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- Huawei MateBook 13 2020: the full Review
Huawei MateBook 13 2020: the full Review
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Here comes the last of Huawei's three new 2020 vintage MateBooks. After the MateBook D 14 2020, a very affordable 14 inch and the prestigious MateBook X Pro 2020, it is the turn of the "classic" MateBook 13 to pass into our hands. It is an ultraportable in 13.3 inch format which positions itself as a challenger on the market for mobile PCs sold for more than 1000 euros. But its target to shoot down is not an HP, or even a Dell. No, it's an Apple computer! The MacBook Air 2020 to be precise. The brand's spokespersons are not hiding from it, quite the contrary. They oppose their foal to the most affordable MacBook equipped with Core i7 and with the same amount of memory (LPDDR4x) and SSD. A computer that costs at least 1830 euros … or 530 euros more than the best equipped version of Huawei's ultraportable.
The MateBook 13 2020 is indeed available in two configurations and in a single color in France (gray). The first version, the one we are testing, is positioned at around 1300 euros. It has a touch screen, a Core i7, 16 GB of memory (LPDDR3), a GeForce MX250 and 512 GB of SSD.The second, less powerful will be displayed at a price of 1050 euros and will embed a Core i5, 8 GB of memory, the MX250, a non-touch screen (but brilliant) and still as many SSDs in its bowels.
We finally put our hands on the one who constitutes the in-between in the MateBook family. The 2020 edition retains the design of 2019, which seems to have fully satisfied users.
The aluminum alloy finish is, we recognize, of good quality. In hand, the impression of solidity that emerges from the machine inspires confidence. The weight of 1.33 kilo is quite suitable and its thickness reaches pile 1.8 cm at the highest. Why change when we are in market standards? Well…
To expand the connectivity, for example! The other two MateBook were rather well provided in the matter and above all, with a diversified offer. Here, Huawei is inspired by Apple by betting only on a USB Type-C socket on each side (only the left one is used to recharge the battery) and a jack. Point. Fortunately, in the box is a USB-C to USB 3.0 adapter so that we can continue to connect USB keys to the machine.
Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5 and Huawei Share technology are in the game. The first two, for connections to the Web and compatible devices and the third, to control a Huawei or Honor smartphone (only) from the machine screen, answer calls, enter emails or SMS or even drag- drop files from one device to another.
Like the other MateBooks, the keyboard opts for an "Apple-like" feel. Silent, reactive and backlit, it is suitable for entering long documents as well as for more … occasional typing. We found it a little less firm than that of the D 14. The touchpad, on the contrary, is very rigid as we like, the clicks are frank and clear, and no need to do it twice so that multi-finger gestures are correctly recognized.
No hidden webcam between the F6 and F7 key on this MateBook 13. No, the small module is in its usual place, at the top of the 13 inch panel. Very classic.
The power button acts as a fingerprint reader to secure the opening of Windows 10 sessions. Equipment that is standardized by all manufacturers, both American and Asian, to the delight of users who use it. of their machines to host sensitive documents.
Pixels in shambles whose performance disappoints
The MateBook 13 chooses the glossy, tactile panel, with thin edges but not ultra thin. Unlike its big brother, it is not equipped with an LTPS type screen but with a conventional IPS. The overall display quality is therefore not quite the same and, technically speaking, it is not a success either but we will come back to it. Before that, note that the MateBook 13 and the X Pro have one thing in common: a shiny glass! She catches all reflections (and fingerprints) to perfection, a real magnet. What dissuade you from using it outdoors, in a sunny place for example.
Good point, because there are, the 3: 2 format of the screen allows Huawei to add pixels and move from classic Full HD to exotic 1440p (2160 by 1440 pixels). Having a slightly larger definition that remains usable on a 13-inch diagonal is appreciated. We don't have to magnify the Windows interface to 150% to read the names of desktop icons.
As the graph below shows, the 2020 MateBook 13 (in blue) clearly does not have the same screen quality as its big brother, the X Pro (in turquoise). However, it manages to obtain the same maximum average brightness and contrast (brightness of 396 cd / m² for a contrast of 1047: 1) as its designated enemy, the MacBook Air 2020 (in yellow). It's all to his credit … but, there is nothing to be happy about. The service is not at all satisfactory for such nomadic machines. However, Apple's machine has a big ace up its sleeve, which our MateBook doesn't have: color fidelity.
The Apple machine remains one of the best on the market in this area with a Delta E measured at 0.77. The Chinese machine, it peaks at more than 3.8. It's the drama. Even while trying to correct the situation with the software tool preinstalled by Huawei and which allows us to vary the rendering profiles, we have not been able to return to suitable values. For photo editing quality and precision, it is missed!
MateBook 13: Power Has a Price
We said in the introduction, if Huawei has not changed the beautiful envelope of its machine compared to last year, it has however slightly changed the content for 2020. The Chinese manufacturer has in fact locked the same components in this 13 inch than in the MateBook X Pro. Only the amount of SSD differs: 512 GB here versus 1 TB on the Pro. Note that the SSD is accessible and that it will be possible to trade it for a larger model in the future, if necessary.
And, as on the X Pro, the Core i7-10501U turbine at a higher frequency (but offered by Intel) of 2.3 GHz against 1.8 GHz in normal times. And on the GPU side, it is the 25-watt version of Nvidia's MX250 which is at the helm and not the 10-watt model.
For everyday applications, the MateBook 13 plays its ranges perfectly. Evidenced by our tests conducted on PC Mark 10, the 2020 MateBook 13 (in blue) is almost equal with its high-end counterpart. The differences in results are due to a software update from Futuremark, which took place between the tests of the two MateBooks.
Huawei wins its bet here, by beating its sworn enemy, the MacBook Air 2020. And even the best of today's high-end ultraportable PCs, the Dell XPS 13 2020. The Nvidia graphics card has a lot to do with it, don't go there make no mistake. It is obviously much more comfortable than the integrated graphics controllers of the processors when it comes to performing certain tests imposed by the Review software.
However, if you start to push him to his limits, his response is immediate. A game (this ultraporatble is not made for that) or a big encoding very heavy and the configuration hoists the white flag. Under pressure, the Intel processor heats and lowers its frequencies so as not to catch a heat stroke.
Heat and noise: everything we hate!
On a stress Review lasting 15 minutes, it only takes a minute for the Core i7 to go from 2.3 GHz to 1.5 GHz then, then, to vary its speed between 1.1 and 1.5 GHz. GPU side, the MX250 holds up a little longer. Before reducing the airfoil, too, to turbinate a few hundred megahertz less than normal.
And the two small fans give voice: 44.6 dB maximum noted. Suffice to say that for discretion, it is missed. The heat output is up to par with hot spots at 46.5 ° C found under the machine and 45.1 ° C on the top of the keyboard, at the level of the keys F1 to F12. On either side of the touchpad, the mercury fluctuates between 34.7 and 35.2 ° C, which means that your hands will be warm this winter. As an indication, the ambient room temperature was 24.5 ° C.
Faced with Air 2020, the MateBook 13 2020 lacks breath
Do not go there by four paths. In endurance, the MateBook 13 lags behind its competitors. He has a hard time going the length when it comes to working hours on battery. The graph shows it well: he is the one who records the lowest scores.
It takes just over 7 hours in versatile use, 5 h 30 in video playback. Nothing to show off. Air 2020 puts him more than two hours in sight systematically, whatever the use scenarios. Note however that recharging the battery is very fast. The MateBook 13 is 50% charged in 31 min and operational in less than two hours (machine off completely).
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