Ever since the US ban, Huawei has shifted its attention towards other consumer electronic segments like wearables and laptops. The company’s big event in China today (Nov. 17) saw the launch of new smartwatches as well as a brand-new convertible laptop, the Huawei MateBook E. If you recall, this isn’t the first hybrid laptop from the brand. One of the first laptops from Huawei back in 2016, simply called the Huawei MateBook was a 2-in-1 laptop. And portability remains one of the biggest selling points of the new MateBook E. Clearly, Huawei is looking to capture the market dominated by the likes of Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface Pro series.
Huawei MateBook E Design
The Huawei MateBook E is 7.9mm thick and weighs only 709 grams, making it way lighter and portable than traditional laptops. It features a 2560×1600 12.6-inch OLED display with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 16:10 aspect ratio, and 600 nits brightness. Much like the MatePad Pro 12.6, the convertible notebook features a 90% screen-to-body ratio, ensuring very thin bezels on all four sides.
Wait, if you are wondering how the MateBook E and the MatePad Pro 12.6 differ, then know that the basic design remains more or less the same but everything else including the processor and software are different. The MateBook E is pricier and way more powerful than the MatePad Pro 12.6. Simply put, the MateBook E is a true 2-in-1 laptop, while the MatePad Pro 12.6 is basically a tablet with a keyboard accessory.
The Huawei MateBook E comes with a soft-touch finish at the back with two choices for color – Starry Blue and Nebula Grey. There are two different keyboards being offered, one with a simple kickstand design and another full-sized keyboard with what Huawei calls a rail slide design (translated). The second keyboard accessory comes only with the i7 variants and features a USB-C port along with an adjustable backlight.
Note that the keyboard also supports Huawei’s share feature via NFC (the area is around the touchpad). You can simply tap your Huawei smartphone or tablet to connect with the laptop for multiscreen collaboration.
When you connect the MateBook E with the keyboard, it automatically enters Windows 11’s laptop mode. Similarly, simply picking it up from the keyboard accessory switches to the tablet mode.
The MateBook E also comes with Huawei’s second-generation Huawei M-Pencil support. As with its MatePads, the laptop supports magnetic paring with the stylus and can charge it wirelessly too!
Finally, the convertible laptop features a fingerprint-enabled power button on the side for added security.
Huawei MateBook E Specs
Despite its thin and portable form factor, the MateBook E is no slouch when it comes to performance. You can get up to Intel’s 11th Generation Core i7 with Intel Iris X graphics on the top-end model. This is supported by 16GB RAM and 512GB PCIe SSD. Of course, the convertible is available in cheaper and less powerful variants too, like the base model which features the 11th Gen Core i5 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The new 2-in-1 laptop features a Thunderbolt 4 interface that can be connected to an 8K display and supports Wi-Fi 6.
Huawei also adds that the Matebook E comes with 8 layers of heat dissipation design with a shark fin fan and multiple air vents on the side to ensure that the device remains cool even during heavy load.
There’s a 8MP front camera for video calls and another 13MP camera at the back with LED flash. You also get four speakers tuned with Huawei Sound.
As for charging, it comes with a USB-C powered 65W charging adapter, which tops up the battery to around 54% in half an hour. A complete charge takes around 90 minutes. The MateBook E comes with a 42Wh rated battery and Huawei claims the battery life to be between 5-8 hours, depending upon the usage.
Huawei MateBook E Price & Availability
The Huawei MateBook E starts at 5999 yuan ($940) for the i5 version with 8GB + 256GB storage. Note that all variants include the keyboard, but the i7 top-end variant price also includes the stylus.
The MateBook E pricing is as follows:
- i5+8GB+256GB + keyboard: ¥5999 | $940
- i5+16GB+512GB + keyboard: ¥6999 | $1098
- i7+16GB+512GB + keyboard: ¥7999 | $1255
- i7+16GB+512GB + keyboard/stylus: ¥8699 | $1365
The MateBook E 2-in-1 convertible will go on sale in China from December 1, 2021.
