A little bit of everything without weight being a problem
Beyond some finishing details, Huawei Notebooks are laptops that one can quickly identify at first glance. They are sober, well built, and always leave some point as a mark of the house. We will talk about that later.
Matebook D 16 Engadget Cover
The Huawei MateBook D 16 is the older brother of the whole family. The most economical series focused on the most basic consumer market already has its model with a diagonal that is all joys.
The Huawei MateBook D 16 is a laptop with a good screen diagonal but is neither heavy nor excessively large.
Huawei’s new laptop has a straightforward premise: robust construction thanks to the metallic finish without excessive weight. The model we analyzed marked 1.7 kg on the scale, a complete bikini operation well done.
Matebook D 16 Engadget Case
The Huawei MateBook D 16 is also contained in its dimensions, with a sound reduction in frames. The screen-to-body ratio is 90%.
In these 16-inch devices, tinkering with the connections is not well seen. Huawei does not do it in its new model either, although it could always have added, for example, an SD memory card slot, which never hurts.
Matebook D 16 Connectivity
We have five main ports looking at the general and non-professional target audience.
On the right side, we have two USB type A ports (one USB 3.2, One 1, and the other USB 2.0 flat), while on the left, there is the dual USB-C port (both support charging and data, but only one of them outputs video), an HDMI and the mixed 3.5 mm port for headphones and microphone.
Matebook D 16 Engadget Fingerprint Reader
The fingerprint reader is not missing either; well integrated into the power button and works perfectly.
When faced with Huawei laptops, one always wonders whether they can make video calls effectively or not. And I’m not just talking about video quality. Typically, the brand places the webcam as a key on your computer, thereby losing its correct angle.
Huawei has not only placed a quality webcam in its Matebook D 16 but has placed it where it can be used.
This Huawei MateBook D 16 has no surprises but the opposite. Once again, we insist on the focus that Huawei has placed on the consumer market, offering an outstanding team for the whole family and chores.
Matebook D 16 Engadget Webcam
The webcam of this model is in the upper frame of the screen. It offers 1080p video quality and is supported by four noise-reducing microphones that we can choose to manage the AI that Huawei puts to work for us.
The quality of the image (which could be improved in low light situations) and the sound that we obtain with this Matebook D 16 webcam is one level above what is usual in the segment. It also has extra functions such as automatic centering, backgrounds, or gaze adjustment.
That the webcam is not part of the laptop keyboard does not mean we lose protection and privacy. Of course, it goes from a mechanical option to a purely electronic one. A key is available on the keyboard that turns the computer’s webcam on or off with a single touch.
In completing this section, we must mention the wireless connectivity we can enjoy: Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
Huawei Super Device
The new Intel on the attack
Although Huawei plays the trump card of the excellent performance of AMD processors about their prices, here there is only Intel. We can choose between the best of the American company’s consumer processors: Core i5-12450, Core i5-12500H, and Core i7-12700H.
Matebook D 16 Engadget Performance
The models we can choose have 8 or 16 GB of RAM and a single capacity of 512 GB. Of course, the NVMe PCIe SSD unit offers more than satisfactory performance, with more than 3,500 MB/s in reading mode and almost 2,000 MB/s in writing.
The model we analyzed had the Core i7 processor and 16 GB of RAM, the complete model of the new family. Its price would be 1,300 euros, but since it is a house brand, it comes with gifts of other devices with a value of close to 400 euros.
home
The performance of this version more than meets what a user will require for non-specific tasks. Our tests with PCMark obtain 5,591 points in the Home test, which is the one that best simulates the most appropriate usage scenario for this equipment.
In Cinebench R20, the CPU test is close to 5,000 points, while in Cinebench R23, we get more than 11,000 points in the tests multicore, which makes it clear that the 14 cores and 20 threads will hone in on multitasking very well.
16 inches but FullHD
The D series has a common point among Huawei laptops: the IPS screen with a matte finish and 1080p resolution.
The Huawei MateBook D 16 continues with that plan, but on a 16-inch diagonal, not going over 1920×1200 pixels limits its use somewhat. It is a factor to consider, although the real handicap will depend on your use of the equipment.
Matebook D 16 Engadget Screen Resource
For the rest, Huawei more than meets the price we pay for the equipment and has improved the two critical points of the D series of other years: brightness and contrast.
The new screen has a brightness of 300 nits, contrast 1200:1, 100% sRGB coverage, and the matte finish makes it very comfortable to use in any environment. In addition, it does not lose its attractiveness, and the 16:10 format is appreciated for productivity tasks.
In the design of this Huawei MateBook D 16, it is surprising that Huawei has not placed two prominent speakers on the sides of the keyboard. We’ll see what he has dedicated to something else.
Due to this, the placement of the stereo speakers remains for the lower part of the chassis. There is, therefore, no imprint of prominent speakers. Still, a reasonably powerful sound is achieved, capable of filling a room and all this without distortions, although with a somewhat flat behavior.
The lack of bass in this equipment can be compensated via software, but the result does not convince us because, in the end, it is limited to reducing the volume of the mids and treble.
