Huawei MateBook X Pro Review: So Light I Can Hold With Two Fingers

Huawei’s laptops have always been known for being sleek, but the newest one, the 2024 MateBook X Pro, really takes it up a notch. This Intel Core 9 Ultra-powered, 14.2-inch screen laptop weighs only 980g and measures only 13.5mm.

It’s so light, I can hold it by the corners with just my thumb and index finger, like the image above. While I wouldn’t call this a natural or comfortable grip, it does not strain my fingers until a couple minutes in. Of course, this is an extreme test. In real life situations, no one is holding a laptop like that. But I have genuinely propped my open palm under the laptop base to watch videos or read emails, to save my neck from craning down too long.

And this is a screen you’ll want to use to watch videos: 14.2-inch, 3K resolution, OLED display that pumps out more vivid colors than the LED panels in the MacBook Air.

The aluminum laptop also has this unique matte coating that has texture resembling paper. It doesn’t sound premium, and I guess smooth cold metal does feel more “hi-tech,” but I really like the grippiness, the subtle paper-like texture of the laptop. It’s different from most other laptops on the market.

The rest of the MateBook X Pro hardware are all premium too. Six speaker setup pump out very lively audio (samples in the video below), and the keyboard and trackpad are spacious, with the latter featuring very sturdy haptic feedback.

Port includes a pair of Thunderbolt 4.0 USB-C ports (on left side) and a single normal USB-C port (on right side). You can charge the laptop with any of the ports, it’s nice to have option to charge from left or right side of the machine. On the right side is also a switch that is used to “shut off” the camera. So if you have the switch on, even if you open the camera app within the laptop, the camera will not work. I suppose this button is for people who are concerned about their webcam being hacked (people who place a piece of tape over their cameras). However, if one were to be suspicious/paranoid like that, I’m not sure a physical switch is enough to convince them their camera is “off.” They’ll still want to just slap a sticker to physically cover the camera.

Speaking of the camera, quality is solid, as you can see from the video embedded above. It’s 1080p quality, and the audio intake is solid.

I use the MateBook X Pro mostly as a casual productivity machine like writing emails, articles, and reading words. Part of my workflow does include video editing, and while this laptop should pack enough power to handle it, I just really dislike editing videos on Windows machines. For better or for worst, I’ve been fully converted to Final Cut Pro (Apple software) for all my video needs.

But I did play games on the MateBook X Pro, and even without a full-fledged graphics card, the Matebook X Pro handled Asphalt 9 with ease, without a stutter throughout intense sessions.

The laptop houses a 72Wh battery, and my unit comes with a 90W charger. This means I can top up the laptop form 0-100 in less than an hour, which is nice.

The MateBook X Pro runs Windows 11, with a bit of Huawei software built in. I’ve covered these software before, essentially they allow the MateBook X Pro to play nicely with Huawei mobile devices, like connecting a phone to the laptop with a tap of phone and trackpad. Once synced, you can move files easily between phone and laptop. You can even mirror the phone screen on the laptop and control the phone on the MateBook. Other Chinese brands like Xiaomi have begun doing something similar with their products, but Huawei’s implementation is the smoothest.

The rest of the software performance is typical Windows fare, which means you either are a fan or not. There’s nothing here holding the laptop back from behaving like a top notch Windows laptop.

The Huawei MateBook X Pro is the sleekest, lightest, best looking laptop available right now. But it does cost a pretty penny. The MateBook X Pro starts at €1,999, which is about $2,200. It’s slightly cheaper in Asian regions like Hong Kong, but still a premium laptop at premium pricing. But that’s always been Huawei’s MO. It’s not in this business to sell you affordable value devices. It’s here to prove it makes the best tech products on Earth. I don’t love Windows, I must admit. But in terms of outer hardware like display and form factor and keyboard? This is far better than the MacBook Pro.