Huawei MateBook D16 review – Rugged Style with Substance

While the company has released some more affordable laptops in the last few years, including the value-laden MateBook D15, Huawei are best known for their higher-end offerings. Huawei MateBook D16 is towards that higher end but still offers decent value on their signature all-metal case and capable specs.

Huawei Design Language

The Chinese telecoms giant generally use a minimal aesthetic with macro detailing allowing the premium materials to shine, sometimes literally. Their MateBook range is generally muted and conservative, relying on the quality machining of the lightly frosted aluminium casing to carry the look.

When closed, the top leans towards the lid. This angle is also visible atop the screen when open.

A moderately sized ‘HUAWEI’ logo is the only detail on the large, flat top half of MateBook D16. The company logo suits the overall minimalism.

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The defined and square overall look is softened slightly by tight micro-curves on the four corners. These defined edges broken up by these micro-curved corners are present on the keys and the large touchpad. Huawei MateBook D16 wears a harmonised design with simple accents well carried into the smaller details.

Our review model is a ‘Space Grey’, one of two options. It’s a medium grey that lets the mirrored HUAWEI logo stand out a little more. The frosted texture also creates some pleasant fuzzy hotspots when reflecting bright lights.

User-Friendly

A width of roughly 340mm (14-inch) space is used for a full QWERTY keyboard and numerical pad. For those who use the Num Pad regularly, its presence will be welcome. For others, more versed in Num Pad-less laptop designs, it will take some getting used to. The QWERTY keys are relatively small for a 16-inch laptop, even if the Num Pad is shrunk to around 60mm wide (2.5 inches).

However, the island-style key layout and 1.5mm key travel do allow for efficient typing once you get used to the key size and placement.

The touch pad is large without dominating the lower portion. This touch pad offset to avoid accidental activation by the user’s right palm while typing. The keys’ vertical size leaves a sizeable portion of the lower half free to rest the wrists. Huawei MateBook D16 is more comfortable for long typing sessions with that generous wrist rest area.

Port Selection

Ports are split across the left- and right-hand side of the Huawei MateBook D16, towards the screen when the device is open. The ports are spaced enough to avoid being fiddly but also keep them in small space. This allows for easy mouse use when cables are plugged in.

The two USB-C ports reside on the left of the device. Both allow for charging and data transfer while one of the two is the DisplayPort. The HDMI 2.0 and 3.5mm 2-in-1 audio socket also reside on the left.

One right is two USB Type-A, one of these is USB 3.2, the other is of 2.0 standard.

We would have liked a full-size USB and a USB-C on each side so we could choose our port side and carve out even more mouse space. But the effort to keep the ports away from the space is appreciated.

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The on/off and fingerprint scanner reside on the one circular button on the top right of the keyboard when open. The scanner is quick and accurate. It also allows the user to wake the unit and scan in one move.

Price-to-Power

Our review model is available for around €1,299. For that money, you get a 12th gen. Core i7, 16GB RAM and the basic integrated GPU.

While some brands can aggressively push better numbers around the same price, they won’t have the hardwearing aluminium case. Or they’ll be heavy or thick. They won’t have the ports, either in quality or quantity.

Huawei MateBook D16 offers a nice balance of power, productivity and connectivity with the kind of premium features you expect from a respected maker. It loads Windows 11 very quickly and the SSD gives it a snappy feel when navigating or changing tabs.

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The all-round balance extends to some gaming, too. Incredibly, it has enough juice to play the graphical powerhouse Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, albeit on lowest settings and at 30-40 frames per second.

Power-to-Play

We got around five hours from 100% battery to our PC shutting off with a moderate spread of web browsing, word processing, streaming video and a few rounds of War Thunder for lunch.

With a more careful, work-oriented day I found that figure could reach around seven hours. If you had a day away from a socket, you could probably stretch the stamina for the whole workday on Huawei MateBook D16.

The device charges via USB-C. A decision that streamlines the charging of multiple devices and means you can easily replace a lost or forgotten cable.

The provided 65W charger will fill the device in around 1 hour and 45 minutes. This pedestrian charging is sole downside to the USB-C charging type but it’s not so slow as to be truly inconvenient.

Workmanlike Display

The display uses a 16:10 aspect ratio. The format allows allows for other productivity benefits like seeing more of the vertical axis on-screen at once. This is a big deal for anyone who deals in text or website management.

At 300 nits, it’s bright enough to handle some sunlight. There is also a mild frosting to the screen itself acting as rudimentary glare-reduction. Thanks to these considerations, Huawei MateBook D16 is entirely usable outdoors in all brightness levels.

The IPS panel is an all-rounder, though it lacks HDR support. The contrast ratio of 1,200:1 doesn’t sparkle or bring out any extra detail but it provides enough for TV and film.

Similarly, the colour isn’t highly saturated or particularly lush but it’s enough for a pleasant and accurate image. Huawei MateBook D16 is comfortable to stare at for hours, helped by an eye-soothingly low bluelight output. When in Night Light mode, even on the default, whites become a lot gentler.

The 1,920×1200 is basically Full HD extended vertically to fill the 16:10 aspect ratio. It’s perfectly clear and just about has the resolution for a sharp image at laptop distance. The 16-inch format is just about the line where Full HD has the dots-per-inch for a perfectly sharp image at this distance for someone with vision as sharp as me.

The minimal bezel around the screen offers a screen-to-body ratio approaching 90% which does help the display pop that little bit more.

Good Value for a Sub-Premium Laptop

Huawei MateBook D16 is more expensive than a mid-range device and isn’t quite pricey enough to be considered a premium one. Like MateBook D15, D16 offers a premium case with the attention to detail you expect from reputable brand.

The slim and lightweight form factor gives the large 16-inch display impressive mobility. As does the stamina and charging flexibility. Despite losing a few centimetres to a numerical pad, the keyboard’s flex-free linear activation with a 1.5mm travel make it easy to get up to speed.

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The display lacks the punch or detail of a premium device but it’s absolutely acceptable for the money, especially with the 12th Gen i7 aboard. The brightness and glare resistance allow for comfortable use in all conditions.

Specifications – Huawei MateBook D16

Huawei MateBook D16 Pricing and Availability

MateBook D16 is offered in three configurations in total. An 8GB RAM with the i5, a 16GB RAM i5 model, and the i7 with 16GB RAM which we received for review.

Only models are available in Ireland. The i5-12450H/16GB RAM model which is priced at €1,099. And the i7-12700H/16GB model which is priced at €1,299.

Review unit provided by Huawei