Huawei MateBook 13 review: An all-around notebook big on features

With today’s demands of having a portable machine to work on, what does a normal consumer look for? For Huawei and its MateBook series, it’s an all-around laptop that packs powerful internals, a durable yet lightweight frame, and the ability to be productive wherever you are. These are what the MateBook 13 promises and we’ll find out if, through this review, they prove true.

Design

Let’s first talk about its display. As mentioned in our first impression, the MateBook 13 prides itself by offering the FullView experience that the Huawei MateBook X Pro initially introduced to the market. This branding simply means that the display area has been maximized and bezels are kept thin so you get a spacious screen real estate without having a bulky form factor.

That’s exactly what it felt like using this notebook — though the display size isn’t on the large side at 13 inches, you feel like there’s no space wasted. Plus, it does look premium in its Space Grey color.

RELATED: Huawei MateBook 13 hands-on, first impressions

It has 2K resolution and having a 3:2 aspect ratio, the screen dictates usage more for content creation (like graphics work) and document editing. We’ve also tried using it for video editing, and while a wider screen would help, it still wasn’t bad on its 3:2 display.

The screen is also capable of multi-touch input so you can simply use swipe gestures when browsing the internet — just like how you would on a smartphone. Over time, you end up with having fingerprints on your display but it’s nothing that a simple wipe couldn’t fix.

Although one thing that had us wanting more was its screen brightness. There were times that we found the display dim for our liking especially when we’re out and light glare is present. Other than that, we enjoyed and made use of the features and capabilities of its display.

Moving on, it comes in a compact and portable body that’s durable enough thanks to its metal chassis. Opening and closing the lid doesn’t feel flimsy but rather reinforced and with a high-quality feel to it.

Just like what I personally look for in a laptop, the lid can be opened and closed using only one hand so that’s definitely a plus. And, with its thin profile, it can easily be brought around or packed in a regular-sized backpack or purse.

The keys have been a joy to type on since day one. They’re adequately spaced apart with the right travel when you press them so writing long articles or reviews such as this one are effortless. Plus, they’re backlit so we had no worries using the laptop at night or in the dark.

Its trackpad is also decently sized, but then again, I just find myself using the touch input more when ‘clicking’ on buttons or browsing online.

The power button sits at the upper right corner and doubles as a fingerprint scanner to add a layer of security to the device. Response time has been quick and instantly unlocks the laptop when we use it.

Performance

Inside, it can carry up to Intel’s Core i7-10510U processor and NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics. It also comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage responsible for faster boot-ups. And they were indeed fast when opening software or simply starting up the notebook.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, we’ve used the MateBook 13 to edit videos and it was able to handle them well especially if you’re just editing a 1080p or Full HD video. After long periods of usage, the laptop got warm but actually not too noticeable. This is thanks to its Shark Fin Fan 2.0 that works to direct airflow out of the chassis and maintain a well-ventilated environment inside.

Since it was able to handle video editing, other tasks were accomplished easily by the MateBook 13. Surfing the internet with multiple tabs is effortless and multitasking by switching between software to software had no lags.

One of its main features is Huawei Share meant for increasing productivity between members of a team. It supports Multi-screen collaboration that allows users to work on their smartphones and share content to the laptop.

This removes the need to save and send files from a phone just to open it somewhere else. Do take note, though, that this feature only works with compatible Huawei devices and not for all Android phones. This is actually a really interesting feature but since we currently don’t have a Huawei phone on-hand, we couldn’t see how seamless the experience is. Maybe we’ll save that for some other day.

Battery Life

With its 41.7Wh battery, it could easily last a full day of typing, sending email, and browsing the internet. Although if you use more resource-heavy software like video editing or even gaming, you’re better off with a charger connected.

As we’ve mentioned previously, the laptop comes with its own 65W USB-C power adapter which also supports Huawei SuperCharge for certain phones. Using this to charge the laptop takes a little over two hours and a half to fill its battery up, while still using the device.

Creature Feature

In our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in a device that make it worth having — things that give the product a slight edge from among its peers. For the Huawei MateBook 13, it would be its ease of use, reliability, and power all rolled into one attractive-looking body.

Conclusion

Those looking for a work laptop require a machine that’s easily portable, has the processing power to deliver the needs of its users, and should at least look nice for on-the-fly presentations. The MateBook 13 ticks all those boxes. Additionally, its Huawei Share seems promising for collaborative work between team members so that’s another plus.

huawei matebook 13

The Huawei MateBook 13 carries a price tag of PhP 65,990 for the Core i5 variant and PhP 72,990 for the Core i7 model. According to Huawei, there will be free Huawei sleeve and Huawei backpack worth PhP 2,389 when you purchase a MateBook 13 from July 4 to July 31, 2020.

For more information on the device and its availability, you may check Huawei’s official site.

Huawei MateBook 13 specs:
13-inch QHD display, 2160 x 1440 resolution
178-degree viewing angle
10th-gen Intel Core i5-10210U/i7-10510U CPU
NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU
8GB/16GB LPDDR3 RAM
512GB SSD storage
Windows 10 Home OS
Fingerprint power button
3.5mm jack
USB-C port
1MP camera
41.7Wh Li-Po battery
Huawei Share
Huawei PC Manager
Space Grey, Pink, and Mystic Silver color options

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Xiaomi 12 Lite review: The stylish 108-megapixel shooter

08/18/2022

The Xiaomi 12 Lite has finally made it to the local market! Xiaomi’s latest offering comes in as cute as a button and offers upgraded cameras and better charging. Not only that, it looks very different from the other Xiaomi 12 series phones which may be the reason you’d pick it over the rest.

But can it offer more than just being a stylish and eye-catching device? Let’s find out.

Design

When you attach ‘Lite’ to a phone, you may think of trimmed-down features. And while that is true (as you’ll discover later on in this review), the ‘Lite’ label on this phone can also be taken quite literally.

Like its predecessor, we have a phone that’s lightweight and easily pocketable. At 173g, it comes lighter than a lot of its mid-range competitors while also housing a pretty large display.

Interestingly, the Xiaomi 12 Lite offers a different set of colorways as compared to its other siblings. Our unit comes in the Lite Pink which is just absolutely adorable.

Considering Xiaomi positions this as a ‘fashion’ phone, it makes sense that its color offerings are a little bit more, well, extra.

The iridescent back is subtle and airy with different hues of pink, yellow, and light lavender dancing around under different instances of light. The light pink color extends to the phone’s body as well which is a nice touch to fully round out the design.

The Lite Green takes the same treatment as this Pink variant but you’re not lost if you want this phone in a plain color as there is a Black option as well.

For its build, the Xiaomi 12 Lite also shies away from the rest of the 12 series’ design and opts, instead, for a flat panel and sides. There is a slight chamfer to the edges so it’s not totally flat. It’s comfortable to grip and doesn’t dig into my palm despite the harder, less rounded edges.

You’ll find all the buttons on the right side of the device and within reach of my relatively average-sized hands.

We also have an IR blaster on here which isn’t a common feature among other devices but something I still appreciate until now since we still have a couple of appliances and gadgets around the house that could benefit from it.

 

On the bottom, we have the USB Type-C port for charging. Pop open the card tray on the side and you’ll find two SIM card slots. The Xiaomi 12 Lite doesn’t offer microSD card expansion, unfortunately, but the device is offered in either 128GB or 256GB which should be enough for most people.

Display

At 6.55 inches, the Xiaomi 12 Lite’s Full HD+ AMOLED display comes in slightly bigger than the Xiaomi 12. It adopts similar features, as well, including an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

I’m happy to see that the bezels on the Xiaomi 12 Lite still remain thin all around as opposed to the usual thick forehead or chin found on a number of mid-range phones. It’s something you’d find on flagship phones so I appreciate this small attention to detail that helps in making the screen experience feel a little more premium.

With 100% DCI-P3 color, you’re also getting true-to-life reproduction which makes it a great display for browsing photos on Instagram or streaming on Netflix. For me, having a color-accurate display was also really useful for editing photos.

The punch hole notch is in the center, however, which isn’t my personal preference but it isn’t too unsightly or distracting.

The entertainment does get limited to the average-sounding dual speakers. At its loudest, music can sound tinny. We don’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack here so if you want better audio, you’ll have to opt for wireless.

Like the rest of the devices in the series, there’s an in-display fingerprint sensor that works rather well. Even if I hadn’t taken out the screen protector the phone came with, I was able to get pretty speedy unlocks.

Finally, protection comes in the form of Gorilla Glass 5 which should do well to keep your screen free from scratches and nicks.

Performance

The Xiaomi 12 Lite has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G procesor at its heart which is a common chipset for mid-range smartphones. You’ll also find them on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy A-series, OPPO Reno series, Motorola Edge, among others.

Its internals are actually identical to last year’s Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE, from its processor down to its graphics and even its RAM and internal storage options.

But the popularity of this chipset is warranted as it is able to provide balanced performance for light to medium-heavy tasks which may include the likes of browsing, banking, and everyday duties like that.

With editing tasks, you’re getting a pretty smooth experience as well. Grading photos in Lightroom didn’t show any issues though if you are trying to edit 4K footage with the phone’s native editor, you may encounter slow processing at the start.

Casual gamers may also find the lite version just enough for their needs. I was able to play Pokemon Unite for a few hours on Performance mode and didn’t notice any strain on the phone.

Genshin Impact showed lag, as expected, but lowering the settings, frame rates, and getting rid of some environmental effects helped in stabilizing gameplay. With longer hours on Genshin, you will feel the heat on the back and I had one instance where I got a high-temperature warning.

But I honestly wasn’t surprised as this isn’t really a phone built to game intensively and Genshin Impact is pretty resource heavy.

But overall, I wouldn’t see the casual or semi-intensive user (like myself) being disappointed with how this phone performs. There are many flourishes like its 120Hz refresh rate that add a premium feel when using this phone, too.

Camera

One of the major differences you’ll find on the Xiaomi 12 Lite is its upgraded 108-megapixel main camera which you won’t find on the other variants available locally.

Alongside it is an 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and 2-megapixel macro.

With this setup, the 108-megapixel camera is really the star. The main shooter provides excellent sharpness, detail, and colors albeit a little too saturated for my taste. I did love the natural bokeh it was able to produce, however, even outside of its portrait mode.

In low-light, shots are decent with visible details but the software does have a tendency to over-brighten shots. I found you can get better results from the main camera when you nudge the exposure down just a bit so it doesn’t over-expose the photo.

The 8-megapixel ultra-wide performs as I expected – better in bright light and not so much otherwise. With enough light, you’re going to get good detail, color, and contrast as well but quality does quickly degrade when shooting in darker scenarios.

I found myself opting to stick to the main camera during my time with this device as the quality really is much better.

The 2-megapixel macro is there but as you may expect, shots come out pretty average. Nothing to write home about, really.

Around the front, we have the same 32-megapixel shooter found on the other members of the series. I personally enjoyed the selfie camera as it produced bright and clean photos in almost any situation.

Like most mobile cameras, low light can be a problem but you can turn on the two LED lights up top to provided gentle illumination. This works really great in making selfies look a lot better when it’s dark as it is able to bring out details of faces.

But I wouldn’t suggest taking long videos with the lights on. I tried recording and was greeted with a high-temperature warning about 3 minutes in. And this was shooting at night when the weather was pretty cool.

Just one more thing that takes away from the overall experience, at least for me, is that the shutter is just a tad bit slow. This made taking quick snaps pretty hard since it would often come out blurred. You or your subject will have to stand still for a beat to really get the sharpest photo possible.

But nit-picking aside, any casual user will be happy with the overall camera setup of the Xiaomi 12 Lite. You’ve got a really good main shooter with the 108-megapixel camera and you’re supplied with enough tools as well to make capturing photos or videos much easier.

Apart from the main photo mode, you have Pro mode with RAW capabilities, a dedicated 108-megapixel shooting mode, dual video shooting, and a fun vlog mode that comes with 19 easily usable templates.

Battery

The Xiaomi 12 Lite comes with a 4300mAh battery. The smaller battery helped in keeping the device lighter but it can come up short when you’re a heavy user. I was able to squeeze out about 5 hours on it, heavily using the camera and running on data alone.

On an average working day, though, I can get it to last up to 7 hours, only needing to top up before the day ends.

Speaking of topping up, the Xiaomi 12 Lite comes with a 67W turbo charger which I absolutely enjoy. It was able to fill up the phone from zero in just 35 minutes – great for anyone always in a hurry or for lazy people like me.

Creature Feature

In our reviews, The Modern Creatures aims to find special features in devices that make them worth having. And for the Xiaomi 12 Lite, it would be two things — its 108-megapixel camera and its adorable design.

Having a great main camera and cute color options make the Xiaomi 12 Lite a phone that’s both Instagram-ready and can take Instagram-ready photos. Cute and capable? That’s the Xiaomi 12 Lite.

Final Thoughts

On paper, it may not seem enough to upgrade from the 11 series but the cameras are really better this time around, and faster charging really adds convenience to a busy person’s lifestyle. Locally the Xiaomi 12 Lite will be available in two variants. It starts at PhP 20,999 for the 6GB+128GB variant and the higher 8GB+128GB variant clocks in a PhP 21, 999. At launch, Xiaomi is also offering freebies which you can check out here.

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