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| The MateBook Pro S is one of the lightest 14-inch laptops on the market. |
The new Huawei MateBook Pro S weighs just 798 grams—lighter than a tablet—yet packs a stunning OLED display and all-day battery life. But does this ultralight marvel sacrifice too much for its airy ambitions?
In a laptop market obsessed with slimness, Huawei has just thrown down a gauntlet that competitors didn't see coming. While Apple's MacBook Air has long been the gold standard for ultraportable computing, the newly unveiled Huawei MateBook Pro S takes a radically different approach to mobility—one that prioritizes weight reduction over absolute thinness.
At 11.9 millimeters thick, the MateBook Pro S is actually about half a millimeter thicker than the latest Apple MacBook Air ($1,250 on Amazon). But here's where the numbers get truly astonishing: Huawei's latest creation weighs a mere 798 grams. That's a full 35 percent lighter than Apple's featherweight champion. To put that in perspective, the MateBook Pro S weighs less than many tablets, including the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It's a device that literally begs to be held in one hand.
A Display That Dazzles
Huawei hasn't skimped on the visual experience to achieve this weight reduction. The MateBook Pro S features a generous 14.2-inch OLED display in a 3:2 aspect ratio—a format beloved by productivity users for its vertical screen real estate. The panel delivers a crisp 3,120 x 2,080 pixel resolution, ensuring everything from spreadsheets to 4K video content appears razor-sharp.
But the display specifications are where things get genuinely impressive. With a 120 Hz refresh rate, scrolling through documents and web pages should feel buttery smooth. Perhaps most notably, Huawei claims an HDR peak brightness of 1,600 nits—a figure that would make the MateBook Pro S one of the brightest laptops on the market, easily outshining even premium offerings from Apple and Samsung.
Under the Hood: Huawei's ARM Gambit
Powering this ultralight machine is Huawei's in-house HiSilicon Kirin XE90 ARM chip, featuring nine cores with boost clock speeds reaching up to 2.75 GHz. This represents a significant departure from the Intel and AMD processors that dominate the Windows laptop ecosystem, signaling Huawei's continued commitment to ARM architecture despite ongoing challenges in the global semiconductor market.
The choice of an ARM processor likely contributes significantly to the MateBook Pro S's exceptional battery life claims. Huawei promises up to 18 hours of video playback from the 54 Wh battery—impressive endurance for a device this light. When it's time to recharge, the laptop supports USB-C charging at up to 66 watts, though the charging brick's size remains to be seen.
The Compromises: Where Featherweight Meets Frustration
No engineering marvel comes without trade-offs, and the MateBook Pro S appears to have made some notable concessions. Perhaps the most significant compromise is in the port selection. Huawei has included only two USB-C ports, and data transfer speeds are capped at 5 Gbit/s—a far cry from the Thunderbolt 4 speeds found on competing premium laptops. More concerningly, only the right-side port supports 4K monitor output at a maximum of 60 Hz, limiting external display options for productivity users.
For those wondering about the device's performance characteristics, early indications suggest the MateBook Pro S may not be a powerhouse. The Kirin XE90's performance profile remains largely unconfirmed, but ARM-based Windows laptops have historically struggled with compatibility and raw performance compared to their x86 counterparts.
On the brighter side, Huawei has included thoughtful features like a backlit keyboard, a multitouch trackpad with stylus support, four speakers for immersive audio, and an impressive six-microphone array for crystal-clear conference calls. The device also features 1,080p cameras on both the front and back—a rarity in laptops that suggests Huawei sees this as a versatile device for both work and content creation.
A fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button rounds out the biometric security features, ensuring quick and secure login.
Pricing and Global Availability
Huawei has announced three configurations for the Chinese market. The base model with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD is priced at ¥7,999 (approximately $1,180). The mid-tier version bumps that to 24 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD for ¥10,499 (about $1,550). For collectors and those seeking the absolute best, a Collector's Edition featuring 32 GB of RAM and a premium chassis finish commands ¥14,999 (roughly $2,220).
For the most up-to-date information on specifications and regional availability, visit the official Huawei MateBook Pro S product page.
Global availability remains unconfirmed, with Huawei not yet announcing when or at what price the MateBook Pro S will launch outside China. This mirrors the company's recent product release strategy, which has seen some devices remain exclusive to the Chinese market for extended periods due to ongoing trade restrictions.
The Verdict: A Glimpse Into Computing's Featherweight Future
The Huawei MateBook Pro S represents something genuinely different in the laptop space. While competitors have focused on shaving millimeters off device thickness, Huawei has pursued a more radical goal: creating a full-featured laptop that weighs less than most tablets.
Whether consumers will accept the performance and connectivity compromises remains to be seen. The MateBook Pro S seems ideally suited for students, frequent travelers, and anyone who values portability above all else. For power users or those reliant on external displays and peripherals, the limited port selection and unknown performance ceiling may prove deal-breakers.
Nevertheless, the MateBook Pro S pushes the boundaries of what we thought possible in laptop design. At just 798 grams, it demonstrates that computing power needn't come with back-breaking weight. As ARM processors continue to mature and compatibility improves, devices like the MateBook Pro S may well herald a new era of ultralight computing—one where your laptop feels as inconsequential in your bag as a magazine.
For now, Huawei has proven that innovation continues apace in the laptop space, even if that innovation comes with its own set of compromises. The MateBook Pro S isn't for everyone, but for those who prioritize weight above all else, it might just be the perfect companion.
What are your thoughts on the MateBook Pro S? Would you sacrifice performance and ports for an 800-gram laptop? Let us know in the comments below.
Source : Huawei
