Huawei is sticking to formula with their notebook lineup but with some tweaks here and there. That means the Huawei MateBook 14 will come with a sleek, understated design along with all the Huawei goodies you’ve come to expect from their laptop line.

Just like the laptop itself, the box looks pretty simple.

Open it up and you’ll see the laptop on the left. USB-C cable and power adapter over on the right.

There isn’t anything else on the box other than the aforementioned plus the product manual.

Here’s the MateBook 14 out of the box.

Here’s what it looks like facing you.

On the left side you have the USB-C port, headphone jack, and HDMI port.

Over on the right are two USB-A ports.

As the name suggests, it has a 14-inch display, 3:2 aspect ratio.

It has a 90% screen-to-body ratio, so you get as much display as possible with pretty slim bezels.

That’s an IPS 2K FullView Display.

It’s pretty darn good for binge-watching series. You get a nice full view of what you’re watching. It supports 100% sRGB color gamut, has a good contrast ratio, and gets bright enough (300 nits).

There’s built-in hardware for eye-comfort and it’s also TUV Rheinland-certified. That also seems to be a staple for most laptop these days. It filters excessive blue light that can be harmful to your beautiful eyes.

The speakers are decent for movie viewing, but if you can hook this up to some external speakers like say the Huawei Sound X, then you’re in for a really good bingeing experience.

Huawei’s staple power button/fingerprint sensor is also here.

Speaking of staples, the MateBook 14 also has the signature recessed camera

If there’s one thing that Huawei really needs to work on, it’s this. The recessed camera is great for security but that’s a really unflattering angle. It’s fine at first, but after being forced to go on multiple video meetings due to the pandemic, you really start to notice how inadequate that angle is.

Putting the web camera where it’s usually found might mess with the laptop’s design, but this could one case where function should be prioritized over style. Alternatively, perhaps Huawei can utilize Huawei Share to have your Huawei smartphone be a camera source instead of the laptop.

Why not just take the video call on the phone, you ask? Sometimes you have to communicate via chat during calls. The mobile versions of apps like Zoom does let you chat, but that also means ruining your framing.

If Huawei manages to do this, that’s another way of really harping up the capabilities of Huawei Share. There is some sort of workaround to doing this with Huawei Share. You can link up your device and take the call using your Huawei Phone while it’s synced on your laptop. However, that still feels clunkier than just wirelessly pulling the smartphones’ camera as a source.

The hinge feels tougher but more fluid.

This is a rather largely unnoticed part of most laptops. However, it’s one that I personally noticed right away. It feels a tad different from other Huawei MateBooks I’ve tried like the MateBook D 15 and the MateBook X Pro 2020. There’s something about the hinge on the MateBook 14 that feels sturdy but flexible.

Power and performance for your work needs

On to the nitty-gritty. Should you decide to do so, you’re likely buying this for work needs. That means a lot of typing and running multiple apps from your browser, the entire MS Office Suite, perhaps Spotify, and what have you.

Powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 4600 H processor (with AMD Radeon Graphics), you’re sure to get more than adequate performance on this thing. Briefly using it mostly for drafting articles and previewing powerpoint decks, the MateBook 14 handles such tasks easily.

The keyboard though, might take some getting used to. It feels really similar to the chiclet-type of keyboard that Apple slapped on MacBook Pros for a good 3-4 years. It’s more than useable, no doubt. But you don’t get the clickety feeling that you typically get from keys with better travel.

Keyboards can make or break your experience with a laptop, and personally, I wish Huawei went with their usual keys instead of the one they put on the MateBook 14.

Other things of note

It comes in one configuration: That’s 16GB DDR4 2666MHz of memory and a 512GB PCIe SSD. Battery is 56Wh and promises up to 10 hours on continuous 1080p local video playback.

We haven’t fully tested the capacity but judging by initial use, you should get a decent 6-7 hours on a regular work day.

Click here to BUY

In the Philippines, the Huawei MateBook 14 comes bundled with the Huawei Classic Backpack. The exterior is made of 290T nylon fabric and microfiber leather while the interior is 200T polyester fabric.

The backpack comes in two options: Midnight Black (11.5L capacity) and Forest Green (8.5L capacity).

Pricing and availability

In the Philippines, the 16GB+512GB version retails for PhP 54,999. For a limited promo period running from October 9-24, the MateBook 14 comes with a free Huawei Classic Backpack and a Huawei Freebuds 3i (total value of PhP 11,998).

Click here for global pricing and availability