The construction. As hinted at above, this feels like a sturdy, well-built device. From the packaging down to the hardware, the MateBook may be trying to mimic Apple’s decades of success in the hardware space, and it’s not far off. (Though Apple would almost certainly never pair a white device with a brown leather case. It looks like a Holstein cow.)
It’s a full-fledged PC. No mobile versions of apps or games here—if you want to run Photoshop or World of Warcraft, you can. The MateBook runs Windows 10, so any program that won’t be too much of a drag on the processor should run fine, meaning you’ll have the same experience answering emails, writing documents, creating spreadsheets, and browsing the web as you would on a full-fledged laptop.
What’s not so good
The keyboard case. While the keys are probably the best I’ve come across on a tablet keyboard attachment—I’d go as far as to say they’re even better to type on than some flagship laptops’, including new MacBook—it’s still not great. Writing this post, I made far more typos than I usually do, which slowed me down as I worked. I also found the case’s built-in touchpad mouse rather inaccurate; oftentimes I would just poke the screen to get the cursor where I wanted it to be.
The battery life. It’s not ideal: If you’re planning on replacing your laptop with the MateBook, make sure to carry the charger with you wherever you go. I tended to get between three and four hours of charge when using the tablet with the brightness turned all the way up, running just a few programs.
It’s running Windows 10. Whatever you think of Microsoft’s latest operating system, it’s safe to say that it hasn’t been optimized for tablets. The software runs smoothly on the MateBook, but a lot of on-screen icons are still too small and fiddly to tap accurately every time, even in the OS’s “tablet mode.” For example: You can run Excel on the MateBook with ease, but good luck doing anything complex. Also: Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant, didn’t understand me at all.
The MateBook’s additional dock box.(Huawei)
Awkward ports. Rather like the newest MacBook, the MateBook only has a single USB-C port for peripherals and power supply. For $89, Huawei sells a little box called the MateDock, which plugs into the USB port and gives you HDMI, VGA, and ethernet ports, as well as two additional USB ports. But then you have to carry around this vestigial little box wherever you’re taking your tablet, which seems more cumbersome than just using a laptop. Also: When the MateBook is docked into the keyboard, the headphone jack is on the top-left of the device, and when headphones are plugged in, the cable tends to drape in front of the screen, which is a bit annoying.
The speakers. Although they’re relatively loud for a tablet, they’re exceedingly tinny.
It’s not cheap. The MateBook starts at $699, which is pretty reasonable for a powerful tablet like this. But for that price, you’re getting a relatively slow Intel Core m3 processor, 4 GB of memory, and 128 GB of storage. If you want to bump up to a faster m5 processor, and double the memory and storage, you’re looking at a price tag of $999. There’s also a version with 512 GB of storage that costs $1,199. But factor in the price of a keyboard case, a MateDock, and if you want it, Huawei’s stylus, and even the base model will run you $976, which is about how much you’d be able to spend on an actual, powerful Windows laptop.
If you’re in the market for a powerful tablet and you’re not a fan of the Microsoft Surface line, then the Huawei MateBook is a worthy contender. But to get power and productivity from this device you’re going to have to spend a fair amount of money, which begs the question of whether it’s just better to get a laptop. For about the same price as the base MateBook, with all the peripherals included, you can buy a far more powerful Dell XPS 13 laptop, which reviewers have been enjoying. It ultimately comes down to whether a touchscreen really matters to you.
The MateBook really is a good device, but given the price, it’s not clear that it’s a device anyone actually needs. It does show, however, that Huawei knows how to make some solid computing hardware. Whether the company will be able to successfully sell that hardware, and any future tech, in the US remains to be seen.
What one really looks for in the highly-competitive notebook market is innovation, literally by the second. Hitting the right notes, processor giant HP has launched, what it claims to be the world’s thinnest laptop, Spectre 13 in India. As thin as an AAA- battery at just 10.4 mm, the notebook weighs only 1.1 kg. It is thinner than both MacBook and MacBook Air.
Equipped with a powerful Intel® Core™ i5 and i7 processors, 8 GB RAM, and a hyperbaric cooling technology, the notebook is high-on technology. Add to that its slim and slick looks, dark grey and copper finish and you have a stylish product. Promising to give a superb viewing experience, the laptop comes with a Gorilla Glass 4 display and a 13.3- inch full HD IPS screen.Largely built using aluminum, HP Spectre has a carbon-fibre bottom that creates a thin-durable profile, keeping the total weight of the notebook at just 1.1 kg. The laptop has a jewel-like finish and a hidden piston hinge that creates the illusion of a hinge-less design, which gives it a futuristic look.
Gorilla Glass 5 launched this week. With every version of Gorilla Glass this product becomes nearly twice as hard to break as the prior version. Given the glass only accounts for around one percent of the overall cost of the phone—according to Corning—and we all have likely experienced the sudden shock of a broken screen resulting in either needing a new phone or screen (and losing the use of our phone in the meantime), it might be worth waiting to buy that new smartphone until the second half of the year when phones using this new Gorilla Glass show up.I spent the day at Corning this week and it was an eye-opening experience. It kind of had to be—I was running on very little sleep.
A few years back Sapphire was all the rage and it was going to take Gorilla Glass out of the market. That didn’t actually happen because while Sapphire does resist scratches better, it is a crystal—making it very brittle, and it is wicked expensive to make with acceptable quality at large sizes. This is why you do see it in watches but don’t see it in phones. Glass does flex at least a little and we all put our phones in our back pockets and forget from time to time. Feeling that snap when the screen lets go when we sit down isn’t playful or fun—it’s expensive. (By the way, apparently Corning has a hybrid product coming for watches that has hardness approaching Sapphire but without the downside of crystal).
But there has been pressure on Corning from a product out of China called Dragon Glass. Corning didn’t call this brand out by name, but it clearly wanted to make the point that all hardened glass isn’t created equal. Corning’s patented process is unique and results in a far more durable product. Corning allowed us to tour the testing lab where they showed screen after screen and device after device using this lesser—and undoubtedly cheaper—screen material failing in test after test, followed by largely earlier versions of Gorilla Glass not nearly as strong as this new Generation 5 product which was unbreakable. Corning did disclose that from time to time it does break but at a far lower frequency, and also showcased that this advantage was particularly pronounced the thinner the glass was.For some reason smartphone OEMs want to make their phones as thin as possible and while I’m not sure that is smart because we are losing utility—especially battery life—I have to admit the result is attractive.
One of the interesting aspects of Gorilla Glass that is new is that it is being increasingly put in cars. This speaks better about this idea of it being strong while thin than I think the thin phone concept does. In this case it removes a lot of weight particularly in vehicles like the Tesla X (which doesn’t yet use it) which has a ton of glass—and for an electric vehicle increased weight cuts down on battery life. Currently it is only used in a few super cars because car companies in that class are willing to pay almost anything to lose an ounce. But, I expect, this will be far more common, particularly in electric cars once they become more mainstream because range is a huge differentiator in that segment.
I’d watched “London Has Fallen” prior to going to Corning and in that movie the heroes were escaping in a bullet proof car, which eventually got filled with bullets. It struck me that currently bulletproof glass is incredibly thick and heavy and with concerns about getting shot are at an all-time high. I wonder if, at some future date, we’ll have a bullet-proof option. If we do I’ll bet it comes from Corning.There is nothing like breaking a phone to ruin your day. With every version of Gorilla Glass this becomes more and more remote. The latest version, Gorilla Glass 5, will be showing up in phones in the second half of the year. If you are in the market for a phone and aren’t in the 15 percent of people who don’t drop them, you might want to wait until that generation ships. It could make the difference between dropping your phone and having a heart attack and dropping your phone and thanking Corning.
By the way, Corning showcased one unique use for the glass. Printing a picture on it that you could then attach to something like a laptop lid to create a rich durable custom finish. The showcase product was a laptop and, I expect, that’ll be an option at some point. I could see putting a picture of one of my cars on my laptop lid.Which is the best Chromebook? The first Chromebook was invented in 2011 by Google. The mixed reception back then could have discouraged manufacturers, but the Chromebook market has exploded in the past few years. Now there are many Chromebook models by different manufacturers, other than Google. The question now is: What is the best Chromebook?