Ultrabooks appeared almost ten years ago — in response to the Macbook Pro with a Retina display. They were also expensive, and the only important difference between them was, in fact, the operating system. Today, an ultrabook can be inexpensive, but still productive and convenient. Don’t believe? HUAWEI MateBook D16 is ready to argue with this, and we will check it in action.
A collection of wallpapers «Classic of mountains and seas» has been released for HUAWEI devices, depicting six mythical creatures. The most interesting thing is that they were created using the new MatePad tablet computer and the second generation M-Pencil stylus.
“The team tried to reflect culture and art through the digital world. I think the integration of technology and art is very elegant and beautiful,” said Liang Jun, Chief Director of UX Design at HUAWEI UCD.
The signature wallpaper is based on six creatures from Chinese mythology, acting as good luck charms:
According to Liang Jun, lines in visual art best reflect emotions, so the designers chose this technique to depict the shape and charm of mythical creatures. The instrument used was a HUAWEI MatePad tablet and a second-generation M-Pencil stylus. The latter is equipped with an ultra-thin rod and a high-precision sensor capable of recognizing 4096 pressure levels. This allows the artist to change the thickness of the brush as desired.
The color scheme also plays a big role. Each of the colors has its own meaning. So, yellow represents earth, green represents life force, and purple represents wisdom. All wallpapers are available to users of HUAWEI devices in the proprietary Themes application.
HUAWEI MatePad Pro is equipped with a 12.6-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 2650×1600 pixels, a 5nm Kirin 9000E processor, a 10,050 mAh battery with support for fast wired and wireless charging, and eight speakers. It runs on the proprietary operating system Harmony OS. There is also a more compact version with a 10.8-inch display.
Everything about the HUAWEI ecosystem
Large screen 16 inches1
Lightweight design like 15.6-inch laptops3
Keyboard with separate number pad
Key travel 1.5 mm
1080P Camera, Voice Amplifier4
HUAWEI Metaline Antenna
Network connection up to
Big screen for new opportunities
16-inch diagonal, 16:106 aspect ratio and 90%7 usable screen area provide a wider view.
Golden aspect ratio
TÜV Rheinland8 blue light protection certification (hardware level)8
Filter harmful blue light, display vivid colors
DC dimming, anti-flicker
Greater comfort level even when working in front of the screen for a long time
Wide color gamut
Natural display of pictures and web pages
Fast office tasks
The laptop is equipped with a 16-inch display and at the same time is lightweight, like models3. Easily get your office work done wherever you are on a compact laptop with a sleek metal weight of just 1.7kg10 and a large screen.
Advanced Hardware
Updated performance
Helps solve your problems
Easy and fast
13th Gen12 processor with 14 cores for efficient multitasking without lag. The graphics card takes performance to the next level.
Super Turbo Technology
High speed, low latency
A large 16-inch screen and smart technologies allow you to create your own mobile office thanks to intelligent task distribution. Any files open quickly, and applications start literally instantly13 due to an improved script identification system and competent resource allocation. This ensures smooth and fast execution of various tasks.
Keyboard with number pad
Numeric keypad increases productivity when creating reports and entering data. A separate switch for the camera provides privacy protection, while AI Search supports hybrid searches for information on a computer, smartphone, and the web.
AI Search function button
Impressive typing experience
The keyboard features 1.5mm key travel and a special design for a soft touch. Constructed from high-strength polycarbonate, the keys are coated with multiple layers of paint to double the durability14 and make the keyboard more durable.
Smart video conference,
AI Camera15
and AI Audio Processing15
Exude confidence during online meetings. AI Camera15
allows you to adjust the viewing angle based on your movements so you always stay in the center of the frame. If you want to hide your background from the interlocutor in order to create a more businesslike atmosphere, you can use the «Virtual background» function. The Eye Contact feature automatically adjusts the direction of your gaze to make your conversation as natural as possible.
Seamless connection of multiple devices
The «Super Device» function provides convenient interaction of devices, allowing them to function as a whole. To get started in Super Device mode, go to the Control Center on your laptop, open the Super Device screen, and drag the device icons to connect them2.
The function of previewing a file while searching for files between devices will be available in future updates.
Gadget collaboration
Drag and drop any text, image or file to the SuperHub section. From this section, you can copy and paste, move and send files to connected devices such as smartphones or other laptops.
Laptop images can be projected onto the monitor22 and HUAWEI Vision S.23
Pairing popup for instant connection
Place your headphones, speaker, mouse, keyboard or printer near your laptop and it will instantly detect them and start the pairing process. Automatic pop-up ensures lightning-fast connection.24
All HUAWEI MateBook D 16 laptops undergo rigorous quality control, so you can be sure that your device is ready for even the most demanding tasks.
High humidity and high temperature testing
Type-C Port Performance Test
Fingerprint scanner strength test
Keyboard durability test
Hinge wear test
Touchpad performance test
16-inch borderless screen1
Keyboard with separate number pad and 1.5 mm key travel
Light metal case3
Increased work space
Large 16″ display with 16:10 aspect ratio and 90% usable area5 gives you a wider view.
TÜV Rheinland Blue Light Certification (hardware level)1
Blue light filtering, vivid color display
High level of comfort during prolonged use of the device
Wide color gamut 100% sRGB6
Natural colors of images and web pages
TÜV Rheinland Blue Light Certification (hardware level)1
Efficient performance of office tasks
The HUAWEI MateBook D 16 features a compact body that is as light as a 15.6-inch model3. Weighing just 1.7 kg7, the metal8 device makes office tasks easy with a large 16-inch screen.
Advanced hardware for efficient use
Multi-core processor performance increased by 12
Performance of one processor core increased by 12
The 12th Gen i7-12700H processor has 14 cores10, 3.5 times more than the previous generation11. New level of power increases possibilities
for fast work.
Versatile large screen for any task
The 16-inch borderless display and the 12th Gen i7-12700H processor speed up data analysis, video editing, and code compilation. You can easily handle multiple web pages, tables and
presentations.
New keyboard with separate numeric keypad increases speed and convenience when creating reports, writing documents and entering data. A separate switch for the camera provides privacy protection, while the AI Search function supports
hybrid search for information on a computer, smartphone and the Internet, allowing you to perform work tasks more efficiently.
Key for AI Search
More comfortable typing
The keyboard features 1.5mm key travel and a special design for a soft touch. The keys are made from high-strength polycarbonate and coated with multiple layers of paint to double the durability13 and make the keyboard more durable.
Smart Video Conferencing with AI Camera4 and Sound Enhancement Algorithms4
The AI-powered camera adjusts the angle of view as you move, allowing you to always stay in the center of the frame. Turn on Virtual Background during online meetings to hide your surroundings and save
confidentiality. And to make the process of communication natural, the “Eye contact” function will help, which automatically determines the direction of the gaze.4
Quick and easy device connection2
The «Super device» function is responsible for the intelligent interaction of gadgets, allowing them to work as one. To activate the Super Device feature, open the control center on your laptop, go to the Super Device screen
and drag the icons to connect the gadgets you want.
* The function of previewing files while searching between devices will be implemented in a future software update.
The laptop screen can be displayed on a HUAWEI monitor23 or smart screen without using a cable24.
Pop-up window25 for instant pairing
Place your headphones, speaker, mouse, keyboard or printer near your laptop and your HUAWEI MateBook D 16 will instantly initiate the pairing process. The connection becomes even faster thanks to the automatic pop-up window.
All HUAWEI MateBook D 16 laptops undergo rigorous quality testing, so you can be sure your device is up to the task.
High Humidity and Elevated Temperature Test (40°C, 90% RH)
USB-C Port Endurance Test
Fingerprint button durability test
Swivel joint wear test
Touchpad Endurance Test
If the difference between i7 and i9 is 5tr, does it make sense to overpay?
If you need specifically i9, then of course, but on side 7: autonomy and a compact power adapter with a detachable wire
Did you mix up the branch with 16s? The D16 2023 has no differences at all — there are always dead 65W PSUs and there are no touch screens. All the same poor HDMI 2.0b (instead of 2.1), all the same DP1.4b instead of TB4 (although the H series, as it turned out, has a built-in TB4 controller). Prots are strangled to the maximum and work at 50% of their real power relative to 16s with 135W PSU, and even more so «gaming» series with full-fledged PSU. It would be nice if at least 32GB of RAM were unsoldered, which are already mainstream in fact, and a good amount is now 64GB, for professional work this is already a standard in practice. Given the presence of D16 2022 c 12450 for 67-68k now in the dns — everything else is a stupid scam for money. Paying more than 100k for a D16 2023 core is just ridiculous, for a loe-end series in fact. This series was popular among the people only because there was a full-fledged numpad keyboard and it was cheap in the fall of 2022 — 60k approximately and no practical alternatives. And now alternatives for 100k — shaft. Against this background, D16 / 16s is just the bottom. Red price for D16 2023 with i7 now — 75k no more, 16s 2023 less than 100k with i7. Even the 12450 2022 version sold in the DNS now for 68k is already a clean overprice, even at a rate of 95+. Her red price is 60k.
I repeat once again — in these series the main drawback is little operative. The first thing that will become obsolete for you is not a percent (even a neutered 12450H), but the operative will end in the future in 2-3 years. Swapping with an SSD is 100x slower than RAM, even in single-channel mode.
Huawei, despite all the shortcomings of the D16 2022, hit the mark last year, against the backdrop of a complete test of the situation by other manufacturers — a popular laptop with a full-fledged keyboard and a screen with good color reproduction for 60k. But the 2023 model no longer shines with anything, and the prices are clearly too high and no longer arouse any interest among the mass buyer against the backdrop of alternatives to home.
Post has been edited by Sw-777 — Yesterday, 14:40
Sw-777, Thanks for the tips on checking for used
In general, I drank a glass of vodka for courage and pressed the button on the ozone i9 2022 for 109tr. The difference with the i7 was 5tr, but there at least the charger is more powerful and I will show off in front of myself. The seller is trusted, I bought a d16 i5 2022 from him at the beginning of summer for 60tr as a gift to a pensioner, I liked it myself. A ten-year-old macbook pro already does not pull anything at all. I hope I can get used to the screen
Are you talking about 16s or D16?
vasiliy860,16s sure (12900), 16 doesn’t have i9
What software from the huawei should be installed, which one comes with Windows out of the box?
They wrote here about battery control, which also makes other goodies.
One could say a machine for «growth», but 16GB is just ridiculous, especially since 2022 gaming tops are already being sold on ozone for 145k. This is earth and sky in all respects. And this difference is definitely worth it, if you have already decided on ozone and a remote purchase. Not worth it if you need a 16″ to wear with a more or less light PSU, because 16s battery life (especially with Intel) also doesn’t really shine, even against the background of gaming ones.
Huawei entered the market in 2022, against the backdrop of a collapse in other manufacturers, especially in the mass segment with the subject D16. Now it is already much more difficult for him to sell this, at the prices of gaming solutions with exactly the same screens, better keyboards and expansion options. If you don’t carry it all the time (although you won’t carry 16 «especially), but for the house.
This is another branch, there are cockroaches there
I googled it and didn’t even think they were separated. I don’t need a gaming one, the main thing is that the pixels are not visible. I spent 10 years on the 4th generation with 8 GB of RAM, so I think it will come in. Well, of course I understand that the i9 is redundant here, but the price did not differ much. I use my laptop as a desktop. Always on charge, I read somewhere here that charging on the i7 does not always hold a full charge and ruins the battery.
Of course, it’s clear that everyone has their own needs, but for myself I never understood why the digital block, if there are keys on top, only overloads the keyboard
Post has been edited by kudrich — Yesterday, 18:31
The cursor, by the way, also continues to turn off under load from the battery, the Windows license is 11home, I will take it to huawei under warranty (although yesterday the stress test worked all evening from the battery, some strange things
In 2023, D16 also has i9 🙂
kudrich, Since 2016 there is a desktop with 32 operational: it has never been even half loaded. Current laptop with 8GB: usually always free 3-4GB. Therefore, 16GB is the optimal reserve for office tasks, browser, YouTube. But each task is different. Under serious tasks there are workstations with a price many times more expensive than a subject.
Without it, the speed of work falls stupidly by an order of magnitude, especially when you already know touch typing and are used to desktop keyboards with numpad. Development, coding without it — 100% drop in code entry speed at times, proven and tested in disputes. Group operations with files, work with numbers, excel, and even banal trading all this without a numpad — just a stupor right away. Here direct access or navigation is fast in one block when numlock or numbers are off. How can you do all this quickly without him? Unreal. When a laptop is 12-14″ at least it’s clear — there is no place, but on 15.6 it is always under the numpad and it must be there, otherwise the laptop is not working, but for entertainment and content consumption, but not for creating anything.
I have some kind of nonsense with my relatives S340 with 8 — there after the start of LTSC1809 6GB is free with 512MB for the build-in, there these 6 chrome survives at times even under YouTube and 3-4 tabs — everything else already goes to swap. If browsers are not 1, but 2-3. The same Tor without it is now impossible. If there is no paid vpn. And almost no one has it — because. even to pay for it foreign is now most unrealistic. So 3-4GB is free — I do not believe it. You just don’t understand that everything in your swap on the SSD goes all at once, and the memory has really ended a long time ago. Or your interests are extremely simple — 1 browser 2-3 tabs.
2Sw-777That’s right for a couple of last posts. For today’s over100 price, this laptop will be bought by crazy people. For 50 years ago — just a song and ballta.
As for 16 GB of memory, 50 GB is more than enough. the target audience for which this laptop was intended will not notice any swap on ssd 3.0×4. And for 100 he and with 32 GB «do not need» — there are better offers. Huawei, apparently, decided to recoup money from buyers in 2023 for those who took a promotion in 2022 at the start.))
Here you are absolutely right! I was extremely surprised that now in the region of 100-150 thousand rubles you can take a gaming laptop with any options for the processor, RAM and video card, the screens are most likely FHD. In this regard, Huawei with the D16 2023 went over the price. But nevertheless, I decided and bought a 16s 2023 i7 at a similar price to the D16 2023 i9, I was captivated by the combination of screen, processor, memory, ports and battery with GaN 90W memory. My tasks are simple: office applications and simple photo processing while traveling and trips to a session with good autonomy in battery saver mode. P. S. I have a Xeon with 64 RAM at work, below is a photo of loading the processor and memory. Stands at home for complex tasks desktop on i7 67000
Post has been edited by vasiliy860 — Today, 11:49
Well, for 50k it was a short moment, but on average it was often 60-62k in autumn for i5 12500H and about 68-70 for i7 and most importantly, no alternatives with full keyboard and 16:10 screen with 95% + sRGB. This people immediately and bribed. But now, along with the increase in prices for these models, a lot of alternatives have appeared, much better in many respects. Up to «game» with full forcemeat. And by the rate of growth of reviews on the same dns, it is immediately clear that the popularity of D16 / 16s among the people by the middle of 2023 has fallen sharply. If not for the greed of Huawei, and taking into account the sharp drop in prices for RAM and especially for SSDs, they immediately sold the basic D16 with a 32GB / 2TB SSD for about 75-80k and a 2.5k screen — it was flying away like hot cakes at lunchtime. Even with all the shortcomings of a strangled process and a dead PSU and a cut-off CO in half. But in the current version, there are fewer and fewer applicants. It is necessary either to drop the price below 65k for the basic options with the i5 13500H or to dry the oars against the background of competitors.
SSD is 100 times slower than random access operations — and they are key. Swap is easily seen by the growth of microfreezes here and there. No miracles. Do you think why Optan was driving and driving, despite the fact that Intel merged it (due to the price, the inability to increase the volume by stacking like in nand)? It is an order of magnitude faster than NAND in random access operations and works like an HDD with 4k blocks — direct access.
But again, a 16 «laptop is never a portable device. It can only be carried by car, but not carried in a backpack, especially for long distances and time. Unless, of course, people are not Schwartz. 2kg, there are 2kg, which gradually 13-14 light ones are good for the road (on foot) (especially on the clave there is no difference from 16s) by 1.2-1.3kg, no more and plus bp gan by 150-200g maximum. does it matter to you if it is a «gaming» laptop of 2.5kg and a power supply unit of 1kg, if you need to carry current to the car and back? «.
For me, this is a kind of analogue of MacBookPro 🙂 Before that, I easily wore 15.6 Acer, so the weight is not critical. And this will be the first full-fledged experience of using 16 «3: 2, so that later you can judge the pros and cons from your own experience. The choice has already been made, 16s has been bought and discussed in another thread. But still, this option is very attractive and interesting to me.
Tell me, what maximum charge can he absorb? 100W is there?
I don’t agree, for me this laptop is great for living in a backpack that amazingly travels with me as the only backpack that fits into the limit for things for two weeks in the free price of low-cost airlines)) That’s why we miss amazingly traveling around Russia with this laptop in my backpack.
In theory, I should take 90 W, but it all depends on the model of the battery controller, what maximum current it is designed for. 16s 135 W absorbs as accurately as possible.
Classics of the genre
The device is housed in a thin aluminum case of a classic format (15.6-inch diagonals used to be packed in this case), but with very thin bezels around the screen – the display diagonal has grown to 16”. There is a full-size keyboard with a number pad, so that it is convenient not only to type texts, but also to work in tables. The touchpad is large — of course, with multi-touch and support for all modern gestures. In this, HUAWEI differs little from similar devices, but there are also moments that distinguish it from the background of the gray mass of ultrabooks. However, first things first.
We started with the case and the keyboard — we will continue with them. In previous generations of MateBook, the front camera was hidden in the keyboard between F6 and F7. The decision bribed grace, but not everyone liked to look at themselves from an unusual angle. In the device, the camera was returned to its traditional place — in the upper frame of the display. They decided not to get rid of the button, only now instead of it there is a key that starts the voice input of text.
Designers again felt ashamed of empty space: there is no normal switch block, which is convenient to use by touch. Competitors in this regard are bolder: they either push the arrows out of the common canvas, or make all the keys half-height. Otherwise, this is a classic ANSI layout plus a “calculator” block with numbers. Button presses are made with a pleasant effort and are registered without errors, you can type text at a very decent speed, put a like on the keyboard. There is a two-level white backlight — it is enough for working in the dark.
The touchpad is large, responds well to touch, allows you to scroll through desktops with a 4-finger swipe, holds a “stack” of folders well with the left corner pressed, you can safely drag files from window to window. But there are questions about the right-click detection algorithm: the area for this function was allocated too large — sometimes, instead of the usual selection of an object, a context menu opens. There is a solution: relearn from touchpad squeezing to neat taps on it, one finger is the left button, two is the right button, then there will be no errors.
Convenient for everyday use
The widespread disease of laptops is the lack of connectors for connecting any peripherals. There is a complete order: on the left is a pair of USB Type-C (both are capable of transferring data and charging a laptop), HDMI for connecting external displays and 3.5 mm for headphones. On the right, a pair of classic USB ports for flash drives and mice. You will have to buy an external SD card reader. Better immediately with a USB hub and a Type-C connector — it will be more comfortable to work.
Now let’s talk about Wi-Fi. Here is a board that supports the latest standard — the sixth. On a wireless channel, you can easily squeeze out 600-700 megabits. HUAWEI has vast experience in working with telecommunications equipment, including backbone, providing cellular communications and Internet coverage of huge offices. The HUAWEI MateBook D16 features the HUAWEI Metaline Antenna, which improves signal reception and provides a better signal-to-noise ratio than the classic OEM models found in many competitors. Simply put, where the rest of the reception is so-so, this laptop will do just fine.
We did a small experiment: we took another ultrabook with Wi-Fi 6, connected both to the same network and ran speed tests three times in turn at different distances from the access point. Within the same room, there was practically no difference. The gypsum partition with the door open slowed down the radio transmission on both devices, but the difference was marginal. But the closed door and an additional load-bearing concrete wall immediately dotted the i: HUAWEI delivered more than 100 megabits per second where the competitor barely squeezed twenty. This is what accumulated experience and the ability to apply it in practice mean.
Not a display — a display!
What really pleases the laptop is the screen. For such a compact body, the diagonal is impressive, and the matrix was not installed anyhow. Aspect ratio — 16 to 10, maximum brightness — 310 nits, factory calibration for the classic sRGB color space, reasonable resolution and a pleasant semi-matte finish that removes glare and does not allow strong light. In a word, the screen is suitable not only for working in Excel. In Photoshop or another graphic editor, it also does not save — it is quite suitable for web designers, photographers and illustrators.
We measured the color reproduction and other screen characteristics with a spectrophotometer, and we can say that the factory did a good job of optimizing. The gamma curve is close to the standard, the white balance does not float from shadows to highlights, and the white point is set close to ideal. The key characteristics that affect color reproduction are normal: you will distinguish all shades, you will not lose details in the shadows or in the highlights of the image.
Capable fellow
The most modern laptop hardware is installed inside — a fourteen-core i7-12700H with 20 virtual threads and a modern Iris Xe. The processor is based on a heterogeneous structure: 6 cores are high-performance, capable of running out-of-order instructions and work in dual-threaded mode, 8 are energy efficient, the system dumps background tasks on them and thereby saves battery power.
The RAM is soldered on the motherboard, in our case it is DDR5 with a frequency of 3777 MHz. Integrated graphics can take up to half of the high-speed DRAM for its exclusive use. So there will be no problems with games either — and the computing units operate at high frequencies, and the DDR5 bandwidth removes the “bottleneck” of all the built-ins, and DX12.1 today solves a number of problems with mobile graphics.
Direct access to the entire memory of the graphics adapter and direct loading of textures into the GPU memory (without copying to the shared RAM) reduces frame preparation and rendering time. One problem: the drivers and UEFI are still raw, so don’t expect any records in the benchmark.
The laptop has a simpler option (i5 with 8 GB of RAM) — in case you don’t need such power, and the rest of the characteristics suit you. Such a model costs less, but it must be borne in mind that of the upgrades, it is only possible to replace the drive with a more capacious one.
Specifications
16″ IPS 1920×1200 dots(16:10)
100% sRGB, factory calibrated, brightness 310 cd/m2
Integrated Iris Xe
soldered DDR5 3777 MHz
16 GB
512 GB PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD
2 x USB Type-C
2 x USB Type-A
1 x HDMI 2.0
1 x 3.5mm mini jack (combo)
Wi-Fi 6 + HUAWEI Metaline Antenna
Bluetooth 4.2LE
Battery & Charger
60 Wh battery
power supply 65 W (USB Type-C PowerDelivery)
Test results
total score — 5405
Essentials — 10 158
Productivity-6420
Content Creation — 6572
3DMARK TIME SPY — 1966
Graphics score — 1728
CPU score — 9021
Everything else
The autonomy of the device is a standard office day, because the battery costs only 60 watt-hours (some competitors have 90). In general, this is enough, and the charger here is small, like a smartphone, fits in your pocket, and gives out as much as 65 watts via USB Power Delivery. It takes one and a half to two hours to fully charge, depending on how actively you use the device while plugged into a power outlet.
The webcam is good with a set of AI solutions. First, there is an array of microphones with intelligent noise reduction. That is, the laptop not only writes a voice much, but also knows how to cut off background sounds. We checked — the difference is really noticeable. An ordinary headset in a minijack captures the sounds of a construction site outside the window, the noise of an air conditioner and music from a nearby laptop, and the built-in microphones clearly separate speech from the background and carefully suppress all noise in volume. You will not get rid of the roar of the fender and the sounds of the excavator by 100%, but there is no need to shout over the construction equipment. Voice comes first.
Secondly, the camera is also equipped with an AI block that can track an important object within view, blur the background, replace the backdrop and cut off the excess, accompanying the person in the frame. The lens is wide-angle, so it can capture not only portraits, but also a lecturer at the whiteboard or a presenter with a flip chart. Comfortable. The picture is clear and contrasting, with a good BB, in general, the manufacturer did not try in vain, the webcam is what you need.
Results
HUAWEI MateBook D16 is an interesting laptop. It seems to be compact, but with a large usable screen area. Ordinary, but not like everyone else: with custom Wi-Fi and a tricky microphone system. He inherited some features from the previous model, but in operation it feels different. More mature, right? If earlier the series gave away something student, then here is a full-fledged business book. With a reasonable price, good build, nice body materials, soft keyboard and enough connectors. There are no critical shortcomings, except for the arrow block on the keyboard, but there are noticeable advantages. So the gadget is worthy of attention. At a minimum, it is not inferior to many competitors in the same price range, and as a maximum, it reaches out to laptops that cost 10-20 thousand more.