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MagyarHuawei MateBook 16s 2023 review - Multimedia laptop now with a brighter 3:2 display
As one of the largest manufacturers of network equipment and mobile electronics, Huawei delivers smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and also laptops to consumers. While the Android devices from the manufacturer are primarily thwarted in the western world by the US sanctions, Huawei's PCs and laptops don't suffer from similar limitations. They are delivered with the current Windows version and powerful processors from Intel or AMD. Our test unit contains an Intel Core i9-13900H, which Huawei is housing in an elegant case made of aluminum and glass. The Huawei MateBook 16s mainly surprises us with a well-rounded sound. Besides Apple laptops, it has been a long time since we had a laptop in our test that sounded so good.
An IPS panel in the 3:2 format with a 2.5K resolution provides a decent image. In addition, there are three certificates from TÜV Rheinland (a German agency for technical certifications) for the color accuracy, the low blue-light content of the display, and its being free from flickering.
With its light metal case and the Intel Core i9, the 16-inch device is a multimedia laptop for customers with high-class tastes. With this, the direct competitors of the Huawei MateBook s16 include the Lenovo Yoga 7i, the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16, and also the Apple MacBook Pro 16. Those looking for a significantly lighter laptop will find it in the LG Gram 16 or 17. You can see links to our tests of these competitors in the table below:
Possible Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 % | 06/2023 | Huawei MateBook 16s i9 i9-13900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 2 kg | 17.8 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1680 | |
| 86.6 % | 06/2023 | Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 i7-13700H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.6 kg | 19 mm | 16.00" | 3200x2000 | |
| 86.6 % | 04/2023 | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 i7-1355U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 2 kg | 16.99 mm | 16.00" | 1920x1200 | |
| 86.3 % | 05/2023 | Asus VivoBook Pro 16 i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU | 1.9 kg | 20 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 | |
| 85.6 % | 05/2023 | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 i5-1340P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.6 kg | 12.5 mm | 16.00" | 2880x1800 | |
| 93.7 % | 03/2023 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max M2 Max, M2 Max 38-Core GPU | 2.2 kg | 16.8 mm | 16.20" | 3456x2234 | |
| 86.6 % | 01/2023 | LG Gram 16Z90Q i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 16.8 mm | 16.00" | 2560x1600 |
Case
In the design of the MateBook 16s, Huawei was inspired by the Apple MacBook Pro. But the MateBook simply looks slimmer and more modern. There are hardly any weaknesses in the quality of the workmanship. All the components fit tightly and without any creaking when attempting to warp the laptop. The display is easy to move and can be opened up to an angle of about 160°. The hinges aren't moved from their position by some slight vibrations. Unfortunately, the keyboard can be pressed down already by some light pressure. With the exception of the keys, all the surfaces of the device are made from aluminum or glass, which also provides the multimedia laptop with a high-quality appearance.
The laptop weighs about 2 kg (~4.4 lb). With the exception of the Samsung Galaxy Book3 and LG Gram 16 lightweights, the 16-inch laptops fall into approximately the same weight range. In terms of the thickness, the competitors are also fairly similar. Those who are looking for a really slim 16-inch laptop might need to choose the Samsung device.
Equipment
The connections of the Huawei MateBook 16s approximately correspond to the standard of current multimedia laptops. But unfortunately, there is no SD card reader here. Only one of the two USB-C ports support ThunderBolt 4, but both of them offer DisplayPort and PowerDelivery. Usually, one of the two ports will be occupied by the included USB-C charger.
Communication
This laptop also uses an Intel WiFi AX211 as the WiFi module. While it offers good transfer speeds during up and download, it hardly shows any advantages in the 6 GHz network compared to a 5 GHz WLAN.
Webcam
The webcam image of the built-in FullHD camera delivers a fairly good contrast and sharpness. The image quality only decreases minimally toward the edges. However, with a maximum ΔΕ of 24 in dark and 19.1 in bright skin tones, the color deviations of the camera are relatively high. The MateBook also struggles under weak light conditions, where the image quickly becomes grainy and noisy.
What is slightly unusual is the position of the built-in microphones, which are placed in front of the MateBook's base in the little notch for opening the display. However, usually the voice quality is not negatively impacted by this.
Security
You can log into the laptop via fingerprint scanner. In addition, the security functions of the Intel Core i9 are also available. The laptop also offers TPM 2.0. While SecureBoot is available, it is deactivated by default.
Accessories
In addition to the MateBook and USB-C charger, the box only includes the obligatory collection of papers. However, if you order the laptop directly from Huawei (in Germany), at the time of this test you also get a MateView SE Monitor, a backpack, and a wireless mouse for free included with the laptop.
Maintenance
The bottom cover of the laptop is held in position by ten TX5 screws and several plastic clips. To access the electronics of the MateBook 16s, you don't need anything other than a screwdriver and prying tool. A powerful suction cup might also make removing the plastic clips easier. After removing the screws, you can use the prying tool to work on loosening the clips around the laptop, starting from the hinges.
However, once inside you don't get many maintenance options. The working memory and WLAN module are soldered in, and in order to remove the battery, you have to remove some additional screws, some of which are covered by a sticker seal. What is helpful is that you can take out the two fans without having to remove the whole cooling system, which makes cleaning the cooling fins and fans much easier.
Warranty
Our test unit is an evaluation device that is not meant for sale, so there is no warranty. Generally, Huawei offers a 24-month warranty for the display, main board, keyboard, battery, and charger for its laptops in the EU.
Input Devices
Laptops with a 16-inch display often also offer a full-sized keyboard. However, since Huawei is following the design of Apple's MacBook here, it foregoes the number block. In addition to the keyboard and ClickPad, the MateBook 16s also includes a touchscreen.
Keyboard
The keyboard of the Huawei laptop offers a background illumination and 1.5 mm keystroke. Together with a clearly noticeable pressure point, this results in comfortable haptics. As a minor special feature, Huawei placed a key in the top key row between the F6 and F7 keys to start Windows voice input. The keyboard layout corresponds to the European standard (here in Germany).
Touchpad
Thanks to its matte glass surface, the large, 14 × 9 cm (~5.5 x 3.5 in) ClickPad should be able to keep its comfortable haptics for a long time. It responds to inputs with up to five fingers and its palm recognition works well.
Touchscreen
With its reflective surface, the touchscreen of MateBook 16s is more of a fingerprint magnet. The display responds without any delays to inputs of up to ten fingers. However, the surface could have made it easier to slide the fingers.
Display
The 3:2 display of the Huawei MateBook 16s has a resolution of 2,560 × 1,680 pixels. Behind the reflective glass, you can find a contrast-rich IPS panel. The display possesses three different certifications by the TÜV Rheinland (German certification agency) and is supposed to be low in blue light emissions, free from flickering, and offer accurate colors. Huawei advertises it with a contrast ratio of 1.500:1, 100% sRGB color space coverage, and a color accuracy of ΔE < 1 in the state of delivery. In our measurements, the laptop misses all three of these values, but not by much. We are still looking at a good and bright display at 435.9 cd/m². We hardly detect any faults in the brightness distribution.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 448 cd/m²
Contrast: 1280:1 (Black: 0.35 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.6 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 0.64
ΔE Greyscale 2.78 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
2.43% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
94.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
63% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 BOE0BB0 TV160DKT-NH1, IPS, 2560x1680, 16.00 | Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 Samsung SDC418D ATNA60BC03-0, OLED, 3200x2000, 16.00 | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 LEN160FHD, IPS, 1920x1200, 16.00 | Asus VivoBook Pro 16 Au Optronics B160QAN02.L, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 Samsung ATNA60CL03-0, AMOLED, 2880x1800, 16.00 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max Mini-LED, 3456x2234, 16.20 | LG Gram 16Z90Q LG LP160WQ1-SPB2 (LGD06EB), IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 39% | -33% | 31% | 37% | 33% | 30% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 63 | 99.91 59% | 42 -33% | 98.5 56% | 99.7 58% | 99 57% | 96.8 54% |
| sRGB Coverage | 94.9 | 100 5% | 62.8 -34% | 99.9 5% | 100 5% | 100 5% | 99.9 5% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 65.1 | 98.87 52% | 43.5 -33% | 86.1 32% | 97 49% | 88.5 36% | 84.6 30% |
| Response Times | 318% | -9% | 74% | 91% | 18939% | -25% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 34 ? | 2 ? 94% | 31.8 ? 6% | 2 ? 94% | 2 ? 94% | 80.5 ? -137% | 45.7 ? -34% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 17 ? | 2 ? 88% | 20.9 ? -23% | 8 ? 53% | 2 ? 88% | 47.2 ? -178% | 19.7 ? -16% |
| PWM Frequency | 26 ? | 227 ? 773% | 14880 ? 57131% | ||||
| Screen | -61% | -96% | -14% | 195% | 4932% | -48% | |
| Brightness middle | 448 | 370 -17% | 279.4 -38% | 504 13% | 412 -8% | 504 13% | 366 -18% |
| Brightness | 436 | 371 -15% | 257 -41% | 465 7% | 412 -6% | 487 12% | 347 -20% |
| Brightness Distribution | 93 | 98 5% | 81 -13% | 87 -6% | 98 5% | 94 1% | 89 -4% |
| Black Level * | 0.35 | 0.18 49% | 0.35 -0% | 0.015 96% | 0.001 100% | 0.32 9% | |
| Contrast | 1280 | 1552 21% | 1440 13% | 27467 2046% | 504000 39275% | 1144 -11% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.6 | 2.77 -73% | 5.12 -220% | 1.83 -14% | 2.34 -46% | 1.5 6% | 2.82 -76% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.44 | 4.08 8% | 19.42 -337% | 5.51 -24% | 3.34 25% | 3.3 26% | 4.65 -5% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.64 | 2.83 -342% | 1.84 -188% | 1.34 -109% | 2.95 -361% | 2.69 -320% | |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.78 | 2.58 7% | 5.5 -98% | 3.02 -9% | 2.78 -0% | 2.1 24% | 2.3 17% |
| CCT | 6582 99% | 6241 104% | 6407 101% | 6688 97% | 6879 94% | 6882 94% | 6796 96% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 2.43 | ||||||
| Gamma | 2.46 89% | 2.22 99% | 2.39 92% | 2.5 88% | 2.25 98% | 1.971 112% | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 99% /
50% | -46% /
-70% | 30% /
8% | 108% /
146% | 7968% /
6884% | -14% /
-28% |
* ... smaller is better
Even if Huawei advertises it as a professional display, the panel isn't absolutely suitable for photographers and video creators, since it only covers the smaller sRGB color space almost completely. The AdobeRGB and DisplayP3 color spaces are only reproduced to around 65%.
Even if the MateBook clearly misses the advertised ΔΕ < 1 in the state of delivery, the measured average color deviation is very low at a ΔΕ of 1.6. Our ICC profile will drop these further to significantly lower than 1. Huawei also includes its own color profile, although this isn't activated in the state of delivery.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 17 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 7 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 10 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 33 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 34 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 16 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 18 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 40 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 26 Hz | ≤ 10 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 26 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 26 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17903 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
If the brightness is adjusted very low, we notice a slight flickering of the display at 26 Hz. The change in brightness is minimal and can hardly be measured by our sensor. Because of its low amplitude and frequency, this is probably more due to some electronic noise in the background illumination rather than pulse width modulation (PWM).
Despite its reflective glass surface, the display can also be read easily outdoors, as long as it is not in the direct sunlight. Even if the reflections are clearly visible, the brightness of 430 cd/m² and high contrast ratio make the display usable outdoors. However, you shouldn't place the laptop in direct sun for too long, since the aluminum case can heat up very quickly.
As typical for IPS panels, even steep viewing angles pose no problems, and only the brightness level decreases from increasing viewing angles.
Performance
The Huawei MateBook 16s is currently only available in our tested configuration with an Intel Core i9-13900H, 16 GB of DDR5 RAM, and 1 TB NVMe SSD. Particularly considering the powerful i9 processor, the amount of working memory seems to be a bit tight here. Since the laptop doesn't offer a dedicated GPU, it relies on the Intel Iris Xe with 96 EUs in the Core i9.
Test Conditions and Power Adjustment
Huawei provides two preconfigured power saving modes that can be selected using the Huawei control console. In the Power mode, the Intel Core i9 can run briefly at 115 watts, with 60 watts still being available after the boost phase. The Balanced Performance mode still offers 95 and 45 watts respectively. In battery operation, the Core i9 consumes between 35 and 40 watts.
With the exception of the Hogwarts Legacy benchmarks, all the tests were run in the Balanced Performance mode.
Processor
The Intel Core i9-13900H belongs to the most powerful processors of the current 13th generation from Intel, but the H series is more of a refresh of the Alder Lake generation. The processor in the Huawei MateBook runs at up to 115 watts, which ensures strong results in all the benchmarks, catapulting the Huawei laptop to the top of the comparison field.
This is not surprising, since otherwise you find the i9 more in workstations and gaming laptops. It is rather rare to see it in a slim multimedia laptop. Huawei also included a strong cooling system with the powerful processor, allowing it to run most of the time at a maximum of 80 °C (176 °F).
Cinebench R15 Multi Constant Load Test
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| CPU Performance Rating | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max -6! | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (13177 - 20385, n=25) | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4624 - 30789, n=101, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (1297 - 2054, n=23) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (878 - 2110, n=99, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (4960 - 7716, n=22) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1783 - 11768, n=97, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (428 - 792, n=22) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (341 - 812, n=97, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (2061 - 3100, n=23) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (785 - 4703, n=106, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (211 - 297, n=23) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (142.6 - 308, n=99, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (107 - 662, n=95, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (166 - 268, n=21) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (45045 - 79032, n=22) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (20166 - 119900, n=90, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (3665 - 6600, n=22) | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (3398 - 7163, n=90, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (9094 - 15410, n=22) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (3828 - 23059, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (1140 - 2043, n=22) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (926 - 2342, n=100, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (14.7 - 22.3, n=22) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4.99 - 30.5, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (34.4 - 82.8, n=22) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (6.7 - 84.9, n=92, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (0.3826 - 0.723, n=90, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (0.4052 - 0.723, n=22) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
| Performance Rating | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (6788 - 19557, n=22) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (3804 - 27411, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (22551 - 95579, n=22) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (16379 - 136048, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (2491 - 4270, n=22) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1099 - 6681, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (65121 - 120936, n=22) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (21547 - 134321, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (6108 - 11631, n=22) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (3099 - 15484, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (11283 - 48474, n=22) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (9602 - 68591, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (3691 - 149377, n=22) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (23702 - 169946, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (789 - 1254, n=22) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (302 - 1901, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (3655 - 10716, n=22) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1996 - 14590, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (10871 - 50488, n=22) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (7419 - 53918, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
System Performance
Among our comparison devices, only the VivoBook Pro 16 reaches a higher total amount of points in the test with PCMark 10. But the Vivobook is also able to use a dGPU and therefore reaches significantly higher results in the Productivity and Digital Content Creation areas.
In CrossMark, the performance of the graphics chips plays a significantly smaller role, and the MateBook 16s turns out to be the most powerful among the comparison devices.
So as long as you don't ask the laptop to perform any tasks with high graphics demands, the Huawei laptop is able to deliver an excellent system performance. A minor negative point remains the amount of working memory, which is a bit tight at 16 GB. This slows down the performance of the laptop significantly when working with huge amounts of data.
CrossMark: Overall | Productivity | Creativity | Responsiveness
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4635 - 8670, n=85, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (6190 - 6472, n=5) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (11156 - 11774, n=5) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (8480 - 12420, n=85, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (5845 - 11186, n=85, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (7505 - 7979, n=5) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4688 - 13548, n=85, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (7573 - 8073, n=5) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| CrossMark / Overall | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1811 - 2146, n=4) | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1009 - 2146, n=91, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| CrossMark / Productivity | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1722 - 2064, n=4) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (971 - 2064, n=91, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| CrossMark / Creativity | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (2041 - 2224, n=4) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1054 - 2865, n=91, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| CrossMark / Responsiveness | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (1474 - 2171, n=4) | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (926 - 2171, n=91, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 6406 points | |
Help | ||
| AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (37448 - 74486, n=22) | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (20513 - 94254, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (41599 - 75433, n=22) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (22917 - 90142, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (36152 - 88505, n=22) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (20226 - 95196, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Average of class Multimedia (75 - 346, n=87, last 2 years) | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average Intel Core i9-13900H (82.3 - 102.3, n=22) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latencies
DPC latencies remain the achilles heel of laptops with Windows 11. The MateBook is also unable to perform convincingly with its current set of drivers here, and LatencyMon concludes that realtime applications such as audio and video processing might become problematic with the laptop.
The high latencies also become noticeable when playing 4K 60Hz videos on YouTube, and seven frames are dropped in our test video.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Solution
Although Huawei uses a no-name NVMe SSD here, it shines with very good transfer rates and short access times. The transfer rates also remain at a high level for longer time periods.
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics Card
Thanks to the fast working memory and a high TDP, the iGPU is able to deliver a comparatively high performance in the MateBook 16s. In almost all the benchmarks, the Chinese laptop performs at least 20% above the average of the Intel Iris Xe with 96 EUs, which comes together with the Core i9. Another graphics option isn't available for the MateBook 16s, unless you want to consider external graphics cards.
However, it should also be clear that even entry level GPUs such as the RTX 3050 are in a higher league here, offering at least twice the performance.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 8283 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 101739 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 26502 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 5770 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 2087 points | |
Help | ||
* ... smaller is better
Gaming Performance
At this point, even Intel's iGPUs are able to deliver fairly tolerable frame rates in current games, as long as you make some compromises in the quality settings. For example, games such as Hogwarts Legacy and F1 2022 run smoothly in Full-HD resolution at the lowest quality settings. But you cannot expect much more from the Intel Iris Xe. Those who need a higher gaming performance should take a look at a laptop with a dedicated GPU such as the Asus VivoBook Pro 16.
| Performance Rating - Percent | |
| Average of class Multimedia | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 -1! | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 -1! | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 -1! | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| The Witcher 3 - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (8 - 143.2, n=99, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| GTA V - 1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4.24 - 123, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1920x1080 High Quality | |
| Average of class Multimedia (6.53 - 141.8, n=89, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Strange Brigade - 1920x1080 ultra AA:ultra AF:16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (11 - 233, n=86, last 2 years) | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| Dota 2 Reborn - 1920x1080 ultra (3/3) best looking | |
| Asus VivoBook Pro 16 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (26.3 - 171.6, n=90, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 | |
| LG Gram 16Z90Q | |
| The Witcher 3 | |
| 1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (11.2 - 290, n=92, last 2 years) | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (10.6 - 45.9, n=185) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) | |
| Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max | |
| Average of class Multimedia (8 - 143.2, n=99, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 | |
| Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (8.79 - 20.1, n=175) | |
The Witcher 3 FPS Chart
| low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |
| GTA V (2015) | 152.1 | 134.7 | ||||
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 25.6 | 18.1 | ||||
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 142.2 | 103.1 | 77.9 | 70.8 | 30 | |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 50.2 | 27.7 | 19.6 | 14.7 | ||
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 54.2 | 35.5 | 34.3 | 26.4 | ||
| Strange Brigade (2018) | 107.3 | 46.6 | 36.7 | 29.4 | ||
| F1 22 (2022) | 55.1 | 49.6 | 35.5 | 27.1 | ||
| Hogwarts Legacy (2023) | 35.4 | 18.4 | 11.9 |
Emissions
Noise Levels
Huawei has equipped the MateBook 16s with two fans with a diameter of 75 mm (~3 in). Even though the laptop isn't whisper quiet with those, it is tolerable most of the time. The laptop is significantly quieter in the Balanced Performance mode, where the device is hardly audible anymore. Unfortunately, the Huawei laptop lacks a Silent mode.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 25.7 / 28.4 / 28.4 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 45.3 / 45.6 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25.7 dB(A) | ||
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i9-13900H, 321JN1024GB-TX01 | Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-13700H, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1355U, WD PC SN740 512GB SDDPMQD-512G-1101 | Asus VivoBook Pro 16 GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, i7-12700H, Intel SSD 670p SSDPEKNU010TZ | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1340P, WD PC SN740 256GB SDDPNQD-256G | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max M2 Max 38-Core GPU, M2 Max, Apple SSD AP2048Z | LG Gram 16Z90Q Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1260P, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | 1% | 10% | -5% | 1% | 12% | 7% | |
| off / environment * | 25.7 | 25.7 -0% | 22.8 11% | 25.2 2% | 25.2 2% | 23.9 7% | 25 3% |
| Idle Minimum * | 25.7 | 26.1 -2% | 22.9 11% | 25.2 2% | 25.2 2% | 23.9 7% | 26 -1% |
| Idle Average * | 28.4 | 26.1 8% | 22.9 19% | 25.2 11% | 25.2 11% | 23.9 16% | 27 5% |
| Idle Maximum * | 28.4 | 27.2 4% | 26.9 5% | 25.2 11% | 29.3 -3% | 23.9 16% | 28 1% |
| Load Average * | 45.3 | 44.2 2% | 41.7 8% | 55.1 -22% | 46.4 -2% | 36.6 19% | 38 16% |
| Load Maximum * | 45.6 | 47.5 -4% | 43.6 4% | 61.5 -35% | 46.4 -2% | 43.2 5% | 38 17% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 41.5 | 35.1 | 37 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperatures
Huawei's cooling concept doesn't rely only on blowing out hot air. Between the two radiators, cold air is also sucked into the case, which is supposed to provide additional cooling. In our heatmaps, this effect is clearly visible under load. The hinge is cooled in the center by the cold air entering.
Unfortunately, this doesn't reduce the temperatures on the other surfaces of the laptops. Particularly in the center of the keyboard, we measure uncomfortably high temperatures at 43 °C (109 °F) after the stress test.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.2 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44.7 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.1 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30.6 °C / 87.1 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-1.8 °C / -3.3 F).
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 Intel Core i9-13900H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 Intel Core i7-13700H, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 Intel Core i7-1355U, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Asus VivoBook Pro 16 Intel Core i7-12700H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 Intel Core i5-1340P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max Apple M2 Max, Apple M2 Max 38-Core GPU | LG Gram 16Z90Q Intel Core i7-1260P, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -4% | 7% | -12% | -2% | 15% | 8% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 43.2 | 44.4 -3% | 37.6 13% | 44.2 -2% | 41.6 4% | 44.2 -2% | 45 -4% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 44.7 | 48 -7% | 40 11% | 53 -19% | 45 -1% | 42.9 4% | 43 4% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 32.1 | 31.9 1% | 30.4 5% | 32.1 -0% | 31 3% | 22.4 30% | 26 19% |
| Idle Bottom * | 30.1 | 31.9 -6% | 30.6 -2% | 38.4 -28% | 33.6 -12% | 22.3 26% | 26 14% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
During the hour-long stress test with Prime95 and FurMark, the MateBook is able to prove that its cooling concept is working. After a brief boost phase, the CPU and iGPU are able to maintain a constant performance. During that time, the i9-13900H mostly remains within its comfort zone of around 70 °C (158 °F).
Speakers
Here we finally get to the highlight of the Huawei MateBook 16s. Where other laptops sound flat and tinny, the MateBook offers a round sound. Those who are looking for a laptop with well-adjusted speakers will find them in this Huawei laptop. We are able to hear saturated bass and clear highs. The Huawei control console also allows you to adjust the sound to your preferences. Those for whom the decent speakers in the laptop still aren't enough can also connect external devices using the audio port or Bluetooth.
Huawei MateBook 16s i9 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 10.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 12% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 85% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 6% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 92% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power Management
Power Consumption
Under low load, the Huawei MateBook 16s is relatively efficient. However, under medium and high loads, a lot of power is provided to the Intel Core i9-13900H. Although this allows the processor to show its strength, the laptop also consumes the corresponding amount of power, ending up significantly above the class average. But the direct comparison to the Apple MacBook Pro 16 also shows that Huawei's laptop is still significantly more efficient.
| Off / Standby | 0.1 / 1.3 Watt |
| Idle | 5.8 / 7.7 / 10.6 Watt |
| Load |
76.9 / 118 Watt |
   
| |
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 i9-13900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 321JN1024GB-TX01, IPS, 2560x1680, 16.00 | Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 i7-13700H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Micron 2400 MTFDKBA1T0QFM, OLED, 3200x2000, 16.00 | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 i7-1355U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, WD PC SN740 512GB SDDPMQD-512G-1101, IPS, 1920x1200, 16.00 | Asus VivoBook Pro 16 i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, Intel SSD 670p SSDPEKNU010TZ, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 i5-1340P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, WD PC SN740 256GB SDDPNQD-256G, AMOLED, 2880x1800, 16.00 | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max M2 Max, M2 Max 38-Core GPU, Apple SSD AP2048Z, Mini-LED, 3456x2234, 16.20 | LG Gram 16Z90Q i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL21T0HCLR, IPS, 2560x1600, 16.00 | Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Average of class Multimedia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 20% | 22% | -56% | 35% | -42% | 20% | 17% | -24% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 5.8 | 5.8 -0% | 3.3 43% | 8.7 -50% | 3.9 33% | 5.2 10% | 5 14% | 5.26 ? 9% | 7.29 ? -26% |
| Idle Average * | 7.7 | 6 22% | 10.2 -32% | 13.1 -70% | 4.8 38% | 16.5 -114% | 8 -4% | 8.46 ? -10% | 11.8 ? -53% |
| Idle Maximum * | 10.6 | 6.9 35% | 10.3 3% | 18.3 -73% | 10 6% | 16.8 -58% | 14 -32% | 10.7 ? -1% | 14.6 ? -38% |
| Load Average * | 76.9 | 59 23% | 55.2 28% | 116 -51% | 44 43% | 113 -47% | 47 39% | 44.8 ? 42% | 77.7 ? -1% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 76.7 | 61.1 20% | 43.8 43% | 117.6 -53% | 42.3 45% | 92 -20% | 37.8 51% | ||
| Load Maximum * | 118 | 92 22% | 65.7 44% | 162 -37% | 63 47% | 145 -23% | 56 53% | 66.8 ? 43% | 121 ? -3% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption The Witcher 3 / Stress Test
Power Consumption With External Monitor
Battery Life
In our realistic WiFi web surfing test, the multimedia laptop from Huawei lasts for a whole 13 hours away from the outlet. Under load at full display brightness, it is still more than two hours. With this, the MateBook lasts significantly longer than most competitors despite having the most powerful processor in our comparison field.
| Huawei MateBook 16s i9 i9-13900H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 84 Wh | Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 i7-13700H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 65 Wh | Lenovo Yoga 7 16IRL8 i7-1355U, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 71 Wh | Asus VivoBook Pro 16 i7-12700H, GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU, 70 Wh | Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 16 i5-1340P, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 76 Wh | Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023 M2 Max M2 Max, M2 Max 38-Core GPU, 99.6 Wh | LG Gram 16Z90Q i7-1260P, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 80 Wh | Average of class Multimedia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -28% | -21% | -45% | -19% | -21% | -6% | -29% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 787 | 467.7 -41% | 566 -28% | 435 -45% | 613 -22% | 887 13% | 606 -23% | 572 ? -27% |
| Load | 142 | 121 -15% | 124 -13% | 119 -16% | 66 -54% | 157 11% | 97.7 ? -31% | |
| Reader / Idle | 1138 | 1821 | 1085 | 933 ? | ||||
| H.264 | 861 | 1124 | 710 ? |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
With the MateBook 16s, Huawei delivers a solid laptop that gives only few reasons for complaints. If we want to criticize at a high level, we could mention the soldered working memory, the less than 100% sRGB color space coverage, and the reflective display surface. The case quality, performance, keyboard, and speakers of the laptop are excellent. At most, we would have wished for a version with more working memory and a dGPU.
The Huawei MateBook 16s is a powerful alternative to the MacBook Pro from Apple. The Chinese laptop is only surpassed in few areas.
However, the competition among the 16-inch laptops is extensive and there are several powerful alternatives that are worth taking a look. For example, the Acer Swift Go SFG16-71 and the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro offer a significantly better OLED display with a higher contrast and more reproduceable colors. Those who are looking for a 16-inch laptop that is as light as possible won't get around the LG Gram 16. And thanks to its dGPU, the VivoBook Pro 16 from Asus is also significantly more powerful in several areas.
Price and Availability
Other than in Germany, where the MateBook 16s is available from the manufacturer for 1,800 Euros or from Amazon, the laptop only seems to be available from international or Chinese vendors on ebay, etc.
Huawei MateBook 16s i9
-
06/14/2023 v7
Marc Herter
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
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