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  • MrSpadge - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    I really like the meaningful and fairly priced separation between the i5 and i7 model - keep it simple and the upgrade noticeable to the user.
  • SirCanealot - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Actually, I was thinking the same thing! For the sake of $300 I can upgrade almost everything on the system. For $300 to do that, it's quite a 'may as well' situation! :)
  • DiscoDJ - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    I know the internet is international in scope, but I do find it interesting that this article doesn't even mention the security issues the U.S. Govt. (whatever you may think of it, right now) has with Huawei or ZTE. Is there an article on this site somewhere that dismisses these concerns as unfounded?
  • RedKiwi - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Reading through the summary of the House intelligence report on Huawei and ZTE, it seems more of a "not worth the risk" type of situation. Investigating hardware provided by Huawei and ZTE was out of the scope of the investigation. The House only questioned their involvement with the Chinese government. Both companies were unable to provide a satisfactory answer to the committee. By not allowing Huawei and ZTE to sell telecommunications equipment to US carriers, it removes the possibility of snooping even if there is no risk in the first place.

    I do believe consumer hardware Huawei makes is safe for general use. It might not be worth it for the government to risk.

    On a side note, I wish some of these decisions would be made in other parts of the US government such as environmental laws.
  • vanilla_gorilla - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    That's one of the most reasonable replies to that question I've seen.

    But we can't ignore the fact that in 2017 ZTE plead guilty to illegaly exporting US technology to Iran and North Korea.

    Let me say that again: Iran and North Korea. In violation of international trade sanctions.

    Then when the US called them on it, they agreed to reprimand employees and pay a fine. Instead, they only fired 4 officials and provided bonuses to 35 others. That's why the US Department of Commercen banned companies from buy ZTE products.

    I don't think there's much more anaysis the government needs to do. Security is all based on trust and ZTE has zero. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.
  • ianmills - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Well the results sound about par for how the US handled their own 2009 financial crisis haha
  • invinciblegod - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    "But we can't ignore the fact that in 2017 ZTE plead guilty to illegaly exporting US technology to Iran and North Korea. Let me say that again: Iran and North Korea. In violation of international trade sanctions."

    You say that like it's a super surprising thing but you'll be surprised to learn that many companies actually make a cost benefit analysis and more often than would be expected choose to illegally export US parts to those countries. They just know that if they get caught they will pay a fine and then everything is fine. Just search "companies that violate sanctions to iran" on google and you will see how many companies do it and get caught. ZTE obviously miscalculated on how much they could get away with in the plea deal.
  • invinciblegod - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Also, ZTE is not Huawei.
  • Samus - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    LOL I was about to say the same thing.
  • Oxford Guy - Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - link

    Yep. If the benefit (the profit) outweighs the slap on the wrist (the cost) then why wouldn't any corporation go for it? Corporations are not people. They're financial mechanisms designed to enrich some people. They just happen to have real people to do some of that work (along with AI, robotics, etc.).
  • wilsonkf - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    OT: The first corporation to violate export ban to Iran ... is called "the White House". They sold weapon to Iran. (Irangate) Let's ban them from buying from US companies.
  • tipoo - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    I like how Trump is now trying to save ZTE while Canada is apparently public enemy number 1. Almost like one of those granted millions of dollars in loans and trademarks to his immediate family, and the other country played by the rules.
  • SFNR1 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    and what hardware would they choose which is not "made in china"? Is there any left?
  • peevee - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Dells makes PCs in Malaysia and Poland, among others. And servers in the US.
  • vanilla_gorilla - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Assembled in China based on the specifications and under the direct purview of a US company. Very different than Huawei doing it all behind closed doors. Certainly not perfect but a significan amount more trustworthy.
  • SFNR1 - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    the more you know, was not aware of that, thanks
  • vanilla__gorilla - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    @SFNR1 All I care about America is that chillee beer ans some whipped cream on your gf's and wife's pu**y to eat away over all the Chinese dillldooo
  • Mil0 - Friday, June 29, 2018 - link

    /r/suddenly_reddit
  • DiscoDJ - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    A well reasoned answer to my question.
    it is appreciated.
    Hats off to you, my friend
  • Jon Tseng - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Meh that's more on the network equipment side. With a PC built on standard components there's less you could do under the hood. Sure you could shovel some spyware on but thats something that Lenovo or any other Chinese OEM could do just as easily. Anyhow if you're really worried just download a fresh version of Windows wipe the HDD and do a fresh install that would take care of any meddling.
  • SFNR1 - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    if the spyware would be on the SSD, than yes ;-) .
  • notashill - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    Are we not remembering the Windows Platform Binary Table 'feature' Lenovo used to automatically reinstall their spyware when the system was wiped with a fresh Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft?
  • Oxford Guy - Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - link

    And, installing Windows 10 is installing spyware.
  • Oxford Guy - Tuesday, July 3, 2018 - link

    CPUs and other chips have built-in spyware now.
  • Notmyusualid - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    Nice, on-topic comment for a change.
  • eek2121 - Saturday, July 7, 2018 - link

    The problem is, we in the US are, oddly enough, in a position of 'guilty until proven innocent'. Back doors have been found in enough consumer hardware, accidental or otherwise, to raise serious concerns of security.
  • rocky12345 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Coming from a company that is not as well known is this sector the prices are fairly steep. A i5 using Intel's graphics and only 8GB's DDR3L for $1199US is pretty sad I do not care how thin it is not worth more than $799US-$899US and even then that would be if it was from a better known company in this hardware sector.
  • SFNR1 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    the base model is really quite expensive but the i7-verison i think, keeps it up with the xps and others out there
  • rocky12345 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Yea the i7 model with the Graphics card an 16GB memory and larger 512Gb NVMe drive is priced a lot closer to what it should be and I guess if the build quality is good and will last as long as the big brand names systems do then it should be fine.
  • rocky12345 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    I read the review again because the first time was just before I had to leave for work so I skimmed it. The i7 model is a pretty good deal for sure you get a lot of grunt for that $1500 and from what they said in the review the screen is pretty good and the build quality is good as well. If you want to tinker in some light duty gaming you can with the i7 model and Nvidia graphics. The battery time if also very impressive at least to me it was being that this is a laptop and not a tablet.
  • rocky12345 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    I still stand by what I said about the i5 version it should be no more than $1000 maybe $1050 at most it is lacking to many of the upgrades you get in the i7 version to warrant a $1200 price tag
  • SFNR1 - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    you're right, the i5 is too expensive and the upgrade sounds more like apples' "here is the entry model with 64gb and here is the other model with 256gb. 128 you ask? no way".
  • SFNR1 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    the base model is really quite expensive but the i7-verison i think, keeps it up with the xps and others out there
  • Gunbuster - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    We were doing so good until the underchin nostril cam.
  • SFNR1 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    depends on how often you need the front-facing camera. For me, that would be zero times a year.
  • vanilla_gorilla - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Agreed, I'd prefer it with no camera at all.
  • SFNR1 - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    and this is why i find this solution just perfect. Just close the "key" and the camera is gone. No need for a "privacy shutter" or something like that. Good job Huawei!
  • stephenbrooks - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Again, I'll say that I'd prefer a detachable webcam module that goes on the top of the screen (e.g. via a small USB port). That way, you know when the webcam is on or off, and it's in the right place.
  • ionuts - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    I need its bigger brother: 3:2 larger display (w/ small bezels), GTX 1060 or above, 6-core i7, all USB-C.
  • boeush - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    I'll second that - in a 15.6 or 17" form-factor, with CPU TDP at 35 W or higher...

    Also: if you're going to go for a pop-up camera, why can't you design one to pop up from the top of the display instead of the keyboard?!? If it can be done on a phone, it can surely be done on a laptop!

    https://www.cnet.com/news/the-vivo-nex-has-a-pop-u...
  • iwod - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    A Macbook Pro 13", with a less resolution Retina Screen, Dual Core, but same memory and SSD, cost $1499. However it is the higher end that is embarrassing, with 512GB SSD, 16GB, still dual core, and Retina Screen, no Geforce MX cost $2199!!
  • peevee - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    "It’s a full six-row keyboard though, and other than the webcam being on the top row, it’s all well thought out."

    Really? Where are Insert, Home, Page Up, Page Down and End keys then?
  • Brett Howse - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    They are Fn keys like most laptops
  • tipoo - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Pleased to see this review here!
  • tipoo - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    The impressive thing here is that Swift 3 with the Ryzen 2700U sticking so close to the MX150 on GPU performance. It may be in the article but what wattage is the 150 running at?
  • Brett Howse - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Nvidia doesn't say TDP values for their laptop parts. I'd guess it's about 15W
  • Jon Tseng - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Might be worth checking - I think there's been some issues w MX150s being power restricted (effectively turned into max-q parts) on some thin n lights. So in real world terms there are effectively two variants of mx150 our there. I would assume this is downclocked given the obvious thermal constraints of that design but I could be wrong.
  • Brett Howse - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Thanks for that info. Got to love the recent naming conventions by team green :)

    This is the lower power version with the max boost around 1030 MHz. I'll make a note in the review.
  • Brett Howse - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Apparently we even wrote about this:
    https://www.anandtech.com/show/12565/nvidia-silent...
  • skavi - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    Is it also possible that the MX150 is only using 2 PCIe lanes? It would be great If you could check how the lanes are distributed between the GPU, Thunderbolt controller, and SSD.

    (You can check this through HWiNFO btw)
  • Brett Howse - Friday, June 29, 2018 - link

    No it's using 4 - see the GPU page.
  • skavi - Sunday, July 1, 2018 - link

    Oh, dunno how I missed that. Thanks!
  • Brett Howse - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Just another comment on your comparison to Vega. Vega definitely holds its own here with a similar TDP but shared with the CPU. They don't have the ST performance to keep up with the i7 though which definitely hurts. Vega is quite good though when you keep the power in check.
  • cfenton - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    My biggest concern with Huawei (other than security) is post-purchase support. Do they have repair centres in Canada and the US? Do they have partnerships with local repair shops where I can take it for warranty service? I don't want to pay to ship my laptop to China if it breaks, much less deal with setting up a replacement for a few weeks while it's being fixed.

    Say what you want about Apple's prices, but their service is excellent and convenient. I imagine Microsoft stores would be similar, but there are far fewer of those.
  • Tchamber - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Thank you for this review, been looking for one on my Envy 17t for a long time, and this Huawei is virtually identical, excepting my screen size and 3840*2160 resolution. Holds up pretty well against the competition.
  • skavi - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - link

    Is there any chance you could check how many lanes the Thunderbolt controller is connected to?
  • s.yu - Saturday, July 21, 2018 - link

    2. Notebookcheck did a test but I can't paste the link, just go search the model on the site's internal search.
  • Notmyusualid - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    Everytime someone releases yet-another small-screen laptop - God kills a kitten.
  • SFNR1 - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    i work on a 12" Macbook and am allergic to cats so go ahead :-)
  • xucuvij - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    nice
  • Ruimanalmeida - Thursday, June 28, 2018 - link

    A personal computer isn't a good computer without a reasonable technical support from manufacturer. And Huawei just don't have it.
  • mritunjaysp - Friday, June 29, 2018 - link

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  • Lolimaster - Friday, June 29, 2018 - link

    Do people were asking for screen to body ratio over funcionality on the laptop market? Don't think so. Another good device ruined by a webcam located in the most retarded place.

    Also I think Ryzen 2700/2500U would've been better options, not much different in gpu than the MX150 while the whole cpu/gpu combo being way less expensive. As I always says, AMD should release their own laptops mimicking this designs.
  • Phartindust - Saturday, June 30, 2018 - link

    Ask and you shall receive:

    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Huawei-MateBook-D-Signa...
  • Phartindust - Saturday, June 30, 2018 - link

    https://hothardware.com/news/huawei-matebook-d
  • milkod2001 - Monday, July 2, 2018 - link

    That's really great value. Luckily for you yanks. In EU such specs go for:€800-900 :( and they act like they do you a favour to sell that cheap (im not talking about Huwei but laptop prices in general).
  • markiz - Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - link

    Well, tax?
  • markiz - Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - link

    To each it's own. I know of very few people who actually use a webcam on a laptop.
    So it's ruined for YOU and your like, not for everybody.
  • s.yu - Saturday, July 21, 2018 - link

    It also lacks a card reader, ruining it for some other folks.
  • bailey9 - Sunday, July 1, 2018 - link

    Great review, but I found no mention of touch functionality on the display. I assume Matebook X Pro lacks this. That seems like a significant omission to me, given Microsoft's software. I would value a table of peer devices with interfaces and ports compared, similar to the outstanding battery life tables in the review. That is a key differentiator with the Surface line, for example. Am I the only one who feels that Windows 10 devices need touchscreens?
  • Brett Howse - Thursday, July 5, 2018 - link

    It does have Touch support. Sorry I meant to have that listed in the spec table. I've added it now.
  • dr.denton - Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - link

    Did I just miss it, or was there no mention of the inherent differences between a fully integrated APU and a CPU+GPU+dedicated graphics memory? To be honest, I don't find it particularly impressive to outperform a 15W R7 with a setup that surely is allowed more power budget, has more memory bandwidth and, I assume, is more expensive to manufacture.
  • s.yu - Saturday, July 21, 2018 - link

    Yup, this review is fairly disappointing, it's not as detailed as Notebookcheck's. Sometimes Anandtech does a better job but not this time.
  • s.yu - Saturday, July 21, 2018 - link

    This feels like an ad, why on earth is the base model's $1500 "undeniable value", as an ultrabook there's hardly anything of note besides the screen's brightness and resolution(sRGB coverage is basically standard for any ultrabook other than the cheapest, touch is also pretty common). The SSD is triple sourced and you can bet on the other variants to be slower, this speed is typically only seen in mid-high tier Samsungs, I've never seen Toshibas reach this speed for example. The thunderbolt is only two lanes, old problem, while Dell is already moving to fix that. Overall lack of ports for what's supposed to be a more pro-oriented model (they added the MX150, if only the slow version). No Windows hello? Xiaomi's new notebook among others are priced much more competitively for the specs.

    And the design is really mediocre, the up and down arrow keys for example should be full size, or the left and right should be half sized, as of now the pressure points of the side keys and the down key aren't in a straight line, I've tried such a keyboard before and was very annoyed by the differently sized arrow keys. The webcam placement is downplayed but its angle is even worse than the XPS solution, because it's closer to the user, also because it would be completely unusable on a stand/base commonly used to increase the number of ports and/or improve typing and screen-viewing comfort. From an aesthetic point of view it's also mediocre, choosing a somewhat dated roundish Macbook design (the recent design trend goes bolder, not only the Macbooks but also new XPSs and the new Blade follow this trend, even Xiaomi) and slapping a Huawei logo onto it.
  • RaymondIT - Tuesday, July 24, 2018 - link

    I still don't see why a higher end system like this is using slower memory that takes more power. LPDDR4 or even DDR4 would be a better choice. LPDDR4 uses 40% less power??
  • Joiiyrancher - Monday, October 8, 2018 - link

    Did you guys ever look into the reports that the thunderbolt 3 ports only provided 2 Lane support and therefore significantly compromised eGPU p performance? I think notebookcheck wrote about it. If that isn't the case I would buy one today.

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