“The Huawei MateBook is a 12-inch Windows tablet that can be transformed into a notebook by attaching a keyboard”
At this year’s MWC in Barcelona, Huawei has marked its debut in the PC market with the MateBook, a 2-in-1 device. It is a Microsoft Surface Pro-like 12-inch Windows 10 tablet that can be transformed into a notebook by attaching a keyboard. The slate also comes with a pressure-sensitive stylus called the MatePen, and a connectivity dock called the MateDock. The keyboard, MatePen and MateDock are all optional accessories.
The Huawei MateBook is being touted as the lightest 12-inch tablet in the market, tipping the scale at just 640 grams. The device offers a full aluminium unibody design with a 6.9mm waistline, and a screen-to-body ratio of 84 percent. It sports an IPS LCD display bearing a resolution of 2,160 x 1,440 pixels. The 2-in-1 ships with Windows 10 Home or Professional, and can be configured with sixth-gen Intel Core m processors – m3, m5 or m7, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of solid state drive storage.
The MateBook is powered by a 4,430mAh battery, which the brand claims can last for up to 10 hours on regular usage. It comes with inbuilt power-saving technology and fast-charging mode, which gives you 60 percent of charge in about two hours. The hybrid comes with a 5MP front-facing camera, dual speakers with Dolby Audio, dual microphones, a USB Type-C port and the regular array of connectivity options. The box also contains a lightweight charger that weighs 110 grams, and an Active Noise Cancellation headset.
The Huawei MateBook is the first of its kind to offer a single-touch side fingerprint sensor on a PC. You can add different fingerprints for multi-account usage. The spill-resistant keyboard cover offers backlit keys, over-current protection, and is powered directly from the tablet. The MatePen offers 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity for precision drawing, and also comes with a laser pointer and presentation clicker. Huawei says that charging the MatePen for one hour should deliver one month of usage. The MateDock is a small USB Type-C dock that offers two standard USB ports, an Ethernet plug, a VGA port and an HDMI port.
The Huawei MateBook 2-in-1’s price starts at $699 (around Rs 48,000) and goes up to $1,599 (approx. Rs 1,09,900), depending on the configuration you choose. Its accessories including the keyboard, MatePen and MateDock will be available for $129 (~ Rs 8,850), $59 (~ Rs 4,050) and $89 (~ Rs 6,120) respectively. The MateBook comes in Grey and Golden hues, while the keyboard will be available in Black, Brown, Orange and Beige colour options. The hybrid will go on sale in Asia, Europe, and North America in the coming months.