Huawei MateBook 16s Review - Large Touchscreen Laptop with Powerful Core i7

Huawei's MateBook 16s draws attention with its performance and a rare 3:2 aspect ratio display. It is able to interest both the designer and the programmer. What else is a good laptop and what are its shortcomings, we will try to answer in this review.

Table of contents

• Specifications
• Appearance
• Input Devices
• Screen
• Filling
• Software part
• Nutrition
• Results

Specifications

Appearance

The MateBook 16s has an already recognizable metal body with flat edges. In many details, it is identical to other models in the line - from the notch that allows you to pry off the cover, and ending with the location of the ventilation holes.

The device weighs almost 2 kg, and this is noticeable - you can’t call it a mobile solution, especially considering the dimensions. Visually, the MateBook 16s looks like a large home laptop, although it will not be difficult to find a backpack or a bag for transporting it: it fits perfectly into the compartment for 15.6-inch models.

The lid is easy to open with one hand, the hinge is quite smooth. The maximum opening angle is 150°. This is enough for kneeling work, although the two-kilogram weight does not particularly favor such a scenario.

The keyboard here is without a numeric keypad, on the sides of it there are very good-sounding speakers, and below is a huge touchpad. In the upper right corner of the panel is the power button with a fingerprint scanner. The sensor works quickly and accurately.

On the right side, the laptop has two USB-A ports, on the left there is an audio jack, HDMI and two USB-C, each of which can be used for charging, and one also supports Thunderbolt 4 - this is a big plus.

The laptop has two microphones, they are located on the front edge. There are no interfaces on the back. Below - two familiar plastic legs from edge to edge and a long ventilation grill.

Also note the webcam on the screen frame at the top. The peephole is very small, but with a good resolution - 1080p. Proprietary video communication features (virtual background, auto-centering, gaze changes and noise reduction), like MateBook 16Dare also available.

There is no fault with the assembly of the laptop: there are no badly docked parts, backlashes or gaps. Fingerprints on the slightly rough surface of the case are almost invisible. MateBook 16s gives the impression of an expensive and high-quality gadget.

Input Devices

The laptop keyboard does not have a numeric keypad, which is a bit strange for a model with a 16-inch screen. But this solution allowed us to place the speakers on the front panel, and not on the bottom, as on many other laptops.

The keys have a stroke of 1.5 mm and soft two-level backlighting. When pressed, clicks of the caps are heard - you can’t name a particularly quiet keyboard. When typing for a long time, the fingers do not get tired at all.

Under the key block there is a very large touchpad - 141 × 91 mm. It has a glass surface, so the finger glides well. There is no deflection when pressed, only if you try very hard. In general, it is convenient to use it, the size obviously matters here.

Screen

The screen is one of the main features of the model. There is a 16-inch IPS touch panel with a resolution of 2520 × 1680 pixels and an aspect ratio of 3: 2. This format is ideal for working with a browser, "office" and programs where there are a lot of vertical scrolls.

The sensitivity of the touch layer is good, all clicks and swipes are read quickly. Supports up to 10 simultaneous touches - it is convenient to zoom pictures and maps with your fingers.

The color rendition is natural, it is quite suitable for working with graphics. The manufacturer claims 100% sRGB-gamut coverage and a contrast ratio of 1,500:1. In practice, the screen is really nice, pleasing to the eye.

The only thing you can find fault with is the brightness of up to 300 nits. This is not a top indicator, although it is optimal for indoor use. On the street or window work in sunny weather, it may not be entirely comfortable, especially given the glossy surface.

Filling

At the heart of the device is a powerful 14-core Core i7-12700H with 20 threads, complemented by 16 GB of fast LPDDR5 4800 MHz RAM. It is impossible to expand its volume, but such a reserve should be quite enough for all the tasks for which the laptop is designed.

Built-in memory - 1 TB. In the CrystalDiskMark tests, the write and read speeds were quite high.

In everyday use during testing, the laptop proved to be excellent: with an overloaded tabbed browser Chrome, Photoshop, frequent playback of YouTube videos, no noticeable slowdowns. In the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the results are consistent.

In the multi-core test, the MateBook 16s scores better than the MateBook D16, which has the same chip on board, but less fast memory. The same is true for Cinebench R23, which gives a comprehensive assessment of system performance.

The graphics in the processor are integrated - Iris Xe Graphics, and there are no versions with a discrete card. The capabilities of the built-in chip are enough for graphic editors and amateur video processing, but there may be problems with 3D graphics and parallel work in several professional programs. However, this does not mean that the MateBook 16s will not cope - it will, but not as briskly as we would like.

What I would like to note separately is the cooling system based on two coolers and two heat-removing copper tubes. The laptop does not overheat under load, and the system itself is quite quiet - at least for the owner of such a powerful processor.

Software part

The system on the MateBook 16s is complemented by a set of HMS Core services for using a Huawei account and branded services. One of them is PC Manager, which allows you to troubleshoot, update drivers and change the mode of operation (Performance or Balance).

Super device technology is also supported, allowing you to interact with all your Huawei gadgets that are compatible with each other. For example, you can conveniently display a picture from a laptop to TV or redirect a call from a smartphone to a laptop. In other words, the MateBook 16s will be a welcome guest in the brand's device ecosystem.

Nutrition

Inside is a large battery with a capacity of 84 Wh, which, with a balanced load, may well provide a full day of work without an outlet - 10-13 hours, depending on scenarios and display brightness.

In intensive mode, for example, with constant playback of online video, autonomy is reduced to about 6-7 hours, which is quite expected.

For charging, the kit comes with a compact, but rather heavy (238 g) adapter with a 90 W USB-C connector. With it, in the first half hour, about 40% of the charge is replenished, and it takes about an hour and a half to complete 100% - like with a smartphone.

Results

Before testing, there was a feeling that there would still be some compromises in this model. But this time, Huawei turned out to be a fairly balanced and “smooth” laptop with only a couple of controversial points. The main one, perhaps, will be a rather high cost - 109,999 rubles (there is also a version with Corei9 for 119,999). But here you need to understand that this is not a simple home laptop, its capabilities go far beyond web surfing and office programs.

The other side of the coin is that when choosing a laptop with a large screen, the buyer may well sacrifice a touch screen and give preference to a cheaper model with a similar filling and simple screen. And the price difference can be quite significant.

Therefore, MateBook 16s should first of all be considered by those who were looking for not only the flagship stuffing, but also a touch screen. or 3: 2 format - these are still not very common features, so they noticeably distinguish the device from the background competitors.

Advantages

• High quality metal case.
• Nice 3:2 aspect ratio touch screen.
• Comfortable keyboard.
• Nice set of plugs.
• Excellent performance.
• Good autonomy.
• Fast charging.

Flaws

• No SD card reader.
• Only integrated graphics.
• High price.