At an event in Berlin back in May, Huawei announced a trio of new devices under the MateBook brand, including the X, D, and E. The former two are laptops that don"t have touchscreens - with the MateBook X as the flagship - and the E is the true successor to last year"s MateBook.
When I reviewed the MateBook last year, I gave it an 8.0 out of 10, but it definitely had some pain points. Luckily, almost all of those have been fixed this time around.
While the design is nearly identical and it costs $100 more, you"re now getting the complete package. With the original tablet, you had to buy a Portfolio Keyboard, MateDock, and MatePen separately for $129, $89, and $59, respectively. The MateBook E comes with all of those, and the keyboard cover got some serious improvements.
The keys are now "islanded", which means that there is space between the keys, making it easier to type without accidentally hitting the wrong ones. The cover also includes a kickstand now, meaning that you can view the device from any angle, rather than the two preset angles that were built into the original Portfolio Keyboard.
Unfortunately, there is one design change on the MateBook E: the pins that connect to the keyboard cover. That means that you can"t go and buy the new cover and use it on your year-old MateBook. Also, the old MateDock had two USB Type-A ports, and the new dock only has one, and there"s no wired Ethernet anymore either.
Check out our unboxing and first impressions video below:
If you"re interested in the MateBook X, we reviewed that too. It"s a thin and light machine in a beautiful package, and despite its portability, still contains a powerful processor.
Make sure to subscribe to Neowin on YouTube! It"s the best channel in the universe!