With local back-to-school season just around the corner, Huawei introduced its 2023 laptop and tablet lineup to the Philippine market.

We’re talking about five models here, not including the two variants of one of the tablets. There’s the Huawei MateBook D 14 BE — the most affordable of the new notebooks — plus the Huawei MateBook D 14, MateBook 16s, MatePad 11.5″, and MatePad Air. And all offer tools that support seamless collaboration and connectivity through the brand’s Super Device software system, now made even better by new and upgraded SuperHub, Smart Search, and Smart Conference features.

But while Huawei Philippines markets them primarily for students, make no mistake, the products — especially the more premium ones — can be used by young professionals as well. This is based on what we have seen thus far; we have been using the MatePad 11.5″ for more than a week now and got a quick hands-on with the other products during their media launch.

The latest MateBooks

For as low as P29,999 (around $548), you can take home the Huawei MateBook D 14 BE. It’s bundled with a free Huawei Classic Backpack worth P1,890 ($35) for purchases made between July 28 and August 31.

The laptop is equipped with a Metaline antenna, which allows for faster download speeds and smoother and more stable network connectivity over Wi-Fi. Recall that the technology debuted in last year’s MateBook D 16.

The Huawei MateBook D 14 BE also gets a spill-resistant keyboard with a 1.5mm high key travel and a water-resistant body, which could help with those unwanted accidents of spillage when working. It has that classic, metallic look; is light at 1.39kg and thin at 17.2mm; can be opened all the way to 180 degrees; and uses a 12th Gen Intel Core processor. There’s also an HD camera with hardware-level video effects, such as Beauty, FollowCam, Eye Contact, and Virtual Background.

The 2023 Huawei MateBook D 14, on the other hand, is priced at P44,999 ($822). Buy it between July 28 and August 31, and receive a free Huawei WiFi AX3 router valued at P4,199 ($77) on top of the Classic Backpack.

This year’s iteration already sports a display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 90% screen-to-body ratio; the panel on last year’s model comes with a 16:9 aspect ratio and an 84% screen-to-body ratio. It’s powered by a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1240P processor with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics to go along with 16GB LPDDR4X RAM and 512GB PCIe SSD. It boasts a Metaline antenna for 270m long-range network connections and an AI camera, too.

Completing the notebook lineup is the Huawei MateBook 16s 2023, which retails at P89,999 ($1,644). From July 28 to August 31, you can get it with a free Huawei MateView SE and a bag both worth up to almost P10,000 ($183).

Now, this one’s really more for professionals. The new MateBook 16s features a 16-inch True Colour FullView Touch Display with a 90% screen-to-body ratio, a 3:2 aspect ratio, and support for 10-point multitouch. Under this Intel Evo-certified laptop’s hood is a powerful 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H processor.

Huawei MateBook D 14 BE specs

• 14-inch IPS FullView Display, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 157ppi
• 12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U processor
• Intel UHD graphics
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB SSD
• USB-C (1), USB 3.2 Gen 1 (2), USB 2.0 (1), HDMI (1), RJ45 (1) and microphone + headphone jack
• 720p HD front camera
• Dual speakers
• Dual microphones
• Keyboard with 1.5mm key travel, non-backlit chiclet
• Touchpad with multitouch
• Fingerprint power button
• 42Wh battery with 65W fast charging
• Microsoft Windows 11 Home OS
• 17.2mm
• 1.39g
• Color option: Space Gray

Huawei MateBook D 14 2023 specs

• 14-inch IPS FullView Display, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio, 161ppi
• 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1240P processor
• Intel Iris Xe graphics
• 16GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 512GB SSD
• USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (1), USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (1), USB-A 2.0 (1), HDMI (1), and microphone + headphone jack
• 1M front camera
• Dual speakers
• Dual microphones
• Full-size keyboard
• Touchpad with 5-point touch control
• Fingerprint power button
• 56Wh battery with 65W fast charging
• Microsoft Windows 11 Home OS
• 15.9mm
• 1.39g
• Color option: Mystic Silver

Huawei MateBook 16s 2023 specs

• 16-inch IPS FullView Display, 2,520 x 1,680 resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio, touch support, 189ppi
• 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900H processor
• Intel Iris Xe graphics
• 16GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 1TB SSD
• USB Type-C (2; one port with Thunderbolt 4), USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (2), HDMI (1), and microphone + headphone jack
• 1080p AI camera
• Dual speakers
• Dual microphones
• Full-size backlit keyboard
• Touchpad with multitouch
• Fingerprint power button
• 84Wh battery with 135W fast charging
• Microsoft Windows 11 Home OS
• 17.8mm
• 1.99g
• Color option: Space Gray

The latest MatePads

There are two variants of the base Huawei MatePad 11.5″ WiFi model. The online-exclusive (on Huawei Online Store, Shopee, or Lazada) unit pairs 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage. Then there’s the 8GB/128GB version.

Thhis 11.5-inch tablet flaunts a display that’s not only large and sharp, but also fast at 120Hz, allowing for a smoother user-interface navigation. It even bagged eye-protection certifications from TÜV Rheinland and SGS Germany.

The Huawei MatePad 11.5″ also offers a powerful performance courtesy of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip, plus convenient multitasking, thanks to built-in multi-window mode and split-screen features. If we were you, we’d get the one with the free smart keyboard and stylus for a PC-like experience — what with PC-level productivity tools that will let you access native PC apps, and Huawei Notes, which allows for a great handwriting experience and document input across multiple formats. We’ll talk more about the device in a video we’re posting in the next few weeks.

If you want a more premium PC-level experience, then the Huawei MatePad Air LTE may be for you. Its display also measures 11.5 inches and has a 3:2 aspect ratio, but already supports up to 144Hz refresh rate and boasts a higher 2.8K resolution. The chipset upgrades to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G chipset and is mated to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The battery goes bigger from 7,700mAh to 8,300mAh. You also get quad microphones instead of two.

Huawei MatePad 11.5″ specs

• 11.5-inch LCD display, 2,200 x 1,440 resolution, up to 120Hz refresh rate, 86% screen-to-body ratio
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor
• Adreno 644 GPU
• 6GB/8GBGB RAM
• 128GB expandable storage
• 13-megapixel rear camera
• 8-megapixel front camera
• Dual microphones
• Quad speakers
• 7,700mAh battery with USB-C charging
• HarmonyOS 3.1
• Color option: Space Gray

Huawei MatePad Air specs

• 11.5-inch LCD display, 2,800 x 1,840 resolution, up to 144Hz refresh rate, 87% screen-to-body ratio
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor
• Adreno 660 GPU
• 8GBGB RAM
• 256GB expandable storage
• 13-megapixel rear camera
• 8-megapixel front camera
• uad microphones
• Quad speakers
• 8,300mAh battery with USB-C charging
• HarmonyOS 3.1
• Color option: Graphite Black

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