HUAWEI’s MateBook 13 takes on the MacBook Air w/ a quad-core i7, dedicated graphics, more

HUAWEI MateBook 13

HUAWEI is known for its smartphones, but lately, the company has been pushing the envelope in the laptop space from its nearly-bezeless MateBook X Pro to its budget-friendly, yet powerful MateBook D. Now, the electronics company is announcing its latest foray into the mobile computing space, the HUAWEI MateBook 13.

The MateBook 13 will bring Intel’s latest Whiskey Lake processors, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card, and an 88% screen-to-body ratio with prices starting at $999.

HUAWEI’s MateBook 13 offers premium design and features

You’ll find HUAWEI’s premium design on the MateBook 13, just like the MateBook X Pro and MateBook D before it. There’s an aluminum build, 88% screen-to-body ratio, and the two-in-one power button that features Windows Hello authentication.

This computer is great for on-the-go work, as it weighs in at just 2.86 pounds (or even less without dedicated graphics), and measures 11.26-inches wide by 8.31-inches deep. The most impressive measurement? It’s only 0.59-inches tall. That makes it a great portable workstation machine for those who need a good balance of weight to power.

The bezels are only 4.4mm wide, giving you a large display area without a physically huge laptop. Plus, it’s a touchscreen and sports a 3:2 aspect ratio.

The keyboard is “spill-resistant” and HUAWEI includes a large trackpad for gestures and navigation.

Enough power for when you need it

HUAWEI is packing two different models here. There’s the i7 variant, with the 8565U processor (1.8GHz quad-core, eight-thread), 2GB MX 150 GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD. For those who don’t need quite that amount of power, there’s the i5-8265U (1.6GHz quad-core, eight-thread), integrated graphics, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. That means regardless of your configuration, the HUAWEI MateBook 13 will pack enough power for your everyday tasks.

Ports and accessibility

Like we mentioned above, you’ll have a built-in fingerprint sensor on the power button when logging in. You’ll also get a 65W USB-C power charger, so your single laptop charger can power your iPad, laptop, and more.

Audio-wise, the HUAWEI MateBook 13 packs Dolby Atmos to give you a great experience when watching movies. And when it comes time to do work or school projects, HUAWEI includes a one-year Office 365 Personal subscription and the HUAWEI MateDock 2 in the box.

Pricing and availability

The i5 model is $999 and the i7 is $1,299. You’ll be able to purchase the HUAWEI MateBook 13 on January 29th from Amazon and Newegg. Both prices are great compared to Apple’s MacBook Air, which is really what HUAWEI is going after here. HUAWEI is providing true quad-core processors in their ultra-light laptop, where Apple has yet to jump on that train.

For the Windows users out there, this is likely your best alternative to Apple’s latest MacBook Air with a premium build, great features, and enough power to get you through the day.

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