacturer.

It looked beautiful, perhaps once I am more acclimated to Windows and such, I will try a future gen. I do not mind that other companies are paying homage to Apple's design while moving forward in various ways. If they release a 15" version I'd be all over that.

As suggested give Huawei another shot, just back from a business trip across SE Asia, took the MB-X and Apple's rMB. Huawei's notebook excelled as ever, Apple's just gets worse OS stability under load is a joke, nor is it confined to teh rMB, with the same reproducible lock up's & crashes on both 13" & 15" MBP's Just bought a "heavy lifter" again W10 based as Apple is simply incapable of producing a portable that offers this level of performance. It wont impress the Starbucks crowd, equally it'll pay for itself in the first day of use on the job, and thats what really counts, and no dongles needed

IMHO MB-X is one of the very best Ultrabooks currently on the market, most of all the systems stability is 100/100 having yet to crash a single app, let alone the OS. Tim Cook could do us all a favour and pick one up and just see what a joke the Mac is becoming in comparison, if he actually cared for something other than numbers...

Huawei offers a 15" however it's more a budget business machine. I found the display to be lacklustre, although I must admit for the entry price the notebook does offer good value, in a very nice package. The upcoming Xiao Mi 15" may also interest as it too is a compelling product for the price point, something Apple has long forgotten.

Q-6

 

[kazmac]

As suggested give Huawei another shot, just back from a business trip across SE Asia, took the MB-X and Apple's rMB. Huawei's notebook excelled as ever, Apple's just gets worse OS stability under load is a joke, nor is it confined to teh rMB, with the same reproducible lock up's & crashes on both 13" & 15" MBP's Just bought a "heavy lifter" again W10 based as Apple is simply incapable of producing a portable that offers this level of performance. It wont impress the Starbucks crowd, equally it'll pay for itself in the first day of use on the job, and thats what really counts, and no dongles needed

IMHO MB-X is one of the very best Ultrabooks currently on the market, most of all the systems stability is 100/100 having yet to crash a single app, let alone the OS. Tim Cook could do us all a favour and pick one up and just see what a joke the Mac is becoming in comparison, if he actually cared for something other than numbers...

Q-6

I think it's wonderful there are more and more choices for PC users and that Microsoft -like Apple- are now are providing the inspiration to make great machines.

As I needed a machine today and was jittery about Amazon, I took the safest route: hardware and software from one company. I did not need an ultrabook, just a laptop I could use for learning Windows apps. I felt as a W10 and laptop noob, the SL would mean the least time figuring out how to use it.

I will continue to read this sub-forum, this Huawei thread and your comments with great interest. When this SL does what it should (help me learn Office 365 to get another job asap), I will gauge which platform I use more and go from there. My visual creativity is still Mac based, but I am open minded enough to consider alternatives if I find W10 more to my liking.

Huawei sound like a great laptop company in the making. I am very happy that you and 5piN are enjoying your Matebook X. Perhaps in the future I will be in your company.

As a long time Apple user (21 years as an owner), I am disillusioned by the past four years (and rather annoyed that I bought yet another iPad and a phone whose bells and whistles I just do not need), but the price hikes and gimmicks are wearing a bit thin and it me that this pricing mentality has creeped over to PC manufacturers (hi, Microsoft, which I just payed into ) I'll see where I go with this Surface Laptop...baby steps.

 

[Queen6]

I think it's wonderful there are more and more choices for PC users and that Microsoft -like Apple- are now are providing the inspiration to make great machines.

As I needed a machine today and was jittery about Amazon, I took the safest route: hardware and software from one company. I did not need an ultrabook, just a laptop I could use for learning Windows apps. I felt as a W10 and laptop noob, the SL would mean the least time figuring out how to use it.

I will continue to read this sub-forum, this Huawei thread and your comments with great interest. When this SL does what it should (help me learn Office 365 to get another job asap), I will gauge which platform I use more and go from there. My visual creativity is still Mac based, but I am open minded enough to consider alternatives if I find W10 more to my liking.

Huawei sound like a great laptop company in the making. I am very happy that you and 5piN are enjoying your Matebook X. Perhaps in the future I will be in your company.

As a long time Apple user (21 years as an owner), I am disillusioned by the past four years (and rather annoyed that I bought yet another iPad and a phone whose bells and whistles I just do not need), but the price hikes and gimmicks are wearing a bit thin and it me that this pricing mentality has creeped over to PC manufacturers (hi, Microsoft, which I just payed into ) I'll see where I go with this Surface Laptop...baby steps.

We're on the same page, well at very least the same book I too have been a customer of Apple for over two decades with the same sentiment of being disillusioned and some respects abandoned, with Apple now being predominately a phone company that is both cheap and greedy with little understanding of it's professional Mac users needs

I also have a Surface Book which has also proved to be flawless in close to a year of professional use, despite being around the world and then some, up to and including the rainforests of Papua New Guinea. Surface Laptop is not for me as it doesn't offer what I'm looking for. My latest notebook is all about performance with a splash of fun thrown in for good measure. Although still setting it up, this notebook makes me smile and is a pleasure to use, very much a desktop solution in a 15.6" chassis, and no dongles required

Apple is simply producing lifestyle products, and very well appointed they are, equally now useless for some of us. Doesn't surprise me that so few professionals are left on the platform and another goes with myself. I doubt Apple cares, and nor do I too much at this point, Apple's greed staggers and the withering excuses bore me. Both the quality of hardware and software is consistently diminishing, combined with laughable price points given the limited value...

Q-6

 

[kazmac]

We're on the same page, well at very least the same book I too have been a customer of Apple for over two decades with the same sentiment of being disillusioned and some respects abandoned, with Apple now being predominately a phone company that is both cheap and greedy with little understanding of it's professional Mac users needs

I also have a Surface Book which has also proved to be flawless in close to a year of professional use, despite being around the world and then some, up to and including the rainforests of Papua New Guinea. Surface Laptop is not for me as it doesn't offer what I'm looking for. My latest notebook is all about performance with a splash of fun thrown in for good measure. Although still setting it up, this notebook makes me smile and is a pleasure to use, very much a desktop solution in a 15.6" chassis, and no dongles required

Apple is simply producing lifestyle products, and very well appointed they are, equally now useless for some of us. Doesn't surprise me that so few professionals are left on the platform and another goes with myself. I doubt Apple cares, and nor do I too much at this point, Apple's greed staggers and the withering excuses bore me. Both the quality of hardware and software is consistently diminishing, combined with laughable price points given the limited value...

Q-6

As usual, I respect your usage, advice and time. LOL, the Surface Laptop had awful backlight bleed issues, so I am going to try to install Windows on this aging iMac today and see what happens. I only need Windows to learn Office 365 so I can use it professionally going forward. I am open to the OS though. Something I thought impossible outside of my job, but who knows?

If I have to go with a third PC laptop, I'll ponder my decisions then as I know several companies are gearing up to release new laptops with the 8th gen chip (Acer and HP among them.)

With Apple, my future is undecided. I am not fond of their current desire to become a services-centric company when they cannot maintain quality control with their hardware and especially software. The price hikes are just ridiculous. I'll see where Windows 10 takes me beyond a wonderful new job and go from there.

That's wonderful your Surface Book has served you so well. I look forward to reading more of your laptop posts (and otherwise.)

 

[_Kiki_]

My original thoughts were to replace the rMB with the new Surface Pro i5 as it too is fanless, however once I tried the MB-X I was sold on it due to the portability and build quality. I do believe that Touch and Pen input brings a lot to W10, equally I also own a Surface Book, with my usage being mostly laptop centric (85/15), therefore a secondary system with Touch & Pen input was not a priority.

I'll aways own at least one fanless system as once you get used to the silent operation the noise an actively cooled system generates is far more noticeable. Now with passively cooled notebooks employing i5/i7 U series CPU's they are really coming into their own. Certainly my i5 MB-X can stretch it's legs with ease, while the rMB can and does run out of headroom.

The MB-X having a 13" 3:2 display is a significant draw for me as it hardly impacts the notebooks footprint, and the keyboard which is positively luxurious in comparison to the rMB. Overall still very pleased with few if any drawbacks to the MB-X.

Q-6
[doublepost=1501610615][/doublepost]

I did look at the ZenBook 3, however was not impressed by the build quality, I found that the keyboard deck easily deformed, the Huawei MB-X is in word solid. The ZenBook Flip does indeed look to be an interesting prospect, another is the Toshiba Portege X20W-D another slimline 2 in 1

Q-6

this Toshiba Portege X20W-D looks quite similar to older model from customer series P20W but price is 2 times higher

 

[fokmik]

i have the same problem like here

anyone else? and, i have some "K" and "S and D" marks on my screen, after 3days of traveling with it in my bag
and another 2 questions: for me the matebook x does heat a lot, more than my any macbooks with some tabs open in chrome and working on office,anyone else?
and the other issue, the trackpad does not working on the top portion of it
I have this for almost 1 week...but

 

[Mxbzz]

Sent my MateBook X back today-- I actually really enjoyed the laptop but was having sporadic issues with the trackpad. It would intermittently freeze for no apparent reason. I was also having trouble getting the MateDock 2 to work with my external monitor (yet a third-party HDMI dongle worked just fine). Not going to fault Huawei on this one yet, as I bought this used from Amazon Warehouse Deals ($750+tax was a hard deal to pass up!).

I'll probably wait a little bit as I've seen the MateBook X drop to $899 new on a few occasions. I really enjoyed the portability of the laptop but I'll also look into alternatives.

 

[Queen6]

i have the same problem like here

anyone else? and, i have some "K" and "S and D" marks on my screen, after 3days of traveling with it in my bag
and another 2 questions: for me the matebook x does heat a lot, more than my any macbooks with some tabs open in chrome and working on office,anyone else?
and the other issue, the trackpad does not working on the top portion of it
I have this for almost 1 week...but

My MB-X has been no issue, sat at the airport now. Have done several international business trips so far screen is same as new.

Don't use Chrome, but the MB- X is lot more powerful than the passively cooled MacBook, and the MacBook Pro' s have a cooling fan. The heat at the base is just the system cooling the internals.

Track pad has been good, however is hinged at the top versus Apple's approach.

Q-6

 

[taxi_driver]

any new afterthoughts or feedback up to now?

I've stumbled on this machine after being disappointed by new Apple offerings (currently have a 2011 MBP runs loud/hot), considered Dell and Lenovo machines but was turned off due to fan noise issues with both.

 

[Queen6]

any new afterthoughts or feedback up to now?

I've stumbled on this machine after being disappointed by new Apple offerings (currently have a 2011 MBP runs loud/hot), considered Dell and Lenovo machines but was turned off due to fan noise issues with both.

No complaints so far, works as intended, can get hot on the base as is passively cooled, when under heavy load.

Q-6

 

[Bergh]

@Queen6
I'm looking to replace my Lenovo Miix 700 as I find it just a tad underpowered With 4GB ram. I've grown really fond of the fanless design and would really love to continue this path. I recently became aware of the MB-X and it checks most boxes on my wishlist. (only touch remains, but it's not really a "must have").

One concern keeps me from buying it:
How warm does it get under normal use? I tried stressing one at the local Electronics store With 10 chrome tabs, 2 youtube videos and web basemark benchmark. It only got lukewarm after 10-15 minutes, but how is it after an hour on the lap? Does it ever become scorching hot?

 

[Queen6]

@Queen6
I'm looking to replace my Lenovo Miix 700 as I find it just a tad underpowered With 4GB ram. I've grown really fond of the fanless design and would really love to continue this path. I recently became aware of the MB-X and it checks most boxes on my wishlist. (only touch remains, but it's not really a "must have").

One concern keeps me from buying it:
How warm does it get under normal use? I tried stressing one at the local Electronics store With 10 chrome tabs, 2 youtube videos and web basemark benchmark. It only got lukewarm after 10-15 minutes, but how is it after an hour on the lap? Does it ever become scorching hot?

You can get the base to be hot, equally you need to be really trying. Under normal loads the base rarely gets beyond being lukewarm.

Q-6

 

[Bergh]

You can get the base to be hot, equally you need to be really trying. Under normal loads the base rarely gets beyond being lukewarm.

Q-6

Weny back today and installed Prime95 on the demo unit. 15 minutes in the base was hot, but not much hotter than the HP spectre x360 right next to it. The HP had a lot of fan noise tho. CPU remained at 2.5Ghz after 15 mins.

One thing I wonder about:
The MB-X got two USB-C, but only the right one can be used for external displays. What's the max resolution it can support through USB-C? I've read that USB-C supports 10Gbps, but I'm confused as some reviewer say it uses displayport and not HDMI?

I'd like to connect at least a 1440p monitor, an external harddrive and an SD card. Will it suffice?

-Bergh

 

[iMi]

I am just blown away by this laptop. I mean, you could not copy an Apple MacBoom with more precision. I love the part that talks about "a lot of thought went into creating an unboxing experience." LOL... yeah, a lot of thought. It's a MacBook. Everything about this machine has been copied from Apple. Even the little rubber legs on the bottom. They are identical. Shameless copy.

I personally think that's lame. I'd buy it, but from the guys who made it first.

 

[Queen6]

I am just blown away by this laptop. I mean, you could not copy an Apple MacBoom with more precision. I love the part that talks about "a lot of thought went into creating an unboxing experience." LOL... yeah, a lot of thought. It's a MacBook. Everything about this machine has been copied from Apple. Even the little rubber legs on the bottom. They are identical. Shameless copy.

I personally think that's lame. I'd buy it, but from the guys who made it first.

Funny my own Retina MacBook doesn't have a full i5/i7 U series CPU, 13" 3:2 display with Coring Gorilla Glass, duel USB C ports, decent keyboard with reasonable travel, water resistant keyboard deck, Dolby Atmos, upgradable M.2 SSD, nor did it come with a mini dock in the box. Totally a clone...

Aesthetically the MB-X is very similar to the rMB, everything else differs. I did buy from the guys who did it first, however they forgot that things move on and can be improved...

As for the unboxing experience one provider does have a nice touch, not that I put too much stock into such things, all the same shows someone is thinking of these small details.



Q-6

 

[88Farib]

I have been using this laptop (space grey) for almost two weeks. I have been noticing a constant pattern of very thin diagonal lines that cover the whole screen, mostly visible on the white or grey colors and at the low viewing angles. This is barely noticeable and the lines are quite faint, but they are still there and can be distracting. I am wondering if this is a defect with my unit or it is just inherent to the display panel or its coating. The direction of the lines is from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. It seems like a hatching over the entire screen. Has anyone else experienced this issue?