In a nutshell
The Huawei MateBook 16s is a no-brainer must-buy. Whether it’s the touchscreen display, the dedicated smart office features, or the elegance of the model in its entirety – the MateBook16s checks all the boxes of the modern working professional.
Background
During Huawei’s APAC Smart Office Launch 2022 in Thailand, the company launched a series of Smart Office products showcased for the region’s market. The Huawei MateBook 16s joined other products like the Huawei MateBook X Pro, Huawei MatePad Pro 11, and the Huawei MateBook D 16.
During the launch, Huawei’s Consumer BG CEO Yu Chengdong was quoted saying “Asia Pacific market has always been one of the most important regions for Huawei and we are always committed to offer the most innovative product to elevate your daily lives.”
The company has been working on perfecting the smart office framework since 2018, and now with the MateBook 16s, Huawei is bringing in enhanced ‘Drag-to-Connect’ capabilities for multi-device connections and the company’s own “Mobile App Engine” platform which now supports 15,000 mobile apps running on PC.
The majority of 16-inch lightweight laptops with thin form factors usually suffer from the same drawbacks: subpar screen quality, sluggish performance, overheating issues, and clunky builds.
With the MateBook 16s, Huawei plans to attract professionals in the creatives and resource-demanding fields with a powerful device that towers above its competition.
Compared to its predecessor – the MateBook 16, the MateBook 16s gets an upgrade in the form of a touchscreen display (which when paired with a mobile app engine will be the best thing ever for gamers, but more on that later), a better webcam powered by new AI algorithms, 12th Generation Intel processors, a more comfortable typing experience, and advanced collaborative tools.
Build and Design
At first glance, the Huawei MateBook looks like an ordinary work laptop. But this plain but elegant design is a façade for what will prove to be a durable heavy-hitting clamshell that doesn’t feel inadequate or flimsy in any of its hardware components.
The area that surrounds the glass touchpad where users rest their wrists on feels solid, the keyboard buttons are ‘clicky’ and tactile, the hinge is tight but not to a point where it feels difficult to open, and the heft does add a little bit to the weight but customers are getting a lot in exchange of this trade-off.
On both ends of the keyboard rests a top-firing stereo speaker which is convenient for users who are either viewing or streaming videos, editing content with audio, or even playing their favorite soundtracks.
The laptop as a whole reflects uniformity and symmetry. The speaker outlet holes are achieved through CNC drilling and precision milling processes, the keyboard and trackpad placements are centered appropriately, and the coating on the ceramic sandblasted chassis is consistent all throughout.
Display
One unique aspect of the MateBook 16s is the display, which uses a 3:2 tall aspect ratio. This feature means users will be able to enjoy 16:9 content, and at the same time take advantage the taller screen for office workers who need to maximize all the space they can get.
The ultra-narrow bezels give a more immersive experience to users, as evident with the insanely high 90% screen-to-body ratio. The low blue light levels greatly reduce eye strain, the IPS display produces crisp details and punchy colors despite the panel type, and the peak brightness more than keeps up extremely bright outdoor conditions.
Finally, the touchscreen function is a versatile tool that brings convenience to users in several ways: using the games and applications run by the laptop’s MobileApp Engine, drag-and-drop file transfers, easier editing, and gesture shortcuts.
Performance
Since the laptop will primarily be dealing with important office platforms and assets, as well as creative outputs which are usually large in size, the processor performance is important in ensuring smooth operability and connectivity.
Users can pick among three versions: 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900H processor, 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700H processor, and 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12500H processor. Since it does not require the additional discrete graphics hardware needed by gaming laptops, its Intel® Iris® Xᵉ Graphics powered by 16GB of memory and up to 1TB SSD storage is more than enough to handle the most demanding of tasks.
We subjected the Huawei MateBook 16s to various testing scenarios, and in each instance, the laptop passed with flying colors. Rendering times are quicker thanks to the H-series processor (faster than the P and U-series), keeping multiple platforms open for multitasking does not result to stuttering or slowdowns, and the hardware also allows running light to medium games without any hitch.
Interface and Connectivity
Most of the Huawei MateBook 16s’ features revolve around collaboration and the smart office concept. For example, the long battery life and blazing fast charging times helps users access office tools wherever and whenever for an extended duration.
With its on-edge dual microphones and AI noise cancellation technology, users can facilitate calls with clearer audio. Paired with the 1080p webcam featuring automatic adjustments, video calls will also be captured in higher quality.
To boost its interconnectivity within the Huawei ecosystem, the MateBook 16s also supports fast connections with Huawei devices like earphones, mice, keyboards, speakers and printers. Users can add to their productivity by linking the laptop to Huawei smartphones and tablets as well.
The port situation on the MateBook 16s is also guaranteed to provide users with a great and convenient experience. There are two USB Gen 1 ports, a Type-C port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an HDMI port.
Conclusion
The Huawei MateBook 16s is a no-brainer must-buy. It has the right features in all the right places, the price tag is reasonable, and its productivity value is off the charts. Unlike its competition, it comes with the added bonus of durability and peak performance. Whether it’s the touchscreen display, the dedicated smart office features, or the elegance of the model in its entirety – the MateBook16s checks all the boxes of the modern working professional.