Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 Review – Is this masterpiece of craftsmanship and performance the best business laptop of 2024?

When it comes to ultraportables, most laptop manufacturers typically hold back on desirable  features because of cost or any number of other reasons which means that we often have to settle for designs that are a step or two short of the cutting edge. 

Rather than follow the herd, Huawei has decided to buck the trend and devoted the sum of their engineering prowess and technological knowhow to create what is arguably the most visually stunning and powerful ultraportable that money can currently buy at this point in our current timeline  – the MateBook X Pro 2024.

We managed to get our hands on one for review and have been having a blast with it for the past couple of weeks – here’s our Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 review where we see if this powerhouse is worth its substantial price tag.

Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 Review – Build and Design

Huawei has been the dark horse of the laptop market, offering proven, quality designs in their MateBook range from budget models all the way to premium designs like their X Pro line-up with their prior model, the impressive MateBook X Pro 2022 debuting a couple of years back and remaining an excellent, if understated ultraportable workhorse. 

The new MateBook X Pro 2024 that debuted earlier this year is straight out of left field, with jaw-droppingly good build quality and specifications that blow other business laptops and ultraportables out of the water. To say that this is a masterclass in engineering is an understatement. Our MateBook X Pro 2024 review unit is light enough that it can comfortably be held with just two fingers!

The whole affair is hewn from ultra light magnesium alloy to shave the weight down to 980g while making it just 13.5mm thin, making it one of the lightest and slimmest ultraportables in the market today. 

Not only does the chassis enjoy significant weight savings, every aspect of the interior chassis has been redesigned to shave down every possible gram of unnecessary weight. The motherboard has been divided into three separate sections to optimise space while the hinge mechanism, keyboard and even the battery use lighter materials in their manufacture. 

The entirety of the laptop has a matte finish using Huawei’s own Micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process which repels fingerprints while offering a unique tactile feel with the top lid itself sporting a plain Huawei wordmark to indicate its origins. In Malaysia, the Intel Core Ultra 7 version comes exclusively in white and the Core Ultra 9 processor comes exclusively in a shade of what they refer to as Morandi Blue.

Likely as a concession to shave its dimensions and weight down, the laptop only hosts a single USB-C port and dedicated webcam switch on its right side for the 1080P webcam while the left side sports two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. It would have been nice to have a USB-A port or at least a HDMI port but Huawei does provide a USB C-to-A dongle with the laptop itself along with a 90W wired fast charger and a USB-C headset.

As a testament to the sheer quality of components lavished on it, the laptop has a superior hinge design that enables it to be opened one-handed. Flipping it open is sheer opulence with the smoothness of the mechanism akin to dialling the crown of a luxury watch.

Flipping my MateBook X Pro 2024 review sample open reveals a 14.2-inch 3.1K flexible OLED X-True touch display framed by incredibly thin bezels. The OLED touch panel has a 120Hz refresh rate, a 1ms response time and is colour calibrated with support for Adobe RGB photography-level colour gamut and a ∆E < 13 in Adobe RGB, sRGB, and P3. The display is also rated for up to 1,000 nits peak brightness and 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Perched up top is the aforementioned 1080p webcam.

The white-backlit keyboard has a 1.5mm travel accompanied by a massive touch pad that has haptic controls on the edges. Stroking the left edge lets you alter the brightness of the display at will while the right modifies playback volume. The top edge lets you jog between a video timeline.

Bar the lack of port variety, the new 2024 model is a masterclass in laptop design with top-shelf build quality in every aspect from its display to its hinges, chassis and keyboard.

Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 Review – Benchmarks and Performance

In Malaysia, you’re able to get the MateBook X Pro 2024 in two configurations that otherwise have the same display and Intel Arc graphics but with different processors, RAM and storage. The base variant consists of an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16GB DDR5 RAM, Intel Arc graphics and a 1TB SSD for RM8,999 which are on par with other competing ultraportables in the market.

For those who seek the best that money can buy, the MateBook X Pro 2024 comes in a staggeringly powerful configuration that is jaw-dropping to behold in specifications and in price. If you shell out RM10,999, you get an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor that is rated for 40W TDP, a whopping 32GB DDR5 RAM and an absolutely massive 2TB SSD along with Intel Arc graphics. Our MateBook X Pro 2024 review sample is the latter configuration.

Here’s how our MateBook X Pro 2024 review unit stacks up on paper:

Price	RM10,999 [Core Ultra 9 185H – review unit] RM8,999 [Intel Core Ultra 5 155H]
Display	14.2-inch touch OLED, 3,120 x 2,080 pixels, 264ppi, 120Hz refresh rate, 3:2 aspect ratio, 1000 nits peak brightness, △E<1, 100% DCI-P3 , Adobe RGB, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
Processor	Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
OS	Windows 11 Home
Memory	32GB DDR5 RAM/ 2TB SSD
Graphics	Intel Arc
Battery	70Wh lithium polymer w/ 90W fast charger
Size/Weight	310 x 222 x13.5 /980g

To wit, the MateBook X Pro 2024 even has Intel Evo certification, ensuring that it meets Intel’s rigorous requirements for fast start-up times, battery life and performance. Much like their other MateBooks, our MateBook X Pro 2024 review unit has their Huawei PC Manager preinstalled that allows users to perform driver updates, easy diagnostics and also to enable Performance mode to ramp up the processor and cooling fans to their fullest potential at 40W TDP.

When subjected to synthetic benchmarks in Performance mode and plugged in, our Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 managed to score the following benchmarks:

3D Mark Steel Nomad	785
3D Mark Steel Nomad Light	3,237
3D Mark Time Spy Extreme	1,886
3D Mark Time Spy	3,942
3D Mark Fire Strike Ultra	2,247
3D Mark Fire Strike Extreme	4,338
3D Mark Fire Strike	8,509
3D Mark Night Raid	28,210
3D Mark Speed Way	528
3D Mark Port Royal	1,622
3D Mark Solar Bay	12,786
Geekbench 6 Single Core	2,173
Geekbench 6 Multi Core	9,704
Geekbench 6 OpenCL	36,239
Geekbench 6 Vulkan	34,590
Cinebench 2024 Single Core	773
Cinebench 2024 MultiCore	91 points 8.49x MP Ratio
PC Mark 10 Work Extended	6,307
PC Mark 8 Battery Life	6 hours 52 mins

Needless to say, our Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 review sample with its Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor outguns the competition that typically max out at an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU. It also outclasses its lesser sibling the MateBook 14 2024 that was released recently for a more cost conscious audience.

Even in heavy back-to-back benchmarks, heat was well managed across the board with the laptop remaining comfortable enough to use on a lap without undue issues though the cooling fans in Performance mode are audible enough to be heard in a quiet library.

That quibble aside, this is one of the best ultraportables we’ve ever tested with a power-to-weight ratio that is absolutely mind boggling. With 32GB DDR5 RAM under the hood and an absolutely massive 2TB SSD, you’re able to tackle tasks that would typically give a flagship ultraportable pause.

Serious video editing is a viable prospect with this laptop along with the most demanding paperwork imaginable like full database model, spreadsheets and the like. It was even able to handle Modern Warfare III on low settings without keeling over though the unoptimised drivers did lead to artifacting and graphical glitches.

The laptop also has full access to the standard CoPilot AI though it lacks a dedicated key for it which isn’t a deal breaker by any means.

Of note is the luscious 14.2-inch Flexible OLED touch display that is not only responsive, offering immediate feedback with the most gentle touch, but also serves up truly brilliant, gorgeous imagery brimming with vibrant, colour-accurate hues and pin-sharp detail. 

This powerhouse combination of a colour accurate OLED display and the impressive hardware that Huawei has crammed into its absurdly slim chassis make it ideal for content creators on the go. Watching movies on this are an absolute treat with the classics like the Fifth Element with its vibrant vistas looking amazing onscreen.

Instead of skimping with a conventional dual speaker setup, the MateBook X Pro 2024 goes all the way with a stunning six-speaker array that not only offers excellent volume but good detail and a decent amount of bass in the bargain too. Short of dedicated gaming designs, this is currently the best set of speakers available on an ultraportable.

While Snapdragon X Elite designs have yet to make it to Malaysia just yet, the MateBook X Pro 2024 stands tall amongst existing Intel and AMD contenders with it managing to eke out just short of 7 hours of battery life on its 70Wh battery in benchmarks. In practical scenarios, you’re comfortably able to last through a work day if you stick to conventional office work with WiFi on and moderate screen brightness.

The impressive lightness, endurance and performance of my Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 review sample held me in good stead at the gruelling gauntlet that is Computex 2024.

This massive trade show usually involves three whole days of walking back and forth a humongous showroom floor spanning several football fields along with attending multiple events across Taipei, with the impressive lightness, endurance and performance of the X Pro 2024 ensuring that I was able to work on the go without feeling tired lugging something heavy around all day which is absolutely priceless.

Should you buy the Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024?

The Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 is a paragon of design and sets a new bar for performance. While it does not come cheap, what you get is truly the best Windows ultraportable that money can currently buy at this point in time – an incredibly light chassis, superb performance that can tackle the most demanding work scenarios and an excellent OLED touch display combine to make absolute magic and a laptop that makes for an enjoyable all-day carry. 

If you’re looking to save a bit, the Intel Core Ultra 5 variant is still a very worthy proposition but the Intel Core Ultra 9 is the one you ought to aim for. Those on the fence ought to check it out at a Huawei Experience store but mind, it’s such a beauty that you’d likely swipe your card there and then.

Huawei MateBook X Pro 2024 Review courtesy of Huawei Malaysia. To purchase, please visit the official Huawei online store at https://consumer.huawei.com/my/offer/laptops/matebook-x-pro-buy/