Huawei has been releasing products after products and they just recently launched their latest addition to the MateBook series – The Huawei MateBook D 14. This notebook is made lighter and thinner for students and professionals on the go but I doubt anyone would be on the go anytime soon; so this might help with distance learning or working from home. Below is our full review of the Huawei Matebook D 14.
Key Specs:
| CPU: | AMD Ryzen 5 3500U |
| RAM: | 8GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage: | 512GB SSD |
| Display: | 14 inch; 1920 x 1080 IPS; 60Hz; 16:9, Contrast 800:1 |
| Camera: | 0.9 MP, 720p |
| OS: | Windows 10 Home |
| Connectivity: | Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, 2 x 2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0, compatible with Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR |
| Battery: | 56Wh |
| Dimensions: | 322.5mm x 214.8mm x 15.9mm (approx. 30″ x 10″ x 6.5″) |
| Weight: | 1.38kg |
| Colours: | Cosmic Grey, Space Silver |
Design & Build Quality
The MateBook D 14 has an overall thickness of around 15.9mm, which makes it a relatively thin notebook for what it is.
Huawei has equipped the MateBook D 14 with a fair selection of ports, which include two USB-A ports (one 3.1 and one 2.0), a single USB Type-C port (which also doubles as the charging port), an HDMI port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
While I like the fact that charging is done via the USB Type-C port since it means you can charge the notebook via a power bank if it supports it, it’s a little annoying that you can’t plug in your phone or any gadget that uses the Type-C interface while you’re charging the notebook at the same time. A second Type-C port would have been helpful here. The Type-C port also doesn’t have Thunderbolt 3 support which is a little disappointing.
One of the nicer, more premium features is the use of an integrated fingerprint scanner in the power button, which makes secure sign-ins incredibly fast. The other is the relocation of the webcam to the chassis of the notebook, right between the F6 and F7 keys. The webcam pops up with a single press of a button, though the angle is less than flattering since it points up, at an angle.
As unflattering as the webcam makes you look in Zoom calls though, its placement allows for the D 14’s minuscule top bezel.
Display
There’s a lot to like about the MateBook D 14’s display, but it’s not perfect.The good things first: the 14-inch, IPS panel sports full HD resolution and has a rather generous 84% screen to body ratio made possible by the skinny side and top bezels.
The display has been treated with a matte coating that takes care of annoying glare when you’re outdoors.
The bad news is that the display isn’t as bright as I would have liked, with maximum brightness coming in at just 250 nits. It’s good enough for outdoor use, though I’d stay out of direct sunlight if it was possible. The display also isn’t color accurate, which rules out the use of the MateBook D 14 for any work that requires color accuracy.
Performance
Huawei’s chosen to equip their budget and mid-range MateBook notebooks with AMD’s Ryzen 5 processors, with the MateBook D14 getting the Ryzen 5 3500U.
You’re also getting 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage, which is more than enough for the intended audience, which are students and office workers.
Running the MateBook D14 through my typical workday of writing articles, editing, and watching a few clips on YouTube and Netflix while having 5-10 Chrome tabs open didn’t faze the notebook at all.
Gaming of course is out of the question because the MateBook D14 isn’t made for that at all.
One nice value-added feature that you won’t find anywhere else is Huawei Share, which allows you to transfer files from your Huawei phone to the MateBook D14 with a simple tap.
Huawei’s OneHop system is a really convenient way to transfer images from your phone to the MateBook D14, though it’s a feature that’s only usable if your phone runs EMUI.
Battery Life
The MateBook D14 also impressed with its battery life. Huawei advertises the MateBook D 14 as having 9.5-hour battery endurance, and our battery loop test (that consisted of running video until the battery dies) recorded an 8 hour and 52 minutes run time. That’s pretty good for what you’re getting and is close to what Huawei is advertising.
Conclusion
The Huawei MateBook D 14 is a great Windows laptop for the ‘new normal’ we now live in. From its powerful internals, fantastic battery life and sleek aluminium chassis, there’s a lot to like here.
You can pick up the Huawei MateBook D 14 2020 model from Harvey Norman for €799 and, as a special offer, they’ll also through in a pair of Huawei Mini Bluetooth Speakers worth €29 each.
