Huawei MateBook 14s (2021) – review

Time 20/02/2022 By myhoneybakedfeedback

I was looking at the questionnaire related to the vote of Gadget.ro readers in 2021 and Huawei in the laptops segment managed to receive more votes from reputable companies in the field (for now they are ahead of HP, Acer, Microsoft, etc.). I'm not saying that the reality on the ground is necessarily the same, but it shows that the Chinese manufacturer is starting to be recognized in the field of notebooks, that they are somehow on the wave through certain devices, etc.

Huawei MateBook 14s is valued if a Huawei smartphone comes specially used in the package. One of the software solutions that recommends such a combo is detailed in the following lines.

Huawei Share allows you to transfer files without using data cables. It also adds Multi-Screen Collaboration that allows the display of the smartphone screen, directly on the notebook and the control of two devices on a single display. Peripherals are shared between the two devices. There are a lot of ways to collaborate:

Mirror - the interface is duplicated on the tablet to display the same content on both devices;

Extend - the tablet becomes a secondary screen for the notebook;

Collaborate - low barriers between HarmonyOS 2.0 and Windows in that the laptop mouse moves selected text, images, and files between the two devices;

If you are a Huawei smartphone user, a laptop from the Chinese company helps on the productivity side.

Specifications

Design

In the package, pass the 14.2-inch notebook and the 90W charger (power supply at 5V / 2A = 10W, 9V / 3A = 27W, 12V / 3A = 36W, 15V / 5A = 75W and 20V / 4.5A = 90W ), USB Type-C to USB Type-C charger, instruction manuals and so on. It would have been auspicious to have an ultraportable protective case included in the package.

It is a conventional laptop in design, excellently finished metal case, simple and elegant lines. For its base they chose not to go on a 4-point arrangement, there are two bands with which it touches the surface you are positioning, and the grip brought seemed really impeccable, plus it is somehow held above , the cooling done on the base is not affected, the sound didn't seem to be blocked in any way, and any liquids that arrived on the desk will not go to the internal components of the MateBook 14s.

The touchpad is generous in size, the power button also has the function of a fingerprint reader, the arrow keys were not clearly individualized on the keyboard, I appreciate laptops that have somehow highlighted them and easier to discover.

The Huawei logo is on the cover (it would have been effective to light it, to be able to set the effects, etc.). All in all, the MateBook 14s shows that Huawei is somehow playing safe in the mid-range ultraportable segment. The materials used are premium laptops, and I would say that the finish is in the same area.

Screen and sound

The screen has 14.2 inches and a resolution of 2520 x 1680 pixels, refresh rate that can be set to 60Hz or 90Hz, 100% coverage for the sRGB color spectrum (more modest than DCI-P3). The display / body ratio according to the manufacturer is 90%. Yes. The edges of the screen are narrow, especially at the top and sides, but also at the base I think it looks pretty good.

The brightness is 400 nits. All in all, it's a display that I would rate 6/7 out of 10. It doesn't impress in terms of the covered spectrum, not even on the brightness side, the refresh rate at 90Hz doesn't bring much benefit. I liked that it didn't reflect the ambient space in an annoying way.

Sound ... here's another story. I tested the Huawei MateBook 14s and at the same time I had a ZenBook S UX393. The ASUS laptop seemed decent to me, but when I compared them side by side, the MateBook 14s seemed like a different story. It sounds very loud, you say it's a medium-sized external speaker. The bass is not distorted at full volume and you can hear it loudly. Hats off to what they've accomplished in this regard. It also has a 3.5 mm combo jack, you can find it on the left side. I recommend using headphones, you will have a really great audition.

If the screen isn't particularly impressive, the sound can't help but raise an eyebrow at what the built-in stereo speakers bring. It bears the Huawei Sound logo and reminded me a bit of why I'm a fan of that speaker (pronounced bass, sound spatiality, etc.).

Hardware, operating system and applications

I tested Huawei MateBook 14s with Intel Core i5-11300H Tiger Lake developed on 10nm, quad-core clocked at 3.1 GHz and with Turbo Boost reaches a maximum of 4.4 GHz, 8 threads, maximum TDP of 35W. The motherboard is manufactured under the Huawei logo and bears the HKD-WXX-PCB code with PCI-Express 3.0 (8.0 GT / s).

CPU-Z information for MateBook 14s;

It arrived for review in the configuration with 16 GB RAM type LPDDR4X, integrated graphics card Intel Iris Xe on 128-bit, Samsung SSD 512 GB on NVMe PCIe.

Information provided by the GPU-Z for Intel Iris Xe on Huawei MateBook 14s;

There are some elements worth mentioning and I would refer to the fact that Intel Iris Xe brings a major performance boost over the previous generation of Intel integrated graphics cards (it is said to be 4 times more powerful). Hence the fact that we have a laptop capable of editing photos, videos, you can run games launched a few years ago that do not require much processing power, etc.

Huawei MateBook 14s is doing well on the cooling side, and through the benchmark tests used + other tasks in which it ran at maximum, it managed not to exceed the threshold of 73 - 74 degrees Celsius. ASUS ZenBook S UX393 with similar hardware went over 90 degrees Celsius, and Huawei was much better on the noise side, the cooler is at the base and does not make so much noise, while at ASUS it is positioned on hinge and push the air towards the display. It is clear to me that the MateBook 14s has a well-developed cooling, and on the back you will see the integrated coolers, of generous dimensions. Hence the maintenance of performance in sessions with maximum use + increased energy efficiency.

Processor temperature information before and after performing a benchmark test;

Windows 10 Home is running and Huawei has come up with some software solutions that highlight the ultraportable, especially if you are a Huawei smartphone user. We discussed Huawei Share at the beginning of the review. It would also be:

Performance mode is activated by the Fn + P combination, and the variable refresh rate by the Fn + R shortcut. All in all, we have a Windows with some tips from Huawei. On the other hand, you can use it without having a Huawei smartphone, after all it is a Windows laptop. It's just that if you use a Huawei phone or tablet you get a plus on the productivity side (too bad they don't have support for G Apps). The bottom line is that Google is preparing to integrate support for Play Store games in Windows 10 and 11 in 2022, and some Amazon apps have been brought to the Windows marketplace. You will have support on your laptop, which you do not have on your Huawei phone (only by downloading apk from online).

Windows 10 on Huawei MateBook 14s;

Performance

I ran a few tests, and I wrote down the results in the table. It is an ultraportable, not a laptop focused on pure performance. The Intel Iris Xe also helps it a lot because it has an unexpectedly well-developed cooling.

Benchmark tests run on Huawei MateBook 14s;

Connectivity

Wi-Fi ax + bluetooth 5.1. Unfortunately, I didn't test it with a Wi-Fi 6 router. 800 Mbps per download (gigabit connection).

On the left side you will find 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x HDMI and combo jack, on the right side there is a conventional USB port. An SD card slot or at least a microSD slot is missing.

The start button was brought in the upper right corner and acts as a fingerprint reader (a function I would like to see included on any notebook priced over 2500 - 3000 lei). The two USB Type-C ports can be used to charge the notebook at 90W, for high-speed data transfer, or to extend the displayed content to an external display.

Keyboard and touchpad

Apart from the fact that the arrow keys are not individualized, I have nothing to criticize. It's a backlit keyboard with a 1.5mm keystroke and I quickly adapted, and made the switch from the Magic Keyboard that is somehow in the same line. It is an illuminated keyboard and does not disturb visually.

The touchpad is really generous in size, reacts promptly and does not hang. And I quickly got used to him. The laptop has a touch screen, it takes orders in this way as well. I don't usually use the touch much, because it leaves fingerprints on the screen.

Autonomy

The 60Wh battery is charged at 90W with the package charger, and depending on the chosen usage scenario + the brightness and refresh rate of the display offers from 3-4 hours of autonomy and up to 7-8 hours (in real scenarios with low video playback and brightness).

It seems to me to be reasonable from this point of view. You can take it with you to work or on the go and it doesn't need to be plugged in, and with the battery power mode it seemed to me that it handles quite quickly. There is no major difference between the power supply and the power supply stored in the battery cells.

Price

Huawei MateBook 14s (2021) with Intel Core i5-11300H, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD - 6499 lei (Huawei Sound included in the package + Huawei backpack and mouse).

conclusions

Huawei MateBook 14s 3.8 / 5Gadget ScoreProContra Conclusions

Huawei MateBook 14s (2021) is a capable ultraportable, well tuned on the cooling and sound side, with the latest hardware in its niche, but with a display that does not necessarily stand out (except for the refresh rate at 90Hz) . I also liked the design, where they didn't risk anything (the materials and finish are premium).

I structured the pros and cons

DesignScreenSoundConnectivityPerformanceRate / Specs

This article is supported by Huawei. The opinions expressed strictly belong to the author.

Categories: huaweinotebookrecomandarireviews
Tags: advertorialHuaweiHuawei MateBook 14sMateBook 14snotebookreviewultraportabilultraportable Huawei
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About the author

Emil Dragota

Co-Founder of GADGET.ro, passionate about mobile technology, writes reviews for mobile phones, tablets, laptops, cameras & videos, various gadgets, etc. Uses Samsung GALAXY Note20 Ultra, Canon 70D for photos taken on site reviews and ASUS ROG Strix Scar III gaming notebook. He likes argument-based civilized discussions.

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