This hot MacBook replacement is from a company you've never heard of
Laptops are hot fire once again.
Microsoft announced its first laptop, the Surface Laptop, earlier this month, and now Huawei, the world's third-largest phone manufacturer, is getting into Windows 10 laptops, too.
Though Huawei is known mostly for its budget and midrange phones (more recently with its Honor sub-brand) in the U.S., the Chinese tech giant has made more concerted efforts to be seen as a premium device maker.
The company's flagship P10 phone sits with the best Android phones. Hell, Huawei's even hired former "Get a Mac" actor Justin Long to push its products.
Last year, Huawei dipped its toes into the PC world with its MateBook 2-in-1 Surface Pro competitor. It was a decent device, but like all first tries it had its shortcomings such as poor battery life.
Huawei's new MateBook X -- the company's first clamshell laptop -- is aimed squarely at Apple's entire MacBook lineup.
Like its flagship phones, the MateBook X has a unibody aluminum design and is built for thinness and lightness. The 13-inch laptop measures just 0.49 inches at its thickest point -- thinner than the MacBook (0.52 inches) and MacBook Pro (0.59 inches). It only weighs 2.31 pounds compared to the MacBook Pro's 3.02 pounds.
Thin as the laptop is, it's still plenty powerful inside. The 13-inch non-touchscreen IPS display is made of Corning Gorilla Glass and boasts a 2,160 x 1,440 resolution. And, yes, the keyboard's backlit.
Under the hood, it's packing a fanless 7th-generation "Kaby Lake" Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, Intel HD Graphics 620, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of SSD storage. Huawei also claims up to 10 hours of battery life for watching 1080p-resolution video. There's also Dolby Atmos Sound inside.
For ports, the MateBook X has two USB-C ports, a power button that doubles as fingerprint sensor (fancy!), and a headphone jack. In the U.S., Huawei's including the MateDock 2, which includes a full-sized USB port, USB-C, VGA, and HDMI port. Also bundled is a USB to USB-C dongle.
I haven't seen the laptop in person so I can't say how the device feels. But if the old MateBook tablet and Huawei's excellent industrial design for its phones are any indication, the MateBook X could be the laptop to keep any eye on when it launches this summer. Plus, it comes in rose gold. Hopefully the price is lower than a MacBook, too.
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The MateBook X isn't Huawei's only laptop. Alongside the 13-incher is a the MateBook D, a 15.6-inch Windows 10 laptop.
While not quite as premium as the MateBook X, the MateBook D is still a decent machine with an all-aluminum body, a full HD resolution display, a discrete graphics card, and a full range of ports.
Specs for the MateBook D include seventh-gen Kaby Lake Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage with several configurations split combining a traditional hard drive and SSD, and discrete graphics (up to Nvidia 940MX). Battery life is pegged at around 8.5 hours of local video playback.
The MateBook D has two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port, a headphone jack, and an HDMI port.
The MateBook D ships this summer. Pricing is also TBD.
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In addition to the new laptops, Huawei's also updated its 2-in-1 to the MateBook E.
The new 2-in-1 has the same 12-inch screen as the old one, but this time around the 1080p screen's been upgraded to 2K (2,160 x 1,440) resolution.
Performance gets a boost across the board with seventh-gen Intel Core m3 or Core i7 processors, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of SSD storage. The company advertises up to 9 hours of video playback.
Huawei says it's also improved the 2-in-1's less noticeable features; the magnetic connector for the keyboard is stronger thanks to a reduction in pins from seven to three, and the included folio case is adjustable from 10 degrees to 160 degrees, compared to the original folio case's three angles.
The MateBook E also ships this summer with pricing TBD.
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
