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Design9
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Display9.5
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Processor9
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Audio8
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Battery life9
No, I’m not switching to Windows. Sorry to disappoint those who’d like me to (I know you’re out there).
However, my eye has well and truly been caught by the Huawei MateBook 14.
I should also point out that this review isn’t a ‘Mac vs Windows’ thing, because that’s an inherently boring topic, and there’s no right or wrong answer. Instead, I just want to help you pick between the brand-new Huawei MateBook 14 and the MacBook Air (my point of reference for this review will be the 15-inch version of the latter).
If you’re about to buy a new laptop and you reside somewhere between macOS and Windows but have no allegiance to either, you really should be considering these two machines.
Huawei MateBook 14 specs and pricing
The Huawei MateBook 14 is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 chip with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. That’s the only spec you can choose from, which is the first key differentiation between this laptop and the MacBook Air, and rather refreshing. That said, I fully understand if you feel a bit unnerved by the inability to add, say, more storage – even if Huawei has considerately specced this laptop.
The display is a 2.8K OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and some fancy eye-protecting tech. It’s also compatible with the third generation M-Pencil.
There’s 19 hours of battery life on hand, which is based on 1080p video playback, and running the show is none other than Windows 11 Home.
The price of the Huawei MateBook 14 in the UK is £1,099 and you can order it today.
Huawei MateBook 14 design
The MateBook 14 is a nice looking piece of kit. At just 1.31kg, it’s light enough to be ultra portable, and beats the slightly porkier (that’s a relative term in this laptop category) 15-inch MacBook Air. The 13-inch version of the latter comfortably beats it in the weight stakes, and the Air is thinner at 11mm versus 14.5mm, but the MateBook 14 is resolutely a thin, desirable laptop.
It’s also wedge-shaped, which will be a huge plus for anyone who misses the MacBook Airs of old and the green hue is suitably modern, elegant, and eye-catching.
Overall, the Huawei MateBook 14 feels like a very well made laptop, and delivers solidly at this price point – you won’t feel short changed. The fact it also has fingerprint recognition, a pretty decent speaker system, and sports a satisfying keyboard is the icing on the cake.
Huawei MateBook 14 Display
This is where things get really impressive, given the price point and the fact we’re comparing the Huawei MateBook 14 to a MacBook Air.
The MateBook 14’s display is a 2.8K OLED unit that measures 14.2 inches diagonally, and which has a 91% screen to body ratio. The bezels are pretty small, and there’s no cut-out housing for the camera system (although that has resulted in a thicker bezel at the top of the screen).
The display is compatible with sRGB, P3, and Adobe RGB colour profiles, and the third generation Huawei M-Pencil, which adds another dimension to the user interaction. How often you’d use the M-Pencil to write on the display is questionable, but I still love touch input on laptops – it’s something I always miss when I return to my MacBook.
The Huawei MateBook 14 also has eye protection technology built into its display, thanks to 1920Hz high frequency dimming, and the ability to reduce blue light output.
This is a wonderful laptop display – particularly at this price point. It also beats the MacBook Air display into a cocked hat, with the latter only sporting a 60Hz LED panel. Thanks to the OLED panel, colours on the Huawei MateBook 14 are vibrant, the blacks are rich, and it feels super responsive and zippy with that high refresh rate. In fact, the display goes a long way to making this an insta-purchase if you’re seriously considering a new do-it-all Windows laptop.
The only thing I’m not keen on is the inability to lift the lid with one hand, which remains one of the MacBook’s many specialities. A small gripe.
Huawei MateBook 14 Performance
A quick reminder that I don’t do benchmarks, which is why this part of my Huawei MateBook 14 review will be swift.
This laptop is running the latest Intel Core Ultra processor, which Huawei tells us will deliver up to 23.7% stronger CPU performance, and 88.9% greater GPU performance over the last generation.
It also features something called SuperTurbo, which promises to start the laptop up in 1 second (this refers to the time taken for the laptop to display the logo after powering on). It does exactly that, and even Windows itself boots up incredibly quickly. App launch speeds are also impacted positively by SuperTurbo.
The Huawei MateBook 14 feels like a super smooth, speedy laptop during everyday tasks and is easily as quick as the latest M3 MacBook Air in that regard. As always, if your use case extends to more demanding work and gaming, I’d advise you to research more thoroughly, but for everyone else, the Huawei MateBook 14 will not disappoint, performance wise.
Who is the Huawei MateBook 14 for?
You can buy cheaper Windows laptops – let’s not overlook that fact. However, in my experience, cheaper Windows laptops are a bit… crap. The MateBook 14 excels because it delivers exactly what you expect – and a little bit more – for its asking price.
If you’re after a solid Windows laptop and don’t have an allegiance to macOS at all, the MateBook 14 is going to be hard to beat.
The performance can’t be faulted for every day, normal use. It looks fantastic and the build quality gives you the confidence required to take the MateBook 14 anywhere. The keyboard is also great to type on.
The only thing that lets the MateBook 14 down slightly is the port situation which is both good and frustrating. Good, because you get lots of choice – USB-A, HDMI, and USB-C are all catered for. Frustrating, because there’s only one of the latter, which is also used for charging. It’s a good job the battery life lives up to expectations.
The MateBook 14 is also as simple as it comes in terms of the buying process. There’s only one to choose from and the spec is, as noted earlier, considerately chosen for most users.
My knowledge of Windows laptops isn’t deep enough to say the MateBook 14 is the best one to go for, but it should definitely be somewhere at the top of your list.
Who is the 15-inch MacBook Air for?
This is simple. If you’re a Mac person, you’ll have made the decision already; the MateBook 14 merely caught your attention, and you’ve decided to see what’s happening on the other side of the fence.
Hands up – I’m firmly in the macOS camp and will be for the foreseeable future. I can’t imagine switching to Windows – I don’t have the time or inclination. If that’s you, the MacBook Air is, obviously, for you.
If you’re not quite so Apple-ified, the MacBook Air will be the obvious choice if you need more internal storage (it goes up to 2TB), or more or less memory (the MacBook Air has 8GB and 24GB options, respectively). Need a bigger or smaller display? Again, the MacBook Air will give you what you want. The same goes if you need more than one USB-C port available while charging.
Just bear in mind your budget is likely to take more of a hammering if you go the Apple route.
Conclusion
I’m a big fan of the Huawei MateBook 14. It successfully justifies its price tag, and looks superb.
You’re getting a lot for your money with this mid-range, do-it-all Windows laptop, and it has a better and more capable display than the MacBook Air, to boot.
What struck me during this comparison, however, is the fact that we really are spoilt for choice these days – particularly if you have no real allegiance to any particular platform. The fact the MateBook 14 is so easy to buy thanks to the single configuration option is a feather in its cap for anyone who wants to avoid faff and confusion.
