Computers

Huawei enters desktop PC market with the MateStation S

Expansion beyond the mobile space of smart devices

Published

March 18, 2021

Gab Orlina

You’re not reading that wrong: Huawei has entered the world of desktop PCs. Everyone is pretty much aware of the company’s expansion into more platforms other than smartphones. From smart watches to the MateBook laptops, they’re simply just adding more products to the portfolio. This time around, it’s not a portable device they’re launching.

Meet the Huawei MateStation S, the company’s latest workstation system designed for students and young professionals. It comes with a variety of work-centric features mixed in with Huawei’s technologies to provide the ultimate work experience. Also, Huawei integrated smart features for full utility with their smart devices.

So, how exactly does this entire system look like when you bring it all together?

Stacks of boxes lined up

When the entire workstation arrived, I immediately pulled out all the Huawei boxes lying around my house. I decided to take one big family photo that will make some of you think I did a Huawei device haul or something. In many ways, this was what they were going for with the smart integration for the workstation — something we’ll get to later on.

As you can already tell, the packaging seems quite simple — three boxes for the monitor, desktop PC, and keyboard. Unboxing all of them was also straightforward, and needs some level of care in the process. In no particular order:

The Huawei Display

This one was in the largest box among the three boxes that arrived, and rightfully so because of the 23.8-inch display it comes with. Along with the main display, you also get the monitor stand, the power adapter and an HDMI cable. It’s pretty standard stuff for any typical monitor in the market.

What stood out to me, at least, was the sleek and simple design of the Huawei Display. Sure, it comes in a shiny, subtle black color; the gold Huawei brand name was a nice touch. It’s not a flashy color option, but it didn’t have to be. Upon booting it up and attaching it to a laptop, it’s actually pretty bright.

Although I’m curious about that little bit of flare at the right side of the display. When the screen is black, it’s something incredibly obvious to the eyes. Now, I’m not entirely sure if something happened in shipping, but once you boot the PC, it’s not that big of a bother.

The Huawei MateStation S PC itself

I decided to put the last two boxes here, which were dedicated to the PC and the keyboard. Admittedly, I thought that the MateStation S would be roughly as big as the box it came in. For something you need for working long hours, I thought it would be a wide tower placed inside. When I got it out of the box, I was pleasantly surprised at how compact the form factor was.

Now, it comes in a Space Gray type of finish, similar to its MateBook laptops with a Star Trail design etched in front. Personally, it’s a nice aesthetic choice but it’s not something you will continually notice every time you use the PC. I thought it was going to be another way for hot air to come out of the system.

In the longer yet thinner box, you have Huawei’s Ultra-Slim Keyboard in Space Gray, as well. What’s nice about it is that it comes with both a fingerprint sensor and a Huawei Share button on the keyboard. Supposedly, it provides a faster and easier log-in option with Windows Hello, plus easy file transfer from your phone.

Setting it up and making it work

Piecing everything together didn’t necessarily take that long, especially on a relatively small table. The fact that the MateStation S is relatively compact allows for more space for the display and other peripherals to fit nicely. Once everything was in its place, the system booted up relatively quickly.

The Huawei MateStation S comes with a 4th-generation AMD Ryzen 5 processor inside, along with 8GB of RAM. For average office work, this is a great list of hardware for most tasks and applications you throw at it. Along with a 256GB SSD inside, all of these applications will ideally load up quite fast.

From initial tests and usage, I fully agree with what they had in mind with all of these hardware inside. Working on Word documents and Excel spreadsheets was a breeze, even with some complicated data in there. Also, it comes with a dual-band WiFi card inside so you can place this system anywhere you want.

How far will the Huawei PC go?

For the most part, I’ve showered Huawei’s newest system with praises on its design and performance. Obviously, it’s much different from their laptops in terms of portability, but offers the same smart technologies in the process. Plus, it’s a form factor that brings more benefits than distractions while you’re working.

Of course, this is only scratching the surface of what the Huawei MateStation S can actually do. While it is fast, responsive, and handles most Office applications, let’s see how the system handles, well, everything else.

Computers

Lenovo Innovate: Smarter Yoga, Legion, LOQ lineups unveiled

Unlocking smart technologies

Published

March 27, 2024

GadgetMatch

Tech companies continue to harness the power of AI to help provide consumers with better devices that are tailor-fit for today’s demands. Lenovo is no exception. At Lenovo’s Innovate 2024 event, the company gave its consumers a glimpse of its future lineup of Yoga, Legion, and LOQ devices for the Asia-Pacific market.

In a nutshell, Lenovo calls these new devices the new standard in terms of what they can offer. The latest computers are all smarter and come equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors (select models) and Copilot in Windows 11.

So, what’s new?

Basically, Lenovo has added even more innovative features, mostly AI-enabled, for all lineups. These enhancements make them even more exceptional. Lenovo consumers know by now what each specific lineup is exceptional at. For instance, the Lenovo Yoga lineup is mainly engineered to help creators. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion devices are meant to handle gaming effortlessly, on top of other tasks.

Empowering creators

To set the latest Yoga devices apart, Lenovo has equipped them with PureSight Pro and Puresight OLED displays. These color-calibrated screens deliver greater brightness, contrast, and accuracy that meet the demands of creators for precise visual work — whether it’s graphic design, photo editing, or video production.

The Yoga laptops also have a Copilot key shortcut to assist users right away with the help of AI. Specifically, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 and Yoga Pro 9i incorporate Lenovo AI Engine+ driven by Lenovo’s LA AI Core chips. This utilizes software machine learning algorithms, leading to a more optimized system performance.

Lastly, the Yoga lineup is enhanced with Lenovo Creator Zone. This generative AI software turns text or sketches into visuals to aid creators. Select Yoga Pro laptops will also support image training, where creators can train a personalized model that learns and creates images that match their preferences.

Advanced gaming performance

On the gaming side, Lenovo’s Legion and LOQ products likewise now harness the capabilities of Lenovo LA AI Core chips. These allow higher FPS and improved power efficiency to handle titles better and provide gamers the top-tier experience.

Furthermore, Lenovo has introduced the Legion Coldfront: Hyper thermal solution exclusively for the Intel-based Legion 7i and Legion 5i. This new cooling system transforms the airflow within the chassis, channeling hot air from the chips to optimize heat exchange.

LOQ laptops, meanwhile, debut the new hyperchamber thermal technology to keep processors cooler. This technology draws out up to an additional 25W power in Extreme Mode, while keeping temperatures lower.

New PCs

Here are the new Lenovo PCs to be introduced to the Asia-Pacific market, for your perusal.

The new Lenovo Yoga lineup includes:

Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (13-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i (14-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 (14-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 (14 and 16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Yoga Pro Bluetooth Mouse, Yoga 600 Bluetooth Silent Mouse, Yoga True Wireless Stereo Earbuds, and Lenovo Yoga Sleeve

Meanwhile, the latest generation Lenovo Legion and LOQ models include:

Lenovo Legion 7i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion 5i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion 9i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (16-inch, Gen 9)
Lenovo Legion Tower 7i
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i

Computers

Computex 2024: AMD CEO to deliver opening keynote

Computex 2024 in Taiwan

Published

March 15, 2024

GadgetMatch

File Photo: AMD Ryzen Pro

AMD Chair and CEO, Dr. Lisa Su will deliver the opening keynote at the Computex 2024 in Taiwan, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) announced.

Computex 2024 will be held from June 4 to 7 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Halls 1 and 2. Dr. Su will have her keynote address a day before the event’s proceedings.

As her company is known for being a leading developer of computer processors and more, she is expected to discuss the next generation of AMD products, breakthrough AI capabilities, and intelligent devices.

Dr. Su recently received the highest semiconductor honor from IEEE: the Robert N. Noyce Medal.

Computex 2024 and the AI era

A leading global technology exhibition, this year’s Computex will fittingly focus on the AI PC era. The event will cover six major themes:

AI computing
Advanced Connectivity
Future Mobility
Immersive Reality
Sustainability
Innovations

Computex 2024 will also feature partners like Acer, ASRock, ASUS, Delta, Gigabyte, G.Skill, Intel, MSI, Pro Gamersware, and more. Furthermore, there will be an InnoVEX exhibit for startups to connect teams from around the world.

The event will be the 24th staging of the mid-year tech show in Taipei.

Computers

ASUS announces 2024 ROG Strix laptops with 14th Gen Intel Core

New lineup includes the Strix SCAR 18

Published

February 15, 2024

GadgetMatch

ASUS has officially unveiled the latest ROG Strix SCAR and Strix G laptops powered by 14th Gen Intel Core processors.

The 2024 ROG Strix laptop series includes the Strix SCAR 18, the first 18-inch ROG gaming laptop. It comes equipped with a Mini LED ROG Nebuula HDR display and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU.

All new ROG Strix models also feature the latest Intel Core i9 14900HX processor. They’re also paired with the latest intelligent cooling improvements, like the Tri-Fan technology and Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal.

Incredibly vivid HDR performance

The series headliner, the Strix SCAR 18 becomes the first ROG laptop with an 18-inch display powered by Mini LED.

It has an exclusive Nebula HDR Display supports HDR content and games. It boasts over 2000 discrete dimming zones and 1,100 nits of peak brightness.

This display is complemented by the ROG Nebula HDR Engine that minimizes blooming and haloing.

Visually stunning displays

Meanwhile, other Strix SCAR laptops feature 2.5K displays with 240Hz refresh rate and 3ms GTG response time.

The screens have a 16:10 aspect ratio and 100% DCI-P3 color space. Furthermore, these panels support Dolby Vision for accurate colors.

Aside from the displays, the SCAR and Strix G have received facelifts, sporting reimagined ROG cyberpunk design elements.

Flagship performance

When it comes to performance, the new ROG Strix laptops all come with the latest Intel Core i9 14900HX processor. This processor can handle heavy rendering projects, as well as AAA game titles.

To make sure usage is seamless, the laptops also have up to 32GB of DDR5 memory and up to 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage.

In the graphics department, the Strix SCAR 16 has a GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, while the SCAR 18 offers up to a GeForce RTX 4090 GPU.

These GPUS assure that the new laptops are prepared for even the most intense gamign sessions.

Meanwhile, the Strix G16 comes equipped with up to a GeForce RTX 4060 GPU while the Strix G18 features a GeForce RTX 4070 GPU.

Cooler than cool

Lastly, ROG Strix laptops have improved intelligent cooling systems. Both the Strix SCAR and Strix G models utilizes Tri-Fan techology, a system that uses a third auxiliary fan to increase flow to the motherboard. It also helps reroute excess heat from the GPU towards the heatsink.

Furthermore, the 2024 lineup features a high-performing Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal that reduces temperatures better than traditional thermal pastes.