At this point in time, everybody is already used to a 9-5 grind from their homes. As we continually adjust to the pandemic’s ways, we also need the proper devices dedicated for our workload in the day. Even if you’re a student taking online classes, you want a laptop that can keep up with all your requirements.

Enter the Huawei MateBook 14, the company’s take on a more productive work laptop. With a sleek design, a powerful processor inside the device, it offers what is essentially a balanced machine. Upon first glance, I thought that it was simply a mixture of the Huawei MateBook D14 and the MateBook X Pro.

The question is whether it stacks up as a power-efficient, balanced work laptop. Well, here’s what you get with the Huawei MateBook 14:

It comes with a 14-inch, 2K FullView Display

An AMD Ryzen 4000-series processor powers the device

It comes with a recessed camera at the top-middle of the keyboard

It only comes in Space Gray

Admire the design first

I know that I usually go straight to how this device performs, but I honestly couldn’t ignore its build quality. Compared to most Huawei laptops I’ve looked at, the Matebook 14 remains consistent with all of them in terms of design. They go for the sleek, subtle yet professional tone with how the laptop looks and feels.

Upon knowing that the build was mostly CNC-ed in, I was expecting durability and hardness in the device. It felt durable enough for me to toss it onto the bed most of the time, and I was pretty confident it wouldn’t break. Also, for a device that weighs almost 1.5 kg, it sure feels light to carry around.

These were some of my observations on the Huawei Matebook X Pro, which I felt is a more powerful version of the Matebook 14. It’s nice to see that Huawei brought that in, leaving no rough surface behind.

Performance that’s great for any type of work

Huawei’s Matebook 14 comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H processor, with 16GB of RAM — which is what most people want out of a work laptop. Because a newer AMD chip is inside, I was expecting great performance right out of the gate. Not to mention that this device also comes with a 512GB SSD, so booting up should be fast.

Just as expected, the device performs well for most work-related tasks I threw at it. I tried using it as my main work laptop for three days, and I was able to do my work in an efficient way. I mean, I still finished overtime for work one day but the device lasted long enough and performed well. Also, I felt that most applications ran pretty smoothly while I was using it. 

It was even able to handle close to 100,000 rows of Microsoft Excel data without slowing down significantly. Also, I felt that I didn’t have to manually switch to Performance Mode just to do that. However, because this only comes with built-in Radeon Graphics, I wouldn’t recommend it for creative work and advanced data processing.

Long lasting battery, and it’s surprisingly not warm

The Matebook 14 boasts its 56Wh battery to last all day when you’re doing your usual tasks. Realistically, I don’t think you could keep a laptop running the whole day without plugging the charger. However, on a full charge, I managed to get close to 14 hours mixing work, watching YouTube and streaming Netflix.

Charging the device didn’t take long, either as I got about two hours to fully charge it. That whole thing about a 15-minute charge granting 2.5 hours is close to the truth. Also, I appreciate that Huawei thought of putting a charger that supports SuperCharge, which also charges smartphones.

The biggest surprise I found was the thermal setup for the device. Compared to the Matebook X Pro, this did not feel that warm to hold at all — especially while working. Honestly, I give full credit to the AMD chip in keeping it energy-efficient. The dual fan, dual heat pipe design worked wonders, even in a much smaller chassis.

More things that deserved to be noticed, for better or worse

Other things I wanted to bring to light include the usual features it comes with. The hybrid of a fingerprint sensor and the power button still works wonders. It’s pretty easy to set up, and it recognizes your fingerprint pretty fast so you start working right off the bat.

Also, I’m a big fan of the keyboard mostly in terms of the key travel. I’m not drawn to the whole backlit keyboard since it still looks dim in the dark. But in terms of my typing experience, it provides a great one every time I use it. Honestly, it made me work a lot faster so it’s a win for me.

What isn’t a win, and will honestly continue being an L for Huawei is the camera. It’s not because the quality is bad, but it’s just the placement of it. I know that they had to do it for the FullView Display, but it really is an unflattering angle.

Is the MateBook 14 your GadgetMatch?

For PhP 54,999 (US$ 1133), the Huawei MateBook 14 delivers on many fronts as a work laptop. It checks all the important boxes on what you need so you can work better. Plus, it lasts as long as you want it to without reaching for the charger, and stays cool too.

All the usual features Huawei puts in their laptops have their moments to shine. From the keyboard to the display, everything fits quite nicely for what you need it for. At this point, there’s really nothing you can do about the camera being where it is.

If you need a more than decent laptop for work or school, this is a great option to consider. All in all, It gives you premium yet energy-efficient performance that will keep you at the top of your game.