Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 – specification
The Huawei Matebook X Pro in the 2024 version is still only available for pre-sale, but I’ve already had the opportunity to take a closer look at it. It is available in two versions, the base one is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of data memory, which at a price of PLN 7,999 does not seem like a great offer. For PLN 3,000 more, we have a model with a Core Ultra 9 185H processor with 32 GB of RAM and a 2 TB drive, and that’s the model I tested. Both computers have a 70 Wh battery, a 14.2-inch OLED screen with 3K resolution and a housing made of a special magnesium alloy.
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Thanks to this, among other things, it was possible to achieve a weight of less than one kilogram (0.98 kg), which is quite impressive considering the size of 14 inches. The housing itself is also available in three matte colors, and its structure makes it very pleasant to the touch, does not collect fingerprints, and at the same time ensures adequate rigidity. The set of ports, on the other hand, is not very good, we have only 3 USB-C ports, including two in the Thunderbolt 4 standard with support for Power Delivery and Display Port. We can also charge the notebook via USB-C, as well as connect the included headphones, because there is no mini-jack socket here. On the plus side, we must also note the backlit keyboard and the great fingerprint reader built into the computer’s power button.
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 | |
CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, 5.1 GHz, 16 cores, 22 threads |
RAM | 32GB LPDDR5 5600MHz |
GPU | Intel Arc, 8 cores |
SSD | 2TB SSD |
Other | 1080p camera Backlit keyboard Fingerprint reader |
Screen | 14.2 inches, 3:2, 3120 x 2080 pixels, OLED, 120 Hz |
WLAN | Intel WiFi AX211 (WiFi 6E), BT 5.3 |
Operating system | Windows 11 Home 64bit |
Battery | 70Wh |
Ports | 1x USB-C 3.1 2x USB-C 4.0 (Thunderbolt 4, PD, Display Port) |
Dimensions | 310 x 223 x 13.5 mm |
Libra | 0.98kg |
Price | ~10,999PLN (June 2024) |
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 – photos
The Matebook X Pro family of computers are the top-shelf models in Huawei’s offer. There is no room for compromise here. On the top of the magnesium casing we will find a large Huawei logo and basically nothing else. However, the interesting, bluish color, which gives this computer an unusual appearance, draws attention.
The same material is used on the bottom, where there are four rubber feet that ensure a stable position on the desk. A ventilation slot on the edge of the housing, together with two fans, ensure that acceptable temperatures are maintained. And it is not at all easy, because the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H can consume up to 45 W and is not easy to cool. On the side edges, we have speaker holes, which are great, by the way. The sound that comes out of this little thing must be impressive. Yes, it lacks low tones, but apart from that, the Matebook X Pro plays very cleanly and can be loud.
Despite its very low weight and small thickness (13.5 mm), the keyboard installed in this computer has not only backlighting but also a very pleasant keystroke. In addition, its layout with a long left Shift and long Enter is very well thought out and it is great to type on it. In the upper right corner we have the power button with a built-in fingerprint reader, which works great. I also have a positive opinion about the touchpad, it is very sensitive and gives haptic feedback. This means that we do not have any clicking here, and despite this, it is very comfortable to use. In addition, its large surface makes navigation easier and fully covers the screen with a 3:2 aspect ratio, which is also touch. There is also space for speakers on the sides, which in my opinion was a very good decision by the designers.
As I mentioned, the number of ports is not particularly impressive. On the left side we have two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports with Power Delivery and Display Port, and on the right USB-C 3.1 and a physical button to deactivate the video camera. As I mentioned, there is no headphone jack here, so the box includes wired headphones with a USB-C plug. Nice, but with such a small number of ports, I don’t know if I would want to waste one of them on headphones, especially in the era of the TWS standard.
The video call camera is mounted on a narrow frame above the screen and has a physical switch. Its quality is very good, and thanks to AI functions, it has solutions such as user tracking or centering the image on our face. We know this from Apple products, among others, so it’s not a big novelty, but it works very neatly. Huawei’s artificial intelligence can even improve the appearance of our face, but don’t expect miracles in this aspect ;-).
The charger included in the set has a power of 90 W and it is just right. The computer has fast charging with a power of up to 90 W, which is reflected in its operating temperatures. What’s more, due to the powerful processor and OLED screen, which can also consume a lot of energy at high brightness, it can sometimes be too weak. However, this does not last long, because unfortunately throttling immediately comes into play, which reduces the processor’s enthusiasm, but we will talk more about this in a moment.
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 – screen
As I mentioned, this year’s Matebook X Pro 2024 features an OLED screen. It is a flexible matrix with a touch layer, more similar to those used in smartphones. According to the specifications, it can display an image in HDR mode with a brightness of up to 1000 nits, which is similar to a TV. Then the energy consumption actually increases. In normal use, the brightness was supposed to be limited to 600 nits, but I managed to measure about 500, evenly over the entire surface. This is still a great result. The contrast is of course ideal, as in OLED, which also makes it much easier to work in bright sunlight.
Covering the color space at 97% DCI-P3 is a fantastic result, thanks to which after calibration you can basically not find fault with this screen in terms of color reproduction. Additionally, the 120 Hz refresh makes everything look smoother on this display and very pleasant to use.
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 – performance
The Core Ultra 9 185H processor can theoretically work even with a clock speed of 5.1 GHz, but I managed to accelerate it only to 4.8 GHz and even then only for a short time. This of course applies to the Performance core, the clock speed of the E cores does not exceed 3.3 GHz. When we load all the cores, the clock speed drops significantly and in the case of the P cores it fluctuates around 2.5 GHz. In total, we have as many as 16 cores (6 P, 8 E and 2 LP) and support for 22 threads, which is a great result for a notebook. In addition, we also get the Intel Arc graphics system, which has LPDDR5x memory working in quad-channel mode.
The performance results look pretty good, but there is no significant progress compared to the previous model equipped with the Intel Core i7-1360P processor. On the one hand, the configuration of Meteor Lake processors with 3 types of cores is not very effective (Intel withdrew from this in Lunar Lake), and on the other hand, the clock speed drops quickly due to throttling. Huawei focused on size and cooling has something to do. Despite good efficiency, it is not able to provide longer work with the maximum clock. The core clock speed drops significantly after 2 minutes, and with it the efficiency, which is reflected in the test results.
Gaming Performance
It’s a bit better when it comes to games. The Intel Arc system with 8 cores and fast LPDDR5x memory provides much better performance than the Intel Xe system installed in the previous generation of processors. Compared to last year’s model, the gain is even twice as much, so we can play even newer games in 1080p resolution and low/medium level of detail on this computer without any major problems. Considering its size, this is a really great thing.
SSD drive
The SSD drive used by an unknown manufacturer with a capacity of 2 TB is compatible with PCIe 4.0, although it still falls far short of the limits of this interface. However, there is no reason to complain about performance, around 5 GB/s during reading and writing is a result at a very good level and is certainly not a reason to complain.
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 – battery
The 70 Wh battery is quite a large cell and one of the big advantages of this computer. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H can also be economical when needed thanks to its E cores and this is visible in the measurement results. In web browsing mode with a brightness of around 160 nits, it will easily allow for over 8 hours of work. If you start a movie, the working time will increase to over 10 hours. Under load in games, we have just over an hour. However, you can quickly replenish the energy, because in the initial phase the battery can take up to 90 W. After an hour, we have over 80%, and the whole process takes about 1.5 hours.
Reader test (screen brightness at 160 nits, WiFi on) – 8h 12min
Movie test (screen brightness at 160 nits, WiFi on) – 10h 34min
Gaming test (screen brightness at 160 nits, Witcher 3) – 1h 7min
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 – power consumption, temperatures, noise
The power consumption of the Matebook X Pro 2024 can be quite low, even despite the Core Ultra 9 processor, but more depends on the brightness setting of the OLED screen. With the brightness set to 160 nits in idle, the computer needs about 10 W, when we set the maximum brightness, the consumption increases to over 17 W. The maximum load of the processor increases the power consumption to a maximum of 80 W, but it does not last long, because the cooling system quickly says pass and the power consumption drops to about 65 W. Unless of course we charge the battery, because then you can easily reach 90 W, and even more if the power supply was more powerful. It is probably also worth mentioning that thanks to the large battery capabilities, even without power, the performance of this computer is at a very high level.
The temperatures of the processor and the entire computer are acceptable. The case does not heat up excessively, mainly in the place where we have the processor and radiator. The processor temperatures can temporarily reach 80 degrees Celsius, but when the cooling works at full efficiency, even under load of all cores it does not exceed 70 degrees Celsius. The cooling system goes into very high gear under load, it is clearly audible, but it is not that bothersome. For the more sensitive, stick to the “Balanced” mode, which cuts the maximum processor consumption and allows for greater work culture. In normal office work it is very quiet. I also did not notice any noises related to electronics (squeaking coils, etc.).
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 – summary
The Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024 is a very solid computer in its top configuration. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor can handle virtually any task, and the Intel Arc system that partners it also does quite well in games. The cooling system with two fans is very good at dissipating heat, although it can also go into high gear. The casing makes the biggest impression; when you pick up this computer for the first time, you might get the impression that it’s a toy. However, it is also very solid and rigid, and well-balanced, because the cover can be lifted with one hand. The backlit keyboard or the great fingerprint reader are very nice additions.
Huawei has aspired to create a small, light and powerful computer since the beginning of the Matebook X Pro series. In the first models, it was different. I remember the passive cooling model in particular, which constantly overheated and therefore did not perform well. This year’s model is probably even lighter than it, and at the same time has active cooling and great performance. Therefore, significant progress has been made, and the lesson seems to have been learned.
What I don’t like is the fact that we have so few external ports here, because when one USB-C port is occupied by a charger, we don’t have much room to maneuver. It’s probably worth considering equipping yourself with a USB-C hub that will provide power and access to additional ports. I also consider the lack of the possibility of independent expansion to be a disadvantage, Huawei has gone the way of Apple. However, these are the only disadvantages that come to mind after more than 2 weeks of testing. The Matebook X Pro 2024 is a great ultrabook that will fit even in a woman’s purse, and at the same time provide a whole day of work, and when needed, also great performance. Only this price could probably be lower, because it’s getting tight in this segment, and for example, you can buy a Macbook Air much cheaper.
Huawei Matebook X Pro 2024
Approximate price: ~10,999 PLN