Ultra-light and portable notebooks have come a long way over the last few years, especially after the success of Apple’s MacBook Air, which launched nearly a decade ago. In December, I got my hands on the new Huawei MateBook D 16 2024 , a modest notebook that will cater to the needs of most casual and business computer users, so what is it doing on NAG? Read on, this is the most unlikely gaming notebook you’ve ever seen.
By all accounts, the Huawei MateBook D 16 2024 is a straightforward upgrade from its predecessors, making use of Intel’s 13th gen platform to improve overall performance, battery life, and graphics capabilities. This notebook features an Intel Core i5 processor running at 2.10GHz, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of NVMe storage, allowing you to bash out emails, crack a few spreadsheets, and watch streaming content like a boss. I used this computer for doing some admin over December and fulfilling magazine orders while on holiday, and it did a stellar job, the battery life is really impressive, and I could run it for hours without needing to plug it in. The Huawei MateBook D 16 2024 edition features an upgraded battery of 70Wh, and in the box, you’ll find a 65w USB charger. I even managed to power it from my battery bank one afternoon when I was too lazy to get up from my lounger. For most jobs, I found the processor to be more than capable of delivering the performance I needed, I even managed to run Photoshop without much hassle, although it’s not as snappy as running it on my high-end machines, which is expected.
In terms of design and usability, Huawei did a great job of making the Huawei MateBook D 16 feel like a simple yet sleek-looking device, and you’d be forgiven for thinking this is a MacBook at first glance. The brushed aluminium look with strong black bezels around the screen is a classic design style and one I still love to see. The screen is vibrant and bright with sharp text. The Huawei control panel also gives you easy access to an Eye Comfort mode that minimises blue light when you work at night. I also liked the fact that the screen hinge can open 180 degrees, ensuring you won’t accidentally bend the screen back too far.
The large touchpad is also notable. It’s sensitive enough to let me slide around Windows in any app I am using, and the larger size just makes the user experience better overall by giving my digits space to run. Typing on the keyboard is also pleasant but a little soft to my liking – don’t expect special key switches; the keys offer a short travel distance of 1.5mm with soft clicks. They are versatile enough to type this review and agile enough to let me WASD my way out of a sticky situation in Cyberpunk 2077.
On the top right-hand side of the keyboard is a single power button with no other protrusions to take away from the clean design. This power button also features a fingerprint reader to wake up and unlock your PC in one seamless touch. It’s a great design implementation, and I wish high-end gaming notebooks would take note.
Looking at I/O, there are three USB ports from various generations. On the left side, you’ll find one USB-C (supports data, charging and DisplayPort) and one USB3.2 Gen1 (supports data, charging). There is also an HDMI port and a 3.5mm audio jack for mic and headphones. On the right side of the MateBook is a single USB2.0 port. I love the two chargeable USB ports. For Internet connectivity, there is no hardwired option, but the 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax wireless connectivity performs pretty well; on my home wireless network, I managed to get throughputs of 435Mb/s down and 261 Mb/s up.
Other features worth mentioning are the speakers, which are reasonably loud but sound a little flat on the deeper frequencies, while the webcam looks okay at 720p. I would have loved to see a 1080p webcam on this device, even for office use, low-resolution cameras can look a bit fuzzy on a group call.
While it has a few entry-level PC shortcomings, the Huawei MateBook D 16 2024 edition is an impressive piece of kit for R14,999. If you are part of the Huawei ecosystem, you’ll unlock a few more features on this notebook, like sharing files between your phone and the MateBook via NFC and Huawei Share.
During my first two weeks of using this notebook, it mainly managed a few mundane tasks while I was out and about, and it came in really handy to write and manage emails while I was out of the office. It was not until I wanted to play some games that I found another really great use for this PC – the GeForce Now powered by Rain game streaming. Yes indeed, it works like a charm and I’ve been playing Cyberpunk 2077 with ease on this little machine. I’m still blown away by the idea that I can play such a resource-intensive game on the Huawei MateBook D16.
There is a lot to love about the Huawei MateBook D 16; it’s fast, has a good battery life and can even play games when you are sitting at the coffee shop – provided you have good wi-fi, of course. It’s also the perfect computer for students needing something to handle their project work or even a computer for your parents who just want something basic to watch Youtube videos, email, and keep up to date with their grandkids on Facebook.
As a gaming device, it also works really well, and if you are subscribed to Rain’s GeForce Now, you’ll be able to play many of your favourite games on the Huawei MateBook D 16. If you are looking for a dedicated gaming notebook, though, you can find something with an entry-level GeForce RTX graphics card for around the same price as this. On the other hand, you’ll likely find the Huawei MateBook D 16 2024 on a subscription offering.
I’ve long been a fan of Huawei hardware, and it’s good to see a solid notebook offering from them. If you are looking for a business productivity machine, the Huawei MateBook D 16 2024 will get the job done, and then some.
