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    First impressions: Huawei MateBook 14

    TechnologyComputers & LaptopsFirst impressions: Huawei MateBook 14

    We got our hands on the Huawei MateBook 14 a few days before its official launch. It’s an impressive device, to say the least, and if you’re itching for some more info about it, here are our first impressions.

    This is a slim, sexy machine. It’s about half an inch thick when closed, and a few hairs over 1.4 Kg heavy. It’s done in a deep, serious metallic gray that wouldn’t be out of place on the boardroom table, and the lid is devoid of any markings aside from the shiny Huawei branding. The edges are nicely rounded all along the lid, which opens smoothly to reveal gloriously thin bezels, and a massive trackpad, both of which I’m a huge fan. The photos really don’t do either of those things justice. 

    The screen is a large 14-inch deal with a curious (but effective) 3:2 aspect ratio that makes vertical reading a little more pleasant, made even more so by a 2160 x 1440resolution.  

    With such a thin bezel, you must be wondering, “but where’s the webcam?” Well, dear reader, the webcam solution is right here:

    It might be a little gimmicky, sure, but it does solve two things nicely: first, the bezels are kept teeny-tiny. Second, it gives you some extra peace-of-mind, making sure your webcam can only catch video when it’s actually deployed. Nice. We’ll give it a test and let you know how it actually performs.

    Being so thin and light, it does cut back on the ports somewhat, giving you 2 USB-A, 1 HDMI, and a USB-C port for charging. You also do get a 3.5mm combo headphone jack, for wired audio.

    You’re clued in to what makes the laptop a little extra special thanks to that little sticker there. This slim, sexy beast has a Ryzen 5 4600H ticking away at its heart. Couple that with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of solid-state storage, and you have a winner on your hands. If you’re curious, yes, it can actually handle some light gaming, such as Overwatch (with very decent settings) at upwards of 60 FPS. Nice. 

    We’re going to spend some more time with this bad boy, and we’ll get back to you with a more in-depth review before too long. Stay tuned!

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