HUAWEI MateBook D 15 - 15.6 Inch Laptop with FullView 1080P FHD Ultrabook PC (AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 10 Home, Multi-screen Collaboration, Fingerprint Reader), Space Grey

Product Information

Data comes from Huawei labs, by comparing the performance of the HUAWEI MateBook D 15 (R7 5700U + 16 GB, Performance Mode) with its previous generation (R7 3700U + 16 GB). Actual data and performance may vary depending on product configurations and measurement methods. Based on a dual antenna design, the theoretical Wi-Fi 6 transfer rate is up to 2.4Gbps, 2.7 times higher than the 867Mbps of Wi-Fi 5. This is theoretical data only. Actual performance may vary by environment.

On the plus side, the actuation point is 1.3mm so you don’t have to hammer away at the keys to type. And I found it pretty easy to get comfortable and up to 80 words a minute after a few hours of bedding in. The good news is that Huawei’s 2021 MateBook D15 seemingly fits these stringent requirements. It’s a straightforward no-frills laptop with decent dimensions, decent build quality, a decent specification and decent design, and it’s all yours for a decent price. Did I say it’s generally quite decent? Despite not being designed for gaming, I ran a few in-game benchmarks to see how you’d get on if you wanted to play something lightweight. The MagicBook 15 just about cleared 30fps on the Metro: Last Light benchmark but fared a lot better running the Dirt Showdown benchmark at 720p.

Huawei’s latest MateBook D15 doesn’t try to rewrite the rulebook, it just offers competency and value in a compact package

On the plus side, colour accuracy was not totally terrible. Testing yielded an average Delta-E score versus sRGB of 0.74 (where zero is perfect) and a maximum of 2.1.

That means the D15 is still just as solid, smart, compact and light a notebook today as it was a year ago. Huawei’s concern about weight and portability has extended to the 65W power supply, too, with a 160g slimline affair with a retractable third prong. The Samsung-made 512GB SSD did well in our speed tests, too, returning sequential read and write speeds of 2,787MB/s and 2,412 MB/s respectively. As with the old model, the new D15’s drive is divided into 119GB “C” and 337GB “D” partitions, which seems rather pointless.The screen is a bit disappointing though, and with a contrast ratio of just 800:1 and a relatively low brightness of 250 nits, the display feels a bit anaemic and washed out. It’s a far cry from some of the bright and vibrant screens we’re used to at this price point – and nowhere near the quality of a MacBook screen.