We reviewed the MateBook D 14 earlier this year and declared it the best mid-range laptop in the world thanks to its combo of strong specs (an AMD Ryzen 5 with 8GB of RAM) and a surprisingly premium design considering the price. We found it had consistent all-day battery life, and with USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI it actually has most of the ports you need too. If your budget stretches a little further, the MateBook D 15 is basically the same laptop, but with a bigger 15in screen. With the faster Ryzen 7 processor and 512GB storage it normally sells for £699, but for Prime Day it’s dropping by £150 to £549. The equivalent Intel model comes with a Core i5 chip and 256GB storage, and is down £130 to £669 – that’s a fair bit more for inferior specs though, as you’re paying extra for a Windows 10 Pro license, rather than Windows 10 Home on the AMD model.
And if you’d like something a little smaller, the MateBook 13 is also discounted. This has a smaller screen, but at a higher resolution and in a taller 3:2 aspect ratio that’s better suited for working on. It also boasts a more premium aluminium build than the D 14 and D 15, with a lightweight, compact design – though the price you pay for that is that it only has USB-C ports. In case you’re worried, all three of these laptops ship with Windows 10, and will let you install and access all the software you usually can – yes, including Google. That’s thanks to Microsoft getting a special exemption from the Huawei trade ban, meaning the company’s laptops are unaffected by the tight restrictions that have limited the software on its smartphone line.
There is one other caveat to be aware of though: Huawei has taken to hiding its laptops’ webcams in a fake key at the top of the keyboard, which you push in to reveal the camera. This is a great way to ensure privacy – the camera is physically blocked most of the time – but the downside is that it’s an especially unflattering camera angle, and if you type while on a video call then your fingers are all anyone will see. Normally a minor nuisance, but these days it’s a bigger problem for most of us. Tech Advisor’s Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he’s a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
