Huawei has been updating the MateBook D16 for years, maintaining its status as a convenient and powerful laptop for working anywhere. The next update promises even more power. Is it so?
The name Huawei MateBook D16 suggests that the screen is 16 inches. Thanks to thin frames and Huawei’s classic 16:10 aspect ratio, there’s really a lot of space to work with.
The top frame houses a 720p webcam. There is support for intelligent functions that allow you to center the picture and follow you in the frame. For high-quality calls there are noise reduction and voice enhancement functions.
The fun begins inside. The official name of the design is C-bridge Design. Each earphone consists of two halves: Acoustic Ball and Comfort Bean, connected by a “bridge”, which holds the earphone on the ear. Yes, exactly ON the ear, since the headphones themselves do not touch the ear canal, only directional sound gets there.
Visually, the headphones resemble cuff earrings. It looks very youthful and unusual.
- dimensions: 356.7×248.7×18.4 mm
- weight 1.68 kg
The body is completely made of metal. Only the keyboard, screen margins and hinge are made of plastic. The latter allows you to turn the Huawei MateBook D16 into a full-fledged tablet by folding it 180°. If you don’t have room at home to freely place a laptop, keyboard, mouse and other peripherals, you can compactly place the laptop on a stand.
Display: bright picture for your eyes
The display supports 100 percent sRGB coverage and technologies to preserve users’ vision. Everything here is traditional, there is blue light filtration (confirmed by TÜV Rheinland) and anti-PWM technologies that eliminate flicker.
The resolution is standard, 1920×1200 pixels, matte finish, which allows you not to worry about glare and reflections. The maximum brightness of 300 nits is enough for working not only at home, but also on the road.
The main advantage of the Huawei MateBook D 16 is hidden in its name; as we mentioned, the diagonal here is 16 inches, which is more than enough for parallel work in several applications without compromising performance. You can open two windows and work with documents, or you can watch Youtube in one half and surf the Internet in the other. You decide.
Iron: for work and more
Huawei always offers laptops with different power levels, so that the buyer gets the optimal price-quality ratio. So with the D16, there are models “from start to finish”. If you want a simple typewriter with a 12th generation i5 processor, no problem. If you need a more serious car, get the 13th generation i9.
We are reviewing just the version for those who need everything at once and with a reserve of power. On board the Huawei MateBook D16 (2024) is a Core i9−13900H processor with a clock frequency of 2.6 GHz. We confirm the protocol characteristics with test results:
Geekbench 6:
- Single Core – 1178
- Multi Core – 7612
Cinebench R23:
- Single Core – 12840
- Multi Core – 1051
There is no discrete graphics; the built-in Iris Xe Graphics system is responsible for everything. You can’t call this solution a gaming solution even if you wanted to, although technically you can even run modern games like Cyberpunk 2077 on the Huawei MateBook D16 (2024). Only the output will be about 25 FPS on low settings.
If switching your brain after a hard day at work is not a whim, but a vital necessity, you can go back to basics and run something like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on high graphics settings and keep a stable FPS in the region 40.
Our version of the D16 has 16 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and a 1 TB SSD PCIe hard drive.
The speed of operation is pleasing both for reading and writing:
- reading – 4904
- entry – 3947
A simpler option will be available for purchase, with 8/512 GB, respectively.
Innovation: for convenience in everything
Huawei has long developed a set of proprietary innovative technologies that make their devices stand out on the market. Laptops are no exception. The first is Huawei Metaline, a special antenna that provides a stable Wi-Fi 6 signal in any conditions and over very long distances. They promise a good connection even at a distance of 270 meters from the signal source. For comparison, this is slightly more than the length of two standard football fields.
At the ends of the Huawei MateBook D16 there is one USB-A 2.0, USB-A 3.2, USB-C with support for data transfer, charging and DisplayPort connections. They also didn’t forget about HDMI 1.4.
In summary, thanks for preserving USB-A, because a lot of devices are connected through this port. For example, a graphics tablet with a wired connection. On the other hand, we only have one USB-C, which is used for charging, and still there is no card reader. Ok, but if you still live a remote work life, then, alas, you won’t always be able to do without hubs.
For users of the Huawei ecosystem, there is support for “Super Device” technology, which allows you to connect to brand devices running under the same account. You can quickly share files or search for necessary documents on all devices at once.
You can connect smartphones to your laptop using an NFC tag hidden under the Huawei Share sticker next to the touchpad.
Keyboard and touchpad: for those who type a lot and quickly
The Huawei MateBook D16 managed to organically accommodate a full-fledged keyboard with a numeric keypad. The latter is slightly narrowed in width, but the very fact of its presence is already a plus.
The keyboard is tailored to the maximum for those who in life need to type a lot, quickly and, preferably, without errors. For convenience, there are long “shifts” and even the eternally forgotten “Yo”.
There is a three-level keyboard backlight and finger-friendly key travel of only 1.5 mm. The buttons are quiet, so you won’t annoy your colleagues, household members, cats and dogs.
The touchpad on the laptop is shifted to the left, which is unusual at first. The touchpad itself is quite compact, I would like it to be a little larger. On the plus side, there is support for traditional Huawei multi-gesture input.
The fingerprint scanner is located in the upper right corner as a separate button. Sets it up once and for all, allowing you to forget about unlocking your laptop using a password. Works quickly and without mistakes.
Battery: lasts all day
The built-in battery has become slightly larger compared to the previous generation (70 Wh versus 60 Wh). This option is available for models with i7/i9 processors. Younger models come with a 56 Wh battery.
In normal (mixed) operating mode, 70 Wh allows you to work for about 9 hours. This is enough for surfing the Internet, working with signs and watching Youtube in between tasks. If you need more power, you can switch to performance mode using the Fn+P key combination when running on mains power.
From the included 65 W adapter, the laptop charges 50% in the first 30-35 minutes. The treasured 100% can be seen in about 1:40. Let us remind you that you can charge brand smartphones and tablets with a Huawei branded charger. Fast charging is available for devices that support the Huawei SuperCharge protocol. For example, P60 Pro or Mate X3.
Bottom line: Staying productive
Huawei MateBook D16 (2024) is synonymous with productivity. Whether it’s a coffee shop, a workspace, or your favorite sofa at home, you can count on getting the most out of your laptop: a good battery, a keyboard, a powerful processor combined with a fast hard drive are all ingredients for success.
