We were impressed last time we saw Huawei’s Matebook notebook but the newest arrival, the Matebook X, is even more of an eyebrow-lifter. It’s certainly going to make Apple fans do a double-take, as rather than making this Microsoft Surface competitor look more like the direct competition, Huawei has borrowed a few cues from the MacBook.

But that’s all surface (not Surface), even if it’s a shiny one. The sleek lines and, more importantly, the colouring might scream ‘Apple’ but the internals of Huawei’s machine offer up more power than Cupertino’s little 12-incher ever has. In that way it’s closer to Microsoft’s range of computing hardware.

Now that we have your attention: The Matebook X is shipping with a seventh-gen Core i7 Intel chip, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. For purely office tasks, web browsing, and all the Netflix you can eat, this one should be blisteringly quick.

Media seems to be the X’s main target, as Huawei have outfitted the notebook with a 2K display and Dolby Atmos sound — a combination guaranteed to make your House of Cards marathon a pleasant one. Speaking of marathons, you should be able to have one. The battery is supposed to last 10 hours, and that’s while playing back HD video. We’ll have to see that to believe it but if they’ve pulled it off…. well, we’ll just have to re-watch all of Daredevil again to make sure.

Ports could have been an issue for lovers of legacy tech, as the Matebook X will arrive with two USB C ports but Huawei will also be including a dock that will give users HDMI, VGA, USB A and USB C options. Not bad, as it means you won’t have to purchase extras.

The Matebook X, as well as its bigger brother the Matebook D, will be launching later this year. Pricing and availability outside of the States hasn’t been announced yet but this is one that we’re hoping we get to see this side of the pond.

Source: via Engadget