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Huawei MateBook X Pro (2023) Review
A solid laptop with a minor upgrade
In This Article
Verdict
The Huawei MateBook X Pro (2023) hasn’t deviated too far from its predecessors, but does boast a 13th-Gen Intel i7 chipset, allowing it to breeze through productivity tasks. But with such a high price and limited graphical capabilities, you may be better off investing in a cheaper alternative.
Pros
Cons
Availability
Key Features
Introduction
Huawei has mastered the art of creating consistently reliable laptops and the MateBook X Pro (2023) is no exception.
With reliability comes monotony, and the MateBook X Pro feels remarkably similar to itspredecessor. The only big change is the inclusion of the13th-GenIntel Core i7-1360P and increased memory and storage.
Nonetheless, the MateBook X Pro is a solid productivity laptop – although it may be too expensive to make it onto ourbest laptopsroundup.
Design and Keyboard
The MateBook line of laptops are notoriously similar in terms of design. My model came in white – its only distinguishing feature – and is very well built. It weighs 1.38kg, making it easily portable, with no flex in the chassis or the lid.
The port selection is advanced but minimal. It includes fourUSB-Cports – two of which supportThunderbolt 4– and a 3.5mm audio jack. This provided speedy transfer times and allowed me to effortlessly connect to myRazer Raptormonitor, but the lack of USB-A connections meant I did need to use a dongle to connect my older peripherals.
The keyboard is comfortable to use and feels remarkably similar to theMacBook Air. It has a comfortable and tactile feel with great travel and a satisfying click. The sharp adjustable backlighting also allowed me to work in darker environments without losing visibility.
The trackpad feels smooth and responsive. It comes with the same haptic feedback features as theMateBook X Pro (2022), allowing me to adjust the volume and toggle the brightness by dragging along the side of the panel via gesture controls. I love this feature; it makes simple interactions feel a lot more streamlined and makes the experience of using the laptop feel more premium.
Huawei has not disclosed any information about the sustainability of the MateBook X Pro, and so is unlikely to be comprised of recycled materials. The packaging consists of cardboard and 4 LDPE polystyrene, which can be recycled in the UK, although you will need to check with your local authority to find out where you can recycle it. The likes of theSamsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultrahave a better approach to sustainable packaging.
Display and Sound
One of the best things about the MateBook X Pro is its screen. It comes with a 3120×2080 resolution and 90Hz refresh rate, which is incredibly crisp for a productivity device.
My tests also showed a high level of colour coverage. The tests forsRGB,Adobe RGBandDCI-P3came out at 100%, 90% and 99%, respectively, opening the doors for creative professionals.
The brightness was disappointing, coming in at 316 nits at its maximum. This is a big decrease compared to the 550 nits of brightness found on theMateBook X Pro (2022), but I had no issue using this model in typical lighting conditions.
Despite the low brightness, this made for a great media-watching experience. Colours popped off of the screen and the high resolution allowed for a lot of detail, although darkly light scenes could be a little murky when the brightness wasn’t turned up to 100%.
The integrated speakers were well-balanced and provided a lot of punch. Creepy music in Black Mirror sounded immersive, with no distortion on high-frequency tones. The Barbie soundtrack also fared very well, with a clear distinction between vocals and instrumentals.
Performance
The Huawei MateBook X Pro performed very well, so much so that I have no complaints. It managed to avoid the throttling issues found on some U-Series and P-Series devices – most notably theDell XPS 13 Plus – despite its thin design.
Nothing slowed it down, from the dozens of tabs I had open to the YouTube video running on my external monitor. It did heat up under a lot of stress, but the fans stayed pleasantly quiet throughout, no matter what I was doing.
The Huawei MateBook X Pro comes in one configuration; an Intel Core i7 chip and Intel Iris Xe Graphics alongside 1TBSSDand 16GBRAM. This does limit its accessibility as there is no affordable variation with less storage or a less powerful chip on offer, just this £1799.99/$1900 powerhouse.
Overall, the benchmark performance matched my own real-world experience; the MateBook X Pro held its own against AMD Ryzen 7000 Series and P-Series laptops in the single-core test, falling slightly behind the H-SeriesAcer Swift Go 14. Multi-core performance was a similar story, but impressive for a P-Series chip. The results show that the MateBook X Pro is capable of some light creative work, although the lack of a discrete GPU means it cannot handle intensive graphical workloads.
The SSD speeds are average for a productivity machine, at 4905MB/s read and 3940MB/s write. This didn’t have a noticeably negative impact on performance, but it might be more impactful if you’re frequently copying large video files onto the device.
Battery Life
The Huawei MateBook X Pro has a reliable battery life, lasting 8 hours and 27 minutes in my battery benchmark, using the PCMark 10 benchmark.
It lasted a good portion of my workday – which typically involves intensive productivity workloads as well as video playback – before needing to be plugged in.
If you want something with more endurance, theSamsung Galaxy Book 3 360lasted an impressive 13 hours and 48 minutes, while theMacBook Air M2can last for close to 14 hours too.
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Should you buy it?
You want a premier productivitylaptop:
The Huawei MateBook X Pro (2023) delivered a faultless performance. Its mature, sleek design wouldn’t look out of place in an office and it’s a joy to type on.
You don’t want to pay premium prices:
For a productivity laptop, the Huawei MateBook X Pro (2023) is very expensive. If you’re only looking to engage in basic office work, I would invest in something cheaper like theMacBook Air.
Final Thoughts
The Huawei MateBook X Pro (2023) is not reinventing the wheel, touting an identical design to its siblings. Its true strength is derived from the 13th-Gen Intel i7 chipset, which can handle intensive productivity workloads without breaking a sweat. Its sharp screen is great for watching media content and its overall size makes it perfect for hybrid workers.
However, it comes with a hefty £1799.99/$1900 price. Premium laptops like theApple MacBook Air (M2),Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED (2023)andSamsung Galaxy Book 3 360are all massively cheaper, all sitting around the £1299 mark. The high price point is really hard to defend, with no OLED display or discrete GPU in sight.
If money is no object and you’re hoping to turn some heads at your office, then the MateBook X Pro (2023) is a reliable option. But for the everyday worker, I would recommend my previous suggestions or checking out ourbest laptoplist for more options.
How we test
Every laptop we review goes through a series of uniform checks designed to gauge key things including build quality, performance, screen quality and battery life.
These include formal synthetic benchmarks and scripted tests, plus a series of real-world checks.
Tested the performance via both benchmark tests and real-world use.
We tested the screen with a colorimeter and real-world use.
We tested the battery with a benchmark test and real-world use.
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FAQs
The MateBook X Pro (2023) comes with a 13th-generation Intel Core processor.
Yes, keeping in line with the other laptops from the X Pro series, the most recent version comes with a touchscreen.
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Gemma joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer after graduating from Leeds Beckett University with a Journalism degree. She’s worked with national outlets, covering breaking news stories to reviews fo…
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Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
