Huawei has established itself as a laptop seller (at least outside of the United States), and its MateBook X Pro (2020) and MateBook D 15 (2020) both pleased last year albeit with a few drawbacks. The MateBook D 15 refresh in 2021 is more of an update than a rebuild; it makes no significant improvements.
Anyone searching for a laptop that may be customized at the time of purchase should look elsewhere. For £749, buyers in the UK have only one option: an 11th-generation Intel Core i5-1135G7 with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD (inc. VAT). In other countries, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage are available.The dark grey chassis colour, which Huawei refers to as Space Gray (but which I prefer to call slate), is rather appealing. In an office setting, it won’t look out of place.
Size and weight
The Huawei MateBook D 15 (2021)’s marriage of a massive screen with a small weight is a prominent feature. The 15.6-inch screen is housed in a 357.8mm wide, 229.9mm deep, and 16.9mm thick chassis. These measurements are identical to those of last year’s model. It is 1.56kg in weight (up 3g from last year). Although the size and weight may be visible in a backpack, the vast screen may make the minor inconvenience worthwhile.
According to Huawei, the MateBook D 15 passed various tests, including the ability to withstand temperatures of 40°C and 90% relative humidity, durability testing for the USB-C port Featuring a fingerprint scanner, as well as durability testing on the keyboard, screen hinge, and touchpad. There is no formal MIL-STD certification.
The 15.6-inch screen is surrounded by 5.3mm bezels on the top and sides, with a deeper bottom bezel. As a result, the screen-to-body ratio is 87 percent (we calculated 81.5 percent ). Because the upper bezel isn’t deep enough to house a camera, the pop-up camera is hidden in the keyboard, behind an Fn row key. It was in the MateBook X Pro (2020) and MateBook D 15 from last year (2020).
Camera and its Placement
The camera pops up when needed, although the placement isn’t optimal. With video meetings becoming a more common occurrence for many of us, the ‘on-the-nose camera angle used here is less than ideal. It’s one of two major flaws with this laptop that could be a deal-breaker.
The display is a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a resolution of FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels, 141.2ppi). It doesn’t respond to touch and has a maximum brightness of only 250 nits, so it’s not ideal for outdoor use on bright days. On both the horizontal and vertical axes, viewing angles are limited. After all of that,
The camera pops up when needed, although the placement isn’t optimal. With video meetings becoming a more common occurrence for many of us, the ‘on-the-nose camera angle used here is less than ideal. It’s one of two major flaws with this laptop that could be a deal-breaker.
IPS Display
The display is a 15.6-inch IPS panel with a resolution of FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels, 141.2ppi). It doesn’t respond to touch and has a maximum brightness of only 250 nits, so it’s not ideal for outdoor use on bright days. On both the horizontal and vertical axes, viewing angles are limited. After all of that,
The keyboard itself is a pleasure to use. The keys are broad and well-spaced, with a textured feel that adds interest to the otherwise smooth surface. The Fn row keys are relatively large, like the cursor keys (the left and right cursor keys are full sizes). At my typical speed, touch-typing was no problem for me.
Sensor and Wireless Connectivity
The touchpad is wide and fast, and the power button, which lies to the right of the keyboard, level with the Fn key row, has a fingerprint sensor incorporated in it.
Huawei includes its PC Manager software, which serves as a central location for monitoring driver updates, configuring power management, troubleshooting features like the fingerprint sensor and wireless connectivity (both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 6), and managing a phone connection.
