After a month of using this Huawei Matebook D15 2021 version, I can say that this is the perfect laptop for me, because it can run and perform at its best when it comes to desktop publishing, browsing the net, social media publishing, online conferences, gaming and also video editing. I also like the fast connectivity to our WIFI and it can perform a fast uploading on our 20mbps connection with no hiccups.
I was targeting for a gaming laptop to match my needs, and I was a bit spoiled on the Intel i7 processor, but I learned that on this 11th gen of Intel i5 on a Huawei Matebook D15 2021, it can match the speed of computing and rendering of those i7 laptops, plus it can do multi tasking.
I was hesitant of its performance but then after a week of usage and now up to 1 month of max use. I can say is that the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is the best ever -- its small but powerful.
Below are the tech specs, and my review
TECH SPECS
Huawei Matebook D15 2021
Features:
Sleek metal body and lightness
Huawei Fullview display
Eye care feature - low blue light and flicker free
Huawei shark fin fan
Supercharge feature in charger
Huawei share feature
Finger print button
Tech Specs:
Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Display Size: 15.6 inches, IPS, screen to body ratio: 87%
16:9 aspect ratio, 1920x1080p resolution
178 degrees viewing angle
contrast ratio 800:1
processor: 11th gen Intel Core i5-1135G7
graphics: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory: 16GB DDR4
storage: 512GB SSD
Battery capacity: 42 Wh
Wifi 6, Bluetooth
Ports - USB 3.2, 2 USB 2.0 and 1 USB C, HDMI, 3.5mm headset mic
Fullsize keyboard
720P HD recessed camera
2 speakers
2 mic
body color: mystic silver
SRP - PHP 48,999
16gb / 512gb rom ssd
Intel i3 variant - PHP 31,999
8gb/ 256 gb ssd
For a SRP of PHP 48,999, I guess this is just right. My old laptop from way back 2014 it was priced at PHP 39k, and it was an old gen of Intel i5, I still use but its very slow because it only have 4GB of RAM
But for this Huawei Matebook D15 2021, its a monster specs with 16GB of RAM a good standing that can run heavy apps and open many tabs and even if games are running at the background.
For streamers and gamers, you should check this also, because of its fast connectivity and also smooth push for graphics. I've tested it also for streaming and it worked fine -- all you need is a much faster internet to broadcast higher video bits. For our connection I just stream on a lower 200 video bits.
BODY
The Huawei Matebook D15 2021 laptop body is made from metal. I like the smooth and free from finger print stain or smudge on its body surface. The top cover and bottom are all metal too. But I always take good care when using it or placing it in different table around our home. Because when it comes to metal, it can also get scratch or get dents if ever we are careless. But I accidentally bumped the side of the body, but it still fine and okay, no scratches or damage. The good part here is that its easy to clean it up and my hand sweat did not even stay contact on the wrist rest below the keyboard. Its lightweight and its easy to carry. This is a plus point for having the just right side for a laptop.
THE SCREEN
I love the thin bezel of the screen. It has a screen to body ratio of 87% its almost perfect, but the screen is much wider than old designs of laptop. Thanks to its webcam that now placed on the keyboard, the webcam is no longer found on top of the screen that's why it has more room for display.
I love the thin bezel of the screen. It has a screen to body ratio of 87% its almost perfect, but the screen is much wider than old designs of laptop. Thanks to its webcam that now placed on the keyboard, the webcam is no longer found on top of the screen that's why it has more room for display.
Its perfect for viewing videos, editing, typing, social media, there's no distraction or any add ons on the screen. It gave more focus on the screen and to the things you are doing.
Take note that the screen has no touch command feature. Ok lang and Im not fan of touch screen laptop.
THE MACHINE
11th Gen Intel i5 did not let me down, since Im using an old version of i5 on my main laptop (Acer) it is already slow on this present date, and its a 7 year old laptop and still going strong. I was spoiled when I tried the Intel i7 of Huawei Matebook 13 last 2020, and the performance blows me away, but after I've tried a Ryzen 5 few months ago on a Huawei Matebook D15 2020,
I was already happy, and think of that Ryzen 5 is like performing an Intel i5 on new gen of processors. But when the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 arrived here at home, I tested it and Im amazed that it can perform well and feels like Im using an Intel i7. It is fast and no problems on loading my editing software for video editing, and also for Photoshop for graphics designing.
When it comes to gaming, I've tested it many times and I am happy with its performance. But when it comes to graphics I just noticed that the graphics of Intel Iris XE is just average, I mean it can perform better on games like CODM via Gameloop, but when I've tried on Fortnite, there are some differences for graphics loading the 3D, it did not perform well just like the D15 2020 version, but all I can do is tweak some adjustment.
THE BRANDING
Huawei's branding present on the low side of the screen and also at the back cover of the laptop. No issues and Huawei is a big brand and I love seeing it whenever I use the laptop.
THE KEYBOARD
That black thing on the mouse track pad is just a shadow of my hand when taking this photo haha.
It is not a smudge or stain of my hand sweat. For other laptop that is a big problem, when the sweat of your hand and fingers can stain the keyboard and mouse track pad if you use it heavily. But here in the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 -- I use it everyday for many hours and I don't notice any finger or palm stain on the workstation area of the laptop.
That is very impressive! it means that it is very stainless -- because of the metallic body and maybe the nice plastic on the keyboard. The only thing that I miss is the keyboard back light up feature just like the Huawei Matebook 13.
THE POP UP CAMERA
Lots of people did not like the camera angle of this web camera of the Huawei Matebook D15 2021, but for me it was okay, I just did some adjustment like moving away from the laptop and it gives a much more wider view of yourself and away from the view of my nostril haha. Its a simple life hack that I've learned after using the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 for Zoom conferences and live streaming.
THE POP UP CAMERA
Lots of people did not like the camera angle of this web camera of the Huawei Matebook D15 2021, but for me it was okay, I just did some adjustment like moving away from the laptop and it gives a much more wider view of yourself and away from the view of my nostril haha. Its a simple life hack that I've learned after using the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 for Zoom conferences and live streaming.
But I connected a microphone just to boost up my mic audio whenever Im sitting away from the laptop.
I like its incognito style, I can just close the webcam down and not worry of accidental open of video camera whenever Im in a Zoom session. I no longer cover this with a sticker because its already a pop up and it can hide upon my press.
BRIGHTNESS AND SOUND CONTROL
Here's what I like on the brightness and audio control of the Huawei Matebook D15 2021. Its easy to use it just make sure that the FN button is not lit up or pressed, so that the Function keys will be off and only the laptop controls are usable.
For the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 no need to press FN and a key when tinker the bright and volume control. All you need to do is make sure the FN is off and then you are ready to press F1 or F2 for the brightness level, then the F4-F5-F6 for the audio control, and here's my favorite mode- - the F7 for the mic mute and unmute, this is very useful for Zoom sessions, you no longer need to press the Zoom mute or unmute, all you need to do is Press F7 to use the mic and turn it off.
For F10 you can use that also to call for the Huawei PC Manager, you can use it connect your Huawei phone or tablet via Huawei Share. -- I wasn't able to use this because my Huawei phone is not cable of the Huawei Share.
FINGERPRINT SCANNER AND POWER BUTTON
FINGERPRINT SCANNER AND POWER BUTTON
Here's what I like also in the Huawei Matebook D15 2021. The power button also now carries a record of my biometric. I enrolled my finger print for unlocking this laptop. Its just like the Huawei smartphones that I own, the Huawei P30 can unlock using my fingerprint, and now the performance is the same here in the Huawei Matebook D15 2021.
I like the one press and then after a few seconds it transfer me straight to my desktop. Since the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is using a SSD drive so loading everything is fast and smooth.
THE MOUSE TRACKING PAD
I'm not fan of the track pad, but whenever I use the laptop remotely and it means that I put it away from my desk and use it while I'm sitting on the sofa, or at the dining table, I can use the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 with no wired connection -- means that I'm unplugged and no other wired mouse connected. The track pad is very responsive and easy to use.
THE MOUSE TRACKING PAD
I'm not fan of the track pad, but whenever I use the laptop remotely and it means that I put it away from my desk and use it while I'm sitting on the sofa, or at the dining table, I can use the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 with no wired connection -- means that I'm unplugged and no other wired mouse connected. The track pad is very responsive and easy to use.
Since I'm not a fan of it, I always connect a gaming mouse to the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 and use it for my regular workload and gaming, no issues on the wired mouse, just make sure that you are connected well, because gaming mouse can eat some battery.
LEFT SIDE
LEFT SIDE
Take note that the charging USB C is at the left side. I've learned that you can also use the left side for charging the laptop but according to a Huawei rep. the laptop wont be charged in its fastest way when plugged in via right side. So make sure you charge the USB C cable at the left side.
On the left side is the 3.2 USB for fast transfer and read of your hard drive and connection of other devices. There's also a HMDI port for you to connect the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 to an extended screen monitor.
On the left side is the 3.2 USB for fast transfer and read of your hard drive and connection of other devices. There's also a HMDI port for you to connect the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 to an extended screen monitor.
RIGHT SIDE
At the right side of the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 , you see here the 2 USB 2.0 port and one headphone jack 3.5mm -- ready for video calls or listening to audio.
I connect my mouse via the right side USB and other devices. If ever I needed to transfer something I always use the left side USB 3.2 for data transfer because its much faster.
UNDER THE BODY
You wont see any screws or removable door for hard drive. Everything is closed and flat. You'll see here the Huawei Shark Fin Fan and the speakers Left and Right
The good part here is that when a video or audio is on stereo, you'll hear the audio on both speakers, so if you are playing an 8D music, expect some ear plays that will go on. The speakers are very helpful to me when it comes to editing, I can hear if ever the audio of the video is in analog or in stereo, if its on analog, I can only hear it via the left channel of the speaker.
You wont see any screws or removable door for hard drive. Everything is closed and flat. You'll see here the Huawei Shark Fin Fan and the speakers Left and Right
The good part here is that when a video or audio is on stereo, you'll hear the audio on both speakers, so if you are playing an 8D music, expect some ear plays that will go on. The speakers are very helpful to me when it comes to editing, I can hear if ever the audio of the video is in analog or in stereo, if its on analog, I can only hear it via the left channel of the speaker.
HUAWEI SHARK FIN FAN
Other Huawei Matebook fan is noisy, it runs whenever I'm in gaming mode or using the laptop to render videos. The noise is a bit annoying, but its okay so that I know that it need to cool down the machine when resources needs more power. But this is the new of the Huawei Matebook D15 2021, it uses a new version of the Huawei Shark Fin Fan and it runs so smoothly and quietly, means that there are no noise when cooling down the laptop.
When it comes to heat on the left side of the laptop during game mode or video rendering, the heat is not too much and its bearable. for a 2hrs of non stop gaming, the laptop doesn't heat up badly or overheat. I'm glad that Huawei did a great job for the fan, no more noise and you can still vlog on the side when the laptop is busy
SPEAKERS
I've mentioned earlier about the performance of the speakers. It works well in stereo mode and also in analog -- especially when videos are recorded on analog audio only. I can know if the other audio channel is missing during editing.
The speakers performs well while on gaming, watching on YouTube or HBO Go and also on video editing. It performs more better if it sit flat on the table. There's a difference of bass sound when you are using a laptop riser and when a laptop is on flat surface.
I've mentioned earlier about the performance of the speakers. It works well in stereo mode and also in analog -- especially when videos are recorded on analog audio only. I can know if the other audio channel is missing during editing.
The speakers performs well while on gaming, watching on YouTube or HBO Go and also on video editing. It performs more better if it sit flat on the table. There's a difference of bass sound when you are using a laptop riser and when a laptop is on flat surface.
WINDOWS INSIDE
Certified that it uses legit Windows 10 inside! :)
THE CHARGING BRICK
The charging brick is one of the most important part of the Huawei Matebook D15 2021, Don't loose it or damage it. Its the only fastest charging laptop that you can use. I'm not sure if you can use other chargers, but they say you can use it but expect low charging feature.
USB C CABLE
The best here is that the charging cable is can be used for transferring data from your phone. Others use that way but for me I want it on its dedicated mode as power charger. I don't like unplugging the laptop. I always want it stay on connected on power for good battery health .
MY WORKSTATION
As you can see that I always use the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 laptop as my main workstation, as of now I let my old laptop to take a break and let me use this REVIEW UNIT from Huawei Philippines.
Thanks Huawei PH for the review unit, I super enjoy using your new laptop.
And I highly recommend this to people who want to use a powerful laptop that is small and compact and not as heavy or big just like those gaming laptop.
HOW I USE IT NOW WITH OTHER DEVICES
At my regular working hours, I plug in my gaming mouse and a light lamp for my every day mobile computing. And for entertainment, I enjoy using my external monitors as a 2nd display with the Huawei Matebook D15 2021. It works perfectly fine and I enjoy using both screens.
IN ZOOM
During Zoom session and online streaming conferences, The Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is a perfect partner because of its clear and big screen, good speakers, mic and webcam and also its smooth performance because of the 16GB RAM.
MULTI TASKING
I can run multiple windows even if Im doing a Zoom session, doing an online shopping, video edit render and watching videos on Youtube. The Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is fast and powerful, It can do all jobs at the same time and I don't experience any lag or sluggish work flow.
VIDEO EDITING
For video editing - it is so smooth and it can load all the videos on my editing software, btw I'm using Sony Vegas on my editing, its a lighter kind of editing software but the most important part here is the video rendering is so fast and I've tried editing and rendering video files - 11 videos in one day!!
This Huawei Matebook D15 2021 powers up my productivity and I just can't believe that I've done so many videos for my YouTube channel.
Loading of 4K videos is not a problem, and since its running on SSD drive and a 16GB RAM and fast processor, everything is so smooth and this laptop will not let you take a break hahahaha
Creation and publishing content is non stop!
GAMING
For gaming, me and my son play games like Fortnite, Call of Duty Mobile, Free Fire and Roblox. I wasn't able to install big graphics games like Valorant- not yet, due to lack of space on the SSD. Because there are some games that are required to run on root drive C and that's a problem. But For other games, I managed to install it on Drive D and if ever you have an expansion drive, I'm sure you can also install there, but for other games that requires root drive install, expect to lessen use of the Drive C when you installed more games.
For Fortnite, it requires to be installed on Drive C and while for Valorant, you can install it directly to Drive D.
ENTERTAINMENT
At home I use the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 in watching YouTube videos and also HBO Go movies. Me and my enjoys watching series and movies while we are eating our dinner, since the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is very compact but with a large screen (thanks to the thin bezel) we enjoy movies with its clear screen. Just make sure you set the video on its best video mode- 4K if you have fast internet or at 1080p minimum for average speed of internet.
WORK AT HOME
Since its so compact, you can carry it and place it anywhere in your home. The Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is a perfect laptop partner for Work at Home people. Here I can enjoy doing some socmed work while on my breakfast and then later on do some video research on Youtube while enjoying some beer.
With mouse or not, the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 performs well and I love it super!!
SLEEK LOOK AND DESIGN
Just a view of my other workstation mode at home. It look so stylish even in dark conditions.
VIDEO EDITING
For video editing - it is so smooth and it can load all the videos on my editing software, btw I'm using Sony Vegas on my editing, its a lighter kind of editing software but the most important part here is the video rendering is so fast and I've tried editing and rendering video files - 11 videos in one day!!
This Huawei Matebook D15 2021 powers up my productivity and I just can't believe that I've done so many videos for my YouTube channel.
Loading of 4K videos is not a problem, and since its running on SSD drive and a 16GB RAM and fast processor, everything is so smooth and this laptop will not let you take a break hahahaha
Creation and publishing content is non stop!
GAMING
For gaming, me and my son play games like Fortnite, Call of Duty Mobile, Free Fire and Roblox. I wasn't able to install big graphics games like Valorant- not yet, due to lack of space on the SSD. Because there are some games that are required to run on root drive C and that's a problem. But For other games, I managed to install it on Drive D and if ever you have an expansion drive, I'm sure you can also install there, but for other games that requires root drive install, expect to lessen use of the Drive C when you installed more games.
For Fortnite, it requires to be installed on Drive C and while for Valorant, you can install it directly to Drive D.
ENTERTAINMENT
At home I use the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 in watching YouTube videos and also HBO Go movies. Me and my enjoys watching series and movies while we are eating our dinner, since the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is very compact but with a large screen (thanks to the thin bezel) we enjoy movies with its clear screen. Just make sure you set the video on its best video mode- 4K if you have fast internet or at 1080p minimum for average speed of internet.
WORK AT HOME
Since its so compact, you can carry it and place it anywhere in your home. The Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is a perfect laptop partner for Work at Home people. Here I can enjoy doing some socmed work while on my breakfast and then later on do some video research on Youtube while enjoying some beer.
With mouse or not, the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 performs well and I love it super!!
SLEEK LOOK AND DESIGN
Just a view of my other workstation mode at home. It look so stylish even in dark conditions.
GRAPHICS
Graphics in gaming is good. When I learn how to play mobile games on a laptop via the Gameloop mobile game emulator. It is very addicting to play these games like Call of Duty Mobile and Free Fire on a Huawei Matebook D15 2021. Graphics on smartphones has its limit to graphics, but when you play it via PC on a Huawei Matebook D15 2021, you'll see an upgrade of graphics and that's what I like it on this laptop, the upscale of graphics is nice and I can call the maximum graphics of the game on the Huawei Matebook D15 2021
GAME PLAY
Running the game with an OBS studio on recording or on streaming, there's no problem in doing a multi tasking of apps, the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 can do it and there's no lag whenever you play a game during streams.
MAX GRAPHICS
Here's an example of the maximum graphics for Roblox game, my son tweak the settings and then we saw the max graphics of his game. I got worried because the laptop starts to heat up, but it was bearable and was okay, but I did not let it run for too long, because I might encounter for some over heating, but my son played for 1-2 hours and it was okay, the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is hot on the left side part but it cooled down so quickly after the end of the game.
thanks to its Huawei Shark Fin Fan, it did the best job to keep the laptop in perfect temp.
REVIEW:
Over all, I can say is that the Huawei Matebook D15 2021 is the best ever laptop for 2021. They've done better than the Matebook 13, but if I'm going to choose if Matebook 13 or a D15, my selection will be the D15 2020 or the D15 2021. But since I'm using the D15 2021 version, for me this is the best. It can do all the things that I need and as a content creator it level up my content creation, the speed of my workflow and using the laptop for entertainment. Im super impressed with its power even thou that the SSD is up to 512 GB only, still you get to learn on how you can manage your files -- do back up on external HD and install the most important files for your work.
Huawei Matebook D15 2021 can be.... I guess the king of laptop for 2021
