Huawei MateBook 14s

Huawei's MateBook 14s is a powerful, compact Intel laptop that's packed with ports and a killer keyboard - but best of all, a webcam above the screen

When it comes to reviewing Huawei laptops, there's a common refrain: forget about the Chinese company's persistent Android issues, since the Windows laptops are fantastic.

Except for the camera, this is always followed by a key proviso. The continuous usage of a hidden under-keyboard webcam in the company's laptop range has failed them down — a wonderful idea when webcams weren't widely utilized, but less so now.

The 14s adds a new keyboard, a 90Hz refresh rate display, and improved fast charging to the MateBook formula, but it's the decision to place the webcam back above the display that proves most welcome.

And notice, there's no notch at all. That's it, Apple.

Design and build

Slim, but not emaciated.

There are numerous ports available.

Restraint in design

Huawei's ultra-slim design is reserved for the MateBook X and X Pro series, with numbered variants like this being a tad chunkier.

The MateBook 14s is still portable, weighing 1.43kg in its lightest configuration, but it feels much more solid than the lightest laptops on the market, some of which are under a kilogram. There's also a little smaller MateBook 13s, although it won't be available in every country, including the UK.

The laptop has a small footprint, thanks to a thin bezel surrounding the 14-inch display that keeps the overall size down. Even though it's thick enough to accommodate a few ports, the aluminum alloy body remains quite compact.

On the right, you'll find a single USB-A 3.2 port, while on the left, you'll discover a 3.5mm headphone jack, HDMI, and two USB-C ports. They can be used for data, DisplayPort, and charging, and one of them can even be used as a Thunderbolt 4 port if you get the top-spec model (check for an Intel Evo certification to be sure).

The MateBook 14s looks sophisticated but restrained in Space Grey, but there's more zing in the faint 'Spruce Green' finish, which looks less corporate.

Keyboard and Trackpad

Windows Hello IR webcam – in the bezel Fingerprint sensor power button Fantastic, new keyboard

I've been a great fan of Huawei's recent MateBook keyboards, so I was concerned when it announced that the keys had been redone this time.

Fortunately, I didn't have to be concerned. The new backlit keyboard has a 1.5mm travel, which is quite deep for a laptop. Although this isn't a replacement for a desktop mechanical keyboard, the input feels very natural and satisfying. It's soft and silent without ever feeling mushy, which is one of my major keyboard pet peeves, and it just might be my next laptop keyboard.

Another significant modification is the removal of the webcam that was previously hidden inside a false Fn key. It's been replaced by a real key that sits between F6 and F7 and is dedicated to dictation mode using Microsoft's built-in speech recognition. I doubt I'll use it very often, but I'm sure it will be useful to some individuals.

The webcam has now been relocated to the bezel above the screen. This not only provides it a more pleasing aspect on the user, but it also allows Huawei to include infrared technology, allowing you to log in with Windows Hello face recognition — though there is also a fingerprint sensor in the power button.

The camera itself isn't really impressive – it's 720p and fairly grainy. With Huawei's smartphone camera capability well established, I'd love to see more of the same extend to the laptop market, but the positioning alone is a step forward.

Finally, the touchpad is roomy and pleasant, and I have no issues with it. It's a shame it doesn't include the company's unique pressure-sensitive haptic technology seen in the latest MateBook X models, but you do have Huawei Share built-in if you want to link the laptop to other Huawei devices.

Display and audio

90Hz refresh rate, 3:2 aspect ratio, and 2.5K resolution

Quad speakers and microphones

Huawei laptops are known for their excellent displays, and the 14s is no exception.

This is a 14-inch touchscreen display (really 14.2-inch) with a high 2.5K (2520 x 1680) resolution, which puts it ahead of the competition. Because it's an LTPS LCD rather than an OLED display, you won't get the deepest blacks, but the brilliant, rich colors leave little to be desired.

Using a SpyderX, discovered that the laptop covered 100% of the sRGB color gamut, as well as 77% of AdobeRGB and 76% of DCI-P3. That's not quite at the extremes of color fidelity found in creative gadgets, but for a standard consumer laptop, it's about as good as it gets, thanks to a brilliant 423 nits at maximum brightness.

You'll notice the difference if you use the 14s for gaming, but it also makes the laptop feel smoother in general, including simply swiping the cursor around the screen.

With a fast Fn+R keyboard shortcut, you can switch between 60Hz and 90Hz, although Huawei claims that when using the higher speed, the refresh rate isn't locked in, but instead scales based on the program, which is a popular technique to mitigate the increased battery drain. Still, it's the kind of setting I'm glad to leave on and reap the benefits of – and it's a feature that distinguishes the 14s for the time being.

In terms of audio, Huawei has crammed four speakers into the laptop, two of which are downfiring from beneath the laptop and two of which are upfiring through the chassis. Laptop audio is always restricted, and this won’t equal a half-decent speaker or headphones when it comes to music. Still, they're good enough for YouTube or Netflix, and they're powerful by laptop standards.

Huawei claims that the four microphones inside can pick up your voice from up to 5 meters away. Built-in noise cancellation and voice enhancement algorithms help to isolate your voice from background noise, resulting in crisp, clear audio on calls that helps to compensate for the poor webcam quality.

Specs and performance

Core i7 or i5 Intel H-series processors (only in some markets)

1TB storage and up to 16GB RAM

There is no option for a discrete GPU.

Intel Evo certification is available, but only for the most advanced models.

If the somewhat chunkier appearance, ample ports, and faster refresh rate weren't enough, Huawei is promoting the MateBook 14s as a laptop for consumers who require power, whether for productivity, creative work, or light gaming.

It achieves this by utilizing Intel's more powerful H-series processors. My review sample has a Core i7-11370H processor, which is the only one available in the UK, but a less powerful Core i5 version will be available in various areas. It can be combined with up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM in either case.

The MateBook 14s, on the other hand, outperforms the competition in the graphics-intensive 3DMark test. Despite the lack of a discrete GPU, the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics technology outperforms practically every other laptop we've tested with integrated graphics.

Benchmarks are important, but day-to-day performance is much more important. The MateBook 14s is powerful enough to perform my regular Photoshop work while also being capable of some gaming. It's not quite as good as a dedicated gaming setup with an Nvidia GPU, but if you just want to play some Forza and don't mind lowering the settings from maximum, you'll be OK.

Battery and charging

Battery life that is comfortable

Fast charging at 90 watts

So long as you're not using it for gaming, the 60Wh battery will last you all day. I felt confident carrying the MateBook 14s into the office for a day of internet browsing, writing, and light photo editing without having to bring the charger. I wouldn't try to stretch it out over several days, but you won't have to worry about leaving the power cord at home for the most part.

The laptop lasted 13 hours and 18 minutes of continuous HD video playback in our simulated battery benchmarking test, which is above average but not exceptional.

It helps that this laptop charges via USB-C, so you can use any USB-C PD charger to recharge it.

Furthermore, the charger Huawei includes with the laptop is capable of producing 90W of power, resulting in some rather quick speeds. In fact, the 14s set a new record by charging to 57 percent in just half an hour, making it the fastest laptop we've ever tested.

You may also use this charger to charge your phone, tablet, headphones, or other USB-C devices at what is probably certainly their maximum speed.

Check the latest prices on the amazon