Huawei MateBook X Pro 2021 launches with Intel Tiger Lake processors

Huawei has refreshed the MateBook X Pro, the most expensive entry in the MateBook laptop series. The MateBook X Pro 2020 failed to convince us last year, but we mainly found fault with its Intel Comet Lake-U processor's performance. While the Core i7-10510U barely improved on the Kaby Lake Refresh chip that preceded it, Huawei has now brought the MateBook X Pro onto Intel's Tiger Lake platform, which should yield 12% to 20% performance improvements over the Core i7-10510U on average, depending on the processor.

Specifically, Huawei will offer the MateBook X Pro 2021 with either a Core i5-1135G7 or a Core i7-1165G7, along with a choice between four colours. The switch to Tiger Lake processors also brings Iris Xe Graphics G7 GPUs to the MateBook X Pro, yielding significantly better graphics performance for the ultrabook.

Little has changed outside of the processor changes, though. Huawei continues to rely on a 13.9-inch display in a 3:2 aspect ratio that resolves at 3,000 x 2,000 pixels, and which peaks at 450 nits. Additionally, the MateBook X Pro 2021 is 14.6 mm thick, weighs 1.33 kg and offers up to 1 TB of storage. Huawei will sell the device with 16 GB or 32 GB of LPDDR4x RAM running at 4,266 MHz too and still only equips it with USB Type-C ports, despite Tiger Lake's support for Thunderbolt 4. Likewise, the MateBook X Pro 2021 retains its predecessor's webcam, which hides beneath the keyboard.

The MateBook X Pro 2021 can currently be pre-ordered in China from CNY 8,999 (~US$1,389). Huawei is yet to announce international pricing and availability yet, though.

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