A workhorse. Huawei MateBook D16 has a lot of power, although the cheapest variant is the “minimum option” [TEST]

On June 23 – during a conference in Istanbul – Huawei presented a number of new devices. One of them was a laptop Huawei MateBook D16. It was described as “mainstream” by the producer himself. The device is therefore to prove itself in the company, as well as be ideal for students and students. It is available in three variants – with an i5 processor (8 and 16 GB RAM) and with an i7 processor (16 GB RAM). In the next.gazeta.pl editorial office, we checked how the most powerful model works.

Huawei MateBook D16. APPEARANCE AND SCREEN

Huawei does not claim that the “sixteen” is the smallest and slimmest laptop in the world, so it should not be surprising that in the “mobility” category it will not get the highest scores. Device weighs 1.7 kg. We looked for models similar in screen size and managed to come across slightly slimmer competitors. The difference is not devastating, because lighter laptops weigh about 1.4-1.5 kg, but as you can see, the competition reached because more sophisticated feet.

MateBook D16 designers managed to create a device that looks modern and solid. The “live” equipment looks better than in the pictures. metal housing, standard in this segment, it is strong and has a simple shape. This is an advantage, because designers sometimes try to be original unnecessarily. The whole is kept in a fashionable, steel gray color. Thin frames are worth emphasizing – we didn’t run around the store with a ruler to see if any of the models in this category is better, just look to know that it’s good.

Huawei MateBook D16 photo. Robert Kędzierski

Screen, as the name of the model suggests, is a slightly larger display than in classic laptops. Instead of a diagonal of 15.6 inches, 16 inches were used. Not much, but if these extra inches allow you to fit even the Windows bar, it is a reason to be satisfied.

The proportions are also noteworthy. This is the first Huawei model with a screen 16:10 FullView Display type. Thanks to this, the laptop is suitable for work and for “consumption” of multimedia content. Hours with the office suite, communication applications, e-mails, numerous websites were not a problem. It helps this Full HD resolution (1920×1200 pixels). Let’s face it, though – a lot depends on the individual work culture. However, I sometimes missed a higher screen resolution, laptops are often limited here. That’s why I only work on them when I have to.

Matrix IPS (we talked about which matrix to choose with Daniel Maikowski in one of the episodes of the podcast) can boast of good parameters such as 100 percent. coverage in the sRGB color gamut. The colors are vivid and natural, the viewing angles are impeccable. Brightness has a large reserve of power, in the evenings the maximum settings “burn the eyes”. I would describe the screen as universal, and the colors as properly saturated and natural.

Production quality raises no objections. Huawei MateBook D16 is impressive not only when we look at it, but when we take it in our hands. I hold a solid lump in my hands. Nothing creaks here, it doesn’t give the impression of “cheapness”. Any plastic casings should be a thing of the past.

Huawei MateBook D16 photo. Robert Kędzierski

The fact that the new Huawei laptop will work and study is also evidenced by the keyboard with a numeric block. This is the first model with this type of solution. The buttons in the right corner are also useful, which can quickly call up the calculator or the AI ​​Search function. The former will be useful for students and accountants, the latter works well when we need to find a file on the disk. I didn’t use them very often.

Keyboard is quite standard – for me, typing on a mechanical keyboard, the low pitch of the keys was rather disturbing. I thought to myself: it’s a matter of habit. Not completely. I compared the Huawei model with HP’s business equipment. And a competitor in terms of typing comfort would receive more points from me.

Camera is hidden at the top of the screen. And not just any, because this time a two-megapixel wide-angle lens was used. It is supported by artificial intelligence, but the system’s help in recording or cutting screenshots will be better information for the user. They are to be useful during presentations and meetings. It is worth recalling that Huawei also uses a camera that slides out from the keyboard in some models. However, the classic solution seems better to me.

Ports is a laptop standard “with a plus”. On the right side, two standard USB inputs, on the left two USB-C ports, one of which is used for charging. But this one additional input will please many, because it will facilitate cooperation with modern smartphones or other peripheral devices. In addition, we also have an HDMI port and a headphone output.

Huawei MateBook D16 photo. Robert Kędzierski

PERFORMANCE. Multiple cores do the job

The new Matebook D16 models are powered by 12th generation Intel processors. Huawei offers the following configuration options:

• Intel Core i5-12450H With 8GB RAM (8 cores, 12 threads)
• Intel Core i5-12450H With 16GB RAM (8 cores, 12 threads)
• Intel Core i7-12700H With 16GB RAM (14 cores, 20 threads)
• Drive: in any case this 512GB (SSD with NVMe)
• system it Windows 11

I had the pleasure of testing the most powerful of the models. 14 cores manage 20 threads, which actually seems to be enough for even the most demanding. It is worth noting that this processor, presented in the first quarter of this year, was included in the more powerful D16s model.

Performance is subjective for many people, but not for benchmark makers. In the Geekbench 5 test, the Huawei Mate D16 with an i7 processor won 729 points in the single-core test and 5848 points for multi-core operations. And this is the result that makes the Huawei device a model worth considering even in the case of high computer requirements. It is worth noting that this processor also goes to gaming laptops, the price of which reaches over 20,000. PLN, so we are certainly dealing with a unit with considerable potential. If I had to edit a film for work on this equipment, I would not hesitate for a moment. I would use it for photoshop too.

Huawei MateBook D16 review Source: Geekbench

The manufacturer ensures that the processors used are already “pro level”. The new architecture – at least in theory – is to provide enough power to cope with many tasks without heating all the cores red. And these can be up to 14 in total. This gives up to 90 percent. more multi-threaded performance and up to 20% more with single-threaded evaluation.

Graphics Card is the integrated Iris Xe Graphics chip. In the refreshed version, one of the strongest among “integrated” laptops, but rather not the strongest. However, Huawei does not describe this laptop as gaming, so you can’t demand too much. Still, less demanding titles can be run.

And what about the sounds from under the hood? With any office work, when the laptop is used as a desktop computer (connected to the monitor), the fans are basically not heard, and there are no problems with performance. After all, we have a powerful engine here that can do more than display windows efficiently browser.

The fact that the laptop cooling system can be seen when the “speed” of the processor stays at a high level for longer. We are dealing here with a double Shark Fin cooling system, which can make quite a strong noise, especially when the bottom of the housing is already very hot.

Tests that last several days, however, will not allow you to determine whether the cooling has adequate performance in the long run. I would count on the fact that the price for high performance is also a lot of heating up of the equipment, if we “punish” it for at least several dozen minutes.

BATTERY. You will not run out of energy. Unless you squeeze the seventh sweat out of the processor

Power Supply Huawei MateBook D16 is not much bigger than a “smartphone”. And that’s a big plus. The battery in the model is quite capacious (60 Wh), I used the computer actively all day without any problems. However, when there was no electricity during the evening game, it was enough to connect the computer for literally half an hour. There was enough energy for the next two hours of work and play.

However, there is also the other side of the coin. Once we enter “high speed” during operation, the energy from the battery begins to disappear quite quickly. So in practice: when we are dealing with less advanced tasks, when we work “office”, there is enough energy for the whole day. However, when we start to load the processor, we must take into account the need to recharge.

PRICE. It’s worth not waiting, or waiting longer

All the above considerations must boil down to one conclusion: Is it worth buying Huawei MateBook 16 or not. The answer will be facilitated by one important fact: Huawei – as is customary – offers cheaper equipment in advance. This time he lowered the price by as much as PLN 700.

Regular price of the CPU model i5 with 8GB RAM it is PLN 3999. It’s not cheap, but you can buy equipment in advance PLN 3,299. Huawei also adds a wireless mouse for PLN 1. I would call this model the “minimum option”, because 8 GB of RAM may not be enough for some applications.

For the model i5 version with 16 GB of RAM you have to pay PLN 4,399. It costs in advance PLN 3,699. And in this case we will receive a gift in the form of a mouse.

The model I tested (i7 processor, 16 GB RAM), Huawei priced it at PLN 5,699, and in pre-order offers it for PLN 4,999 (with free mouse, of course). A quick trip through the price comparison engine allowed me to say that it is difficult to find equipment with similar specifications at a similar price.

And is it worth choosing the D16S instead of the D16 model? The higher model has a screen with a higher resolution (2520 x 1680 pixels) and a larger disk (1 TB). Here we are talking about a device priced at PLN 7,499. So the price difference is significant.

The regular price of the laptop I tested can be considered high. Fortunately, pre-order is better. We are dealing with a really decent processor, which is not limited by a small amount of RAM or a low-performance disk. A pretty good matrix is ​​used, a drive that most users will be enough. For most applications, the battery and fast charging time are also satisfactory, but the working time under heavy load is a bit disappointing. Despite everything, for the price-performance ratio, the MateBook D16 with the i7-12700H processor at the pre-sale price, I can definitely recommend it. With this particular model, Huawei made a nod to those who care about efficiency at work.