REVIEW: Huawei D16 Matebook  i9 laptop: Here’s everything you need to know before making that purchase

Huawei has been working on creating a laptop that caters to the needs of the casual professional of today. One that likes carrying a lightweight laptop whether they are commuting to work via taxi or by plane next to the window seat. Or for the professional who sits at a designated coffee shop answering emails equipped with a cup of freshly brewed cappuccino. That laptop is the new, high-end 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H processor, running at 2.6GHz.   

We’ll be going into the following points: High performance, large display, and portability.

But first, let me paint a picture. The device arrived at our offices in eco-friendly packaging, already winning my heart over because of the amount of pollution caused by plastic and other non-natural materials which are hazardous to the environment. Inside the box was the laptop and the charger (65 W USB-C Power Adapter) along with the USB-C Charger Cable and Quick Start Guide.

Back to the device.

The mystic silver laptop has a clean and minimalistic design that gives it a polished look and feel before you even open it. Plus, it’s lightweight. 1,7kg to be exact. We tested this theory in the office and the overall consensus was that the Huawei D16 was lighter than the counterpart. This means you can carry it everywhere and you’ll never complain about a sore shoulder again.

Let’s go to the sides of the laptop. One the left, you’ll find two type C ports. There’s also an HDMI port and headphone jack. To the right are two type A USB ports.

Have you ever seen a laptop that opens up to a 180 degrees? In other words, have you ever used a laptop that opens up until it’s flat? Just like how you open the middle of a book. Well now you know that it exists.

The first thing I did was press the power button only to later find out that it also has a fingerprint scanner that you can use alternatively to unlock the device. The smart technology here is absolutely on another level.

Let’s talk about the screen. It’s got a large 16:10 ratio display on a 16-inch screen LCD panel. Something I found really cool was that the screen has a matte display that avoids reflections on the screen while you are using it. And while you are using the laptop, you will notice the blue-light that is designed to protect your eyes especially if you are using it in the dark.

The keyboard component is comfortable, giving you an easy user experience. There are some major additions on the numeric pad like the calculator function that allows you to quickly make calculations at the press of a button. The num pad also has the screen minimizer to move in between tabs faster as well as the camera switch to help when you need to quickly get into those zoom meetings. The noise reduction feature is also perfect for these because who wants weird background noises while they are talking about millions? 

The cool feature with the 1080 AI webcam with 88-degree angle is that it can follow your face (follow cam) and can move with it while you are in your meetings. While at that, there is also a voice typing feature that types words for you as you speak. Talk about a smart device.

A smart device is one that allows you to connect your phone to the laptop without using a USB cable using PC Manger. This feature allows you to transfer files easier from your phone to the laptop. You can connect your phone, your tablet, bluetooth speaker and printer. With a battery life of about 5-6 hours, they’ll be some time left over to watch some Showmax shows after a hectic day of work.

There are two fan heaters at the bottom of the device for cooling it down to prevent it from overheating. On the outer ends of the bottom of the laptop are the speakers that give a more immersive listening experience.

The Matebook D16 i9 comes with 16 GB of RAM and 1TB GB of SSD high speed, giving the user optimum performance. This storage will come in handy when working with heavy documents.

One of the MateBook D 16’s standout features is its Huawei Metaline Antenna that keeps your wi-fi connectivity at its peak, even when the signal is weak. It can achieve a long-distance connection of up to 270 metres. enabling users to enjoy smooth video streams and conference calls.

The HUAWEI  Matebook D 16 i9 retails for R 24,999.00 online or from the HUAWEI Authorized Experience Store and is only available in mystic silver. The laptop hits the store shelves on the 1st of February 2024.

There you have it. We tested it out, so you don’t have to. On a personal note, this laptop would be a smart purchase. You can take my word for it.

The specifications of both units are listed below.