Huawei MateBook 13 First Impressions

Modeled after the stunning MateBook X Pro, Huawei’s gorgeous new MateBook 13 offers similar quality in a smaller, even more affordable package.

I assume most readers are at least passingly familiar with the issues Huawei is having in the United States And with my contention that these issues are xenophobic in nature, and that the current administration is fighting a protectionist battle against anything and everything Chinese.

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

But regardless of your opinions on geopolitical matters, let me just reiterate a less contentious point: Yes, in the mobile space, Huawei, like Samsung—which has no image problems at all, for some reason—started off just cloning as many of Apple’s products as it could. But today, Huawei, again like Samsung, is delivering products that outperform the quality and cost of similar Apple products. This is true in smartphones. In tablets. And in laptops, too.

Last year, I reviewed the Huawei MateBook X Pro, describing it as “the single-best portable PC I’ve ever tested, the perfect combination of brawn, beauty, expansion, and value.” With a starting price of $1200, the MateBook X Pro is absolutely a premium PC, but it lives up to the cost and delivers much better value than other contenders, like the Apple MacBook Pro with which it most closely competes. That laptop has only a single flaw, in my opinion: A weird webcam that is hidden under a fake function key in the top row of its keyboard.

I just received a loaner MateBook 13 for review on Friday, so I’ll need some time to fully develop my opinion of this smaller, less expensive MateBook variant. But my first impressions are exceedingly positive, and this MacBook Air competitor appears to deliver everything that was special about the MateBook X Pro, but in a smaller and even less expensive package.

The visual similarities between the MateBook 13 and MateBook X Pro are obvious, so much so that I had to study my photos of the earlier device—a review unit I returned to Huawei—to find the minute differences. Like its bigger sibling, the MateBook 13 features an excellent power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader.

It has the same basic touchpad design, albeit less tall to match the MateBook’s smaller frame; I prefer this smaller unit.

It has the same keyboard, too. And the same overall aluminum CNC design.

As a smaller device—it’s dramatically smaller than even the new MacBook Air despite having a full-sized keyboard—-the MateBook 13 does make a few concessions.

The MateBook 13 is significantly smaller than the new MacBook Air

There’s no room for the MateBook X Pro’s excellent speakers, which were aligned on the sides of the keyboard; the MateBook 13 does offer Dolby Atmos capabilities, however.

There are two USB-C ports, but no full-sized USB port; in the good news department, however, Huawei put one USB-C 3 port on each side of the device, a configuration I prefer. More confusingly, the left port is for charging and power only whereas the rightmost port also supports DisplayPort.

The MateBook 13 also retains the very small display bezels found on the MateBook X Pro, but yet there’s room on the top for a webcam, eliminating my sole major complaint about that more expensive device. As its name suggests, that display is indeed 13.3-inches, with a resolution of 2160 x 1440, and with a perfect 3:2 aspect ratio. Bliss.

As a newer laptop, the MateBook 13 is outfitted with the very latest Intel processors, the “Whiskey Lake” 8th generation variants that were recently announced. The base version ships with an 8th-generation Intel Core i5-8265U processor, Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated graphics, 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of NVMe PCIe SSD storage. The review unit, which costs $1300, is outfitted with an 8th-generation Intel Core i7-8565U processor, NVIDIA GeForce MX 150 discrete graphics with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5  RAM, 8 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of NVMe PCIe SSD storage. Both ship with Huawei’s Shark Fin Design 2.0 cooling system, which is supposed to optimize cooling with minimal noise. So far, I’ve not heard a peep from the fans.

From a portability perspective, the MateBook 13 is small— 8.31” × 11.26” × 0.59”—but a bit dense with a curb weight of just under 3 pounds. Battery life is rated at almost 10 hours of video playback, but I will be testing that, of course.

The software loadout is mostly very good. Windows 10 Home version 1803 is preloaded and it comes with all the crapware we’ve come to expect. But Huawei’s additions are mostly well-intentioned: There’s a Huawei PC Manager application for driver downloads and support, which is fine, but it has a curiously large icon right in the middle of the notification area on the taskbar. Huawei also adds a custom eye comfort mode on top of Windows 10’s built-in controls, Microsoft Translate, and a few other apps. Nothing nefarious.

I’m traveling this weekend, so that will be my first opportunity to test the MateBook 13 in real-world conditions. But my experiences over the weekend suggest that this one, too, will be a winner. And that anyone knee-jerking it on Huawei might want to rethink things yet again. This is one impressive laptop.

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Conversation 48 comments

  • dallasnorth40

    Premium Member
    29 January, 2019 - 9:17 am

    <p>This machine looks amazing. And 3:2 aspect to boot! Definitely going to consider this one.</p>

  • spacecamel

    Premium Member
    29 January, 2019 - 9:17 am

    <p>Where did they put the camera on this one? Is it still behind the function key?</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      29 January, 2019 - 9:28 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400276">In reply to spacecamel:</a></em></blockquote><p>No, it's in the normal location.</p>

  • Bibbit

    29 January, 2019 - 9:49 am

    <p><strong>EDIT:</strong> For some reason I forgot to put first that this machine looks great. If I hadn't just gotten the Lenovo Yoda C930 I would have strongly considered getting this instead. <strong>/EDIT</strong></p><p><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1"><em>I assume most readers are at least passingly familiar with the issues Huawei is having in the United States And with my contention that these issues are xenophobic in nature, and that the current administration is fighting a protectionist battle against anything and everything Chinese.</em></p><p class="ql-indent-1"><br></p><p class="ql-indent-1"><em>But regardless of your opinions on geopolitical matters, let me just reiterate a less contentious point: Yes, in the mobile space, Huawei, like Samsung—which has no image problems at all, for some reason…</em></p><p><br></p><p>I'd like to see Mr. Thurrott write a more in-depth article about this situation. I say this because I disagree with him. I can understand his displeasure with the current administration, but I think to call it xenophobic<em> </em>goes too far. </p><p><br></p><p>I'd also like to ask Mr. Thurrott if he remembers a certain Samsung Note product that created quite the poor image of Samsung for months. I'm no fan of Samsung devices, I don't care for the return on investment with them, and in many cases I don't like their in-house developed software. Still, I think Samsung works hard and spends quite a lot of money to fix any problems perceived by the public, whether real or made up. I've seen too many articles in the tech press written both in the US and overseas to think that Huawei is an innocent victim of an administration that attaches a <strong>R</strong> to its name. Maybe Mr. Thurrott spent a bit too much time in Dedham reading the Globe?</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      29 January, 2019 - 10:05 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400281">In reply to Bibbit:</a></em></blockquote><p>Well, certainly living outside the USA and looking in at what is going on, the first impression that the US Government gives at the moment is xenophobia.</p>

      • Bibbit

        29 January, 2019 - 12:20 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#400284">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>That seems rather odd to me. The US has lost countless lives and spends billions and billions of dollars protecting overseas countries, but somehow it's xenophobic? The US is second to none when it comes to disaster relief around the world, but somehow it's xenophobic? The reality is that things are simply a lot more complicated than most folks want to believe.</p>

        • provision l-3

          29 January, 2019 - 12:30 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#400333">In reply to Bibbit:</a></em></blockquote><p><em>"The reality is that things are simply a lot more complicated than most folks want to believe."</em></p><p><br></p><p>You are correct, which is why the things you have said with respect to foreign conflict and disaster relief can be accurate but don't preclude xenophobic behavior. </p>

        • wright_is

          Premium Member
          30 January, 2019 - 12:25 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#400333">In reply to Bibbit:</a></em></blockquote><p>All eyes seem to be pinned on China, but Europe has also had financial sanctions set against it, especially the motor industry, arbitrarily slapping an additional 20% on top EU imports.</p><p>Or turning his back on the climate agreements.</p><p>He has the grace of a bull in a china shop, when it comes to international relations.</p>

        • skane2600

          30 January, 2019 - 12:30 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#400333">In reply to Bibbit:</a></em></blockquote><p>The mindset of the branches of the US government aren't fixed over time. Trump can be xenophobic independently of what the US has done in the past. Having said that, some of US "protection" wasn't asked for and often was motivated by self-interest. </p><p><br></p><p>The Vietnam War killed many people and accomplished nothing that couldn't have been achieved in 1954 if the US hadn't interfered (not to mention all the previous years when the US financially supported the French in their attempt to reclaim their colony).</p><p><br></p><p>A common occurrence in the US is for people who haven't followed US activities around the world to wake up to find something done against us and wonder "Why do they hate us?". Often because we've screwed them in the past.</p>

        • Greg Green

          30 January, 2019 - 9:31 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#400333">In reply to Bibbit:</a></em></blockquote><p>Facts didn’t get them to use the term xenophobia, facts won’t get them to stop using the term.</p>

      • Greg Green

        30 January, 2019 - 9:30 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#400284">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Obama was just as concerned with Chinese spying, as were the Germans, well before Trump. As an example, </p><p><br></p><p>Germany accuses China of industrial espionage</p><p>• Cyber sabotage and phone hacking rife, agent says&nbsp;</p><p>• Several Chinese workers caught stealing secrets</p><p>Kate Connolly<span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69);"> in Berlin, </span>Wed 22 Jul 2009 14.57&nbsp;EDT, The Guardian</p><p><br></p><p>“<span style="color: rgb(228, 175, 10);">Germany</span> is under attack from an increasing number of state-backed Chinese spying operations that are costing the German economy tens of billions of euros a year, a leading intelligence agent said.”</p><p><br></p><p>Most people are ignorant of the decades long extent of Chinese government, corporate and individual spy craft. But it fits in the with media’s xenophobia of Trump to call his actions xenophobic.</p>

        • wright_is

          Premium Member
          30 January, 2019 - 9:37 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#400579">In reply to Greg Green:</a></em></blockquote><p>And what has Chinese spying to do with the USA putting trade sanctions on the EU?</p>

          • Bibbit

            30 January, 2019 - 4:10 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#400584">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>People in the US has for years taken it on the chin when it comes to trade. Folks who pay attention have been complaining for decades that we seem to always get the short end of trade deals. A new administration came in and said "no more!". What's amazing is how fast other countries have fallen in line with the new standards. The same goes for funding NATO and other such related things. EU countries have been promising for decades to pay their fair share of expenses, but at the end of the day the US pays far more than their share of the bill. It's like the last time I went to a work outing at a nice restaurant. I wasn't hungry, and I didn't care for the menu items. So I had something simple and inexpensive. Most of the group went to town; money was no object. And, of course, in the end the bill was simply divided by the number of attendies. Those who generated little expense paid the same as those who generated a great expense. And it seems the split-the-amount-equally crowd is always the big spenders. In GEO politics it's worse. The bill gets spilt 90% US and 10% the remaining countries. You called Trump a "bull in a china shop". A large number of Americans are quite pleased that he is. They are tired of paying other people's expenses. Especially when the other folks can afford to pay their share.</p>

    • mikiem

      29 January, 2019 - 12:36 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400281">In reply to Bibbit:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>"… I think to call it xenophobic<em> </em>goes too far."</p><p><br></p><p>The whole Huawei – China mess is complicated — apologies for length… Prior administrations may or may not have been too lenient when it came to the generally well known IP theft by Chinese companies &amp; agents. Lots of big biz likely pushed to not upset the apple cart while they hoped to access China's huge potential customer base. It seemed that the last administration had made some headway in this regard after one spy was caught, but that headway now seems to have mostly evaporated. Warranted or not, current &amp; proposed trade restrictions hurt many U.S. consumers &amp; biz, &amp; are poised to hurt much more, so there's lots of pushback, some fair, some not. </p><p><br></p><p>At the same time China is determined to have a leadership role in AI &amp; 5G, and they've gotten off to a great start with both goals. Western big biz would certainly rather that they held the lead, and apply pressure to their governments. Western militaries also see this as a security threat. Many analysts, journalists etc. feel that western governments believe that by limiting the success of Chinese companies, they slow China's rise towards dominance in these technologies. </p><p><br></p><p>Huawei is huge, into all sorts of tech, and makes a great target. Realistically, because so many of their products are high quality, but sell for less than their western [&amp; western allied] competitors, some extra funding has likely been distributed to political campaigns. Western governments, particularly the U.S., have defended going after Huawei, saying it's a security threat, but so far have produced no evidence, despite worldwide calls to do so. Their refusal could be protecting intelligence sources, or it could be that no evidence exists, and/or they're protecting sources of campaign contributions, indulging in political posturing etc. Huawei has very recently been formally charged with fraud etc. in connection with IP theft, and with trying to evade sanctions on Iran, but nothing related to national security.</p><p><br></p><p>With all of that as backdrop, why should consumer access to quality products at lower prices be restricted &amp;/or threatened, especially when there are few, or in many cases no alternatives? Some would say, especially after the partial gov shutdown in the U.S., that the Very rich folks running the gov lack any sort of empathy for anyone of less means. Many people OTOH simply apply the Duck Test — if it walks like a duck… — point to other actions of the U.S. admin. that appear to be xenophobic, and reason that that's behind their actions regarding Huawei &amp; China [along with some other countries] as a whole. At any rate, avoiding anything close to political discussion, e.g. why populist/nationalist political movements are seen by some as xenophobic, I think that's a fair, if woefully incomplete picture, as always, FWIW. :)</p>

  • jbinaz

    29 January, 2019 - 10:20 am

    <p>"Yes, in the mobile space, Huawei, like Samsung—which has no image problems at all, for some reason—started off just cloning as many of Apple’s products as it could."</p><p><br></p><p>The above has me confused. Are you saying Huawei's image problem is because they are cloning Apple, and you don't understand why Samsung doesn't have image problems since they used to clone Apple? If that's the case, I would say it's probably because Samsung doesn't clone Apple anymore. Alternatively, if it's not that, am I correct in assuming you're saying the image problem is why no xenophobia towards Samsung? In that case, I would argue that Samsung doesn't have the image problem because they're South Korean and not a Chinese corporation. All that said, I'm not up enough on whether Huawei is really getting a bad deal, or if there is something that has our government (I'm in the U.S.) legitimately concerned.</p><p><br></p><p>To the point of the article: it really is a beautiful laptop, and probably is a solid piece of hardware.</p>

  • waethorn

    29 January, 2019 - 11:04 am

    <p>So when a brand gets banned from import by embargo, is the brand required to withdraw support for that product within said countries? If "The 5 Eyes" (FVEY – I dunno how they come up with that acronym) has their way, Huawei will be forced entirely out of the Western market. Will this mean that their website and such will be blocked here, ala the US's version of the Great Firewall of China?</p><p><br></p><p>I'm all for competition, but patents are patents. Either the rules apply to everyone, or they should apply to no one. If Huawei is allowed to copy patented technology designs, Apple should be able to copy Samsung too, and vice versa. If brands are relegated to bubble markets, how would it hurt competition anyway? Maybe Apple should buy Huawei and operate it exclusively in China, according to Chinese gov't regulations, separate from Apple-proper in the West. Lots of the obvious patents have little to do with innovation, and everything to do with being the first in a race to the patent office, and convincing them that a minor evolutionary concept is a completely new idea.</p><p><br></p><p>Of course, the whole US Huawei dispute is about isolating more and more Chinese-centric brands from the Chinese government to put pressure on them. The arrest in Canada was obviously a ploy to put a leash on Canada and making Trudeau look more like a weak half-wit to the rest of the World than usual. You see, the new USMCA deal prevents Canada from negotiating trade deals with China without the permission of the US first (Trudeau is an a**hole for just bending over and taking that one), so it locks Canada into FVEY. I have to say, I'm not any more comfortable with that than being a slave state to the UN, and Trudeau's goal when he gets (booted) out of office is to take a seat on the UN Security Council (he said this openly) to dictate legislature to member states.</p>

    • f2point8

      29 January, 2019 - 12:10 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#400314"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a><em> I'd certainly hope not since I own a MateBook X Pro (and love it, it is a great device).</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • roho

    Premium Member
    29 January, 2019 - 11:48 am

    <p>The term <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">xenophobia has only become popular to use by left wing haters. I have to assume that Paul is a anti trumpite-sad. </span></p><p><br></p><p>I wish he would leave his personal political opinions out of his technical reviews which are normally very good, but if every time he reviews Huawei or anything Chinese I will just not click on them in the future.</p>

    • mikiem

      29 January, 2019 - 1:06 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400324">In reply to RoHo:</a></em></blockquote><p>Merriam-Webster: <em>"If you look back to the ancient Greek terms that underlie the word xenophobia, you'll discover that xenophobic individuals are literally "stranger fearing."… Xenophobia itself came to us by way of New Latin and first appeared in print in English in the late 19th century."</em></p><p>merriam-webster[.]com/dictionary/xenophobia#note-1</p><p><br></p><p>By that definition, by writing "left wing haters", you might be considered xenophobic — that might be reinforced by your dislike [fear?] of opposing viewpoints. :)</p><p><br></p><p>Purely FWIW, I personally disagree with wearing blinders — while I disagree with what you wrote, I feel absolutely no remorse reading what you have every write to post — because I think everyone [yes, you included] is better than that.</p><p> </p>

  • NoFlames

    29 January, 2019 - 12:32 pm

    <p>Politics aside, it sounds like a very well designed laptop. I'm very glad to see the 3:2 aspect ratio showing up. After having a Surface Pro 3 for a few years, I can't make myself by any laptop that isn't 3:2 or 16:10. The 16:9 is just not satisfying anymore.</p>

  • bluvg

    29 January, 2019 - 12:43 pm

    <p>Regarding complaints about Huawai, we've been warned for quite a few years; they are not specific to the current administration, though the volume is certainly higher now.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>"</strong><strong style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Let’s face it:</strong><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span><strong style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Huawei’s sinking reputation isn’t merely a victim of geopolitics." </strong></p><p>https:// http://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-01-29/huawei-isn-t-under-attack-because-it-s-chinese</p><p><br></p><p>This is sadly funny: https:// http://www.businessinsider.com/us-indictment-against-huawei-t-mobile-reads-spy-movie-2019-1</p&gt;

  • RobertJasiek

    29 January, 2019 - 12:46 pm

    <p>Huawei &amp; politics: Several aspects are interesting. 1) Does the Chinese government ask Huawei to spy? 2) Do hardware or firmware-microcodes contain spyware? 3) Are the USA executive and jurisdiction pretending to attack Huawei or is it all only about the USA's imperialism to dictate third countries their Iran politics? 4) Are the legal accusations manufactured or do quite a few Huawei employees really commit serious ordinary crimes or spy and do not just violate the US anti-Iran laws? 5) Should all countries and endconsumers take Huawei's crimes seriously because they would be serious indeed? 6) Is the Chinese government currently only testing how far it can go before it will start its real spying everywhere?</p>

    • waethorn

      29 January, 2019 - 3:42 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400342">In reply to RobertJasiek:</a></em></blockquote><p>1) Yes</p><p>2) Yes</p><p>3) Yes, and yes</p><p>4) No, and yes</p><p>5) Yes</p><p>6) No/yes</p><p><br></p>

    • Greg Green

      30 January, 2019 - 10:00 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400342">In reply to RobertJasiek:</a></em></blockquote><p>Chinese corporate spying has been going on for decades, by government, Chinese corporations, and Chinese sleepers granted passports to work overseas. Some sleepers stayed dormant for twenty years. China even requires companies (domestic and foreign) to have party committees as part of their management.</p><p><br></p><p>News from before Trump:</p><p><br></p><p>Exclusive: Inside the FBI’s Fight Against Chinese Cyber-Espionage</p><p>An American solar panel company wondered why Chinese firms kept undercutting their prices. Then the FBI knocked on their door.</p><p>BY <span style="color: rgb(228, 175, 10);">SHANE HARRIS</span> | MAY 27, 2014, 8:49 PM, Foreign Policy</p><p><br></p><p>China's long history of spying on business</p><p>by Charles Riley, May 20, 2014: 7:01 AM ET, CNN</p><p><br></p><p>China reacts furiously to US cyber-espionage charges</p><p>US indicted five Chinese military-affiliated hackers for stealing commercial secrets in an unprecedented cyber-espionage case.</p><p><span style="color: rgb(228, 175, 10);">Jonathan Kaiman</span> in Beijing, Tue 20 May 2014 08.31&nbsp;EDT, The Guardian</p><p><br></p><p>Germany accuses China of industrial espionage</p><p>• Cyber sabotage and phone hacking rife, agent says&nbsp;</p><p>• Several Chinese workers caught stealing secrets</p><p><span style="color: rgb(228, 175, 10);">Kate Connolly</span> in Berlin, Wed 22 Jul 2009 14.57&nbsp;EDT, The Guardian</p><p><br></p><p>The Great Brain Robbery</p><p>Economic espionage sponsored by the Chinese government is costing U.S. corporations hundreds of billions of dollars and more than two million jobs, Jan 17, 2016 CBSNews</p>

  • bluvg

    29 January, 2019 - 12:47 pm

    <p>I've played around a bit with the MateBook X Pro at the local Microsoft store, and have to agree–it seems like a nearly perfect device. Finally, someone else gets 3:2 &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; 16:9!</p><p><br></p><p>However: <em>"MateBook 13 features an excellent power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader." </em>I can see this causing problems…. :)</p>

  • Todd Northrop

    29 January, 2019 - 1:05 pm

    <p>Dismissing the Chinese government use of Huawei and ZTE as "<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">xenophobic" is mind-bendingly stupid. I have lost a great deal of respect for you Paul. Clearly you live in a left-wing bubble and you believe what you read on your Twitter feed represents reality. Of course, your Twitter feed will not inform you that the Obama administration was making these same allegations, so I guess you're unaware that your dumb remarks about xenophobia would also apply to Obama.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I would like to dare you to switch all of your electronics to Huawei. Let's see if you don't possess that "xenophobia" that you're accusing others of.</span></p>

    • jbinaz

      29 January, 2019 - 2:11 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400346">In reply to Speednet:</a></em></blockquote><p>Here's the problem I have with your comment. You've basically reduced yourself to name calling and reduced any opportunity for a productive discussion with phrases like "left-wing bubble", "mind-bendingly stupid", and "dumb remarks". You actually have an interesting point about how the Obama administration made the same allegations (which may or may not be true, and I'm admittedly too lazy to look it up). You can believe that Huawei might actually be a threat in some ways <em>and</em> believe that our current President is either a protectionist, xenophobic, both, or neither; those things aren't mutually exclusive.</p><p><br></p><p>Of course, I'm probably mind-bendingly stupid for expecting people to have a rational, thoughtful, polite discussion on the internet. Or, making more dumb remarks, I believe you can have friends or just like people in general on the opposite side of the political aisle.</p><p><br></p><p>I personally don't fall in the xenophobic camp, but it seems pretty obvious to me that president Trump is a protectionist and at the same time that Huawei regularly engages in IP theft. And, I also believe that if the Chinese government thinks they can use Huawei products to undermine our infrastructre, they will do it.</p>

      • provision l-3

        29 January, 2019 - 3:24 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#400359">In reply to jbinaz:</a></em></blockquote><p>Bravo, well said. </p>

      • waethorn

        30 January, 2019 - 10:13 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#400359">In reply to jbinaz:</a></em></blockquote><p>Although I'm not in the camp of believing everything I hear from the US gov't, they do claim that one reason for the arrest of Meng was because of financial records showing that they were doing some kind of illegal business with Iran, which is under sanction by the US. So it's more than just the Chinese gov't spying.</p><p><br></p><p>And yes, I do believe there is more to it than just that – excuse for another crime, pressure on Chinese gov't, pressure on US partners like Canada, etc. See my other post.</p>

    • skane2600

      30 January, 2019 - 12:16 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400346">In reply to Speednet:</a></em></blockquote><p>Why do you say "switching <em>all </em>electronics to Huawei"? Is it your hope that at least one product will contain malware? People who claim these products are compromised should be willing to go on record identifying the one (or more) they believe have a problem.</p>

      • waethorn

        30 January, 2019 - 10:23 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#400516">In reply to skane2600:</a></em></blockquote><p>Huawei modems had backdoor firmware access directly back to China. China has a history of spying, human rights abuses, and forced slave labour. They also have financial investments into many of their own technology companies to further that position, and Huawei is one company that the Chinese gov't is tightly protective of because Huawei, like Nokia, also develop some of the technology that can be used for widespread pervasive mobile data access (i.e. mobile wireless broadband, and 5G is the "next big thing"). The US gov't wants to ban their products because they're blocked by the Chinese gov't from auditing Huawei's products. a -&gt; b -&gt; c.</p>

        • skane2600

          30 January, 2019 - 8:44 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#400612">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>They don't need to audit the products, they can evaluate them using well known techniques of reverse engineering and disassembly. </p><p><br></p><p>I don't deny the human rights abuses in China or in any other country including the US, but banning products is unlikely to have any impact on such behavior.</p>

          • wright_is

            Premium Member
            31 January, 2019 - 12:24 am

            <blockquote><em><a href="#400753">In reply to skane2600:</a></em></blockquote><p>And they have several centers around the world, where government agencies can scrutinize the hardware and software, just like Microsoft had to do.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      30 January, 2019 - 5:45 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400346">In reply to Speednet:</a></em></blockquote><p>Try looking at some French, German or east European news or Twitter feeds to get a better idea of whether people think the US government is being xenophobic.</p><p>Nobody outside the USA cares much about Democrat or Republican (listed alphabetically for fareness). They care about how US foreign policy is affecting them. And the current administration certainly appears protectionist/xenophobic from the outside.</p><p>And, for example, the government shutdown in the USA is also something that many Europeans find hard to understand, you just wouldn't get away with it over here.</p>

      • Greg Green

        30 January, 2019 - 8:49 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#400557">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>The government shutdown is something Americans find hard to understand as well. Standard budgeting is a skill that the House has lost for years now. </p>

        • skane2600

          31 January, 2019 - 8:15 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#400572">In reply to Greg Green:</a></em></blockquote><p>The most recent shutdown is rather easy to understand IMO. It occurred because the President wanted money for his wall and he didn't understand that after the midterms, he simply lacked the power to make it happen even if all Republicans were willing to vote the way he wished.</p><p><br></p><p>But shutdowns in general occur because of a systemic "vulnerability" in the appropriations process. Government funding should automatically continue based on the last budget agreed upon until a new budget is agreed upon. That would prevent any political party from creating chaos in the hopes of getting what they want and encourage more thoughtful negotiation.</p>

          • wright_is

            Premium Member
            01 February, 2019 - 1:57 am

            <blockquote><em><a href="#401097">In reply to skane2600:</a></em></blockquote><p>In most countries the running of the government is budgeted separately to projects, so something like this couldn't happen.</p>

            • curtisspendlove

              02 February, 2019 - 4:13 am

              <blockquote><em><a href="#401127">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Most Americans are starting to realize the top-level of our government is mostly rich, Caucasian monkeys running around in expensive suits flinging (stuff monkeys are known for throwing) around at each other. </p><p><br></p><p>The sooner this changes the better off the country (and probably the world) will be. And this is from a backwoods, white as can be, redneck, former Republican. </p><p><br></p><p>As for the Huwei stuff. I personally wouldn’t buy one, but I’m fairly confident if there were any major espionage features they would have been sussed-out across the world by now. </p><p><br></p><p>At least, I don’t think America has quite pissed off the rest of the world enough to all gang up and conspire against us. But I guess the government has a couple more years to get us there. </p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    29 January, 2019 - 2:01 pm

    <p>I'll repeat my criticism of nearly all the laptop reviews on this site: NO clear pictures of the bottom-right of the keyboard, the place where laptops differ THE MOST from one to another.</p><p>From my POV, this shares the same PROBLEM as HP laptops and Surface keyboards: half-height Up/Down cursor keys. FWLIW, this is why I only buy Lenovos and Dells with inverted T bracketing the full-height [Up] key with [PgUp] and [PgDown] keys.</p>

    • waethorn

      29 January, 2019 - 4:00 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400353">In reply to hrlngrv:</a></em></blockquote><p>I hate the half-height arrows too.</p>

  • waethorn

    29 January, 2019 - 3:59 pm

    <p>Re: debate about buying something from China.</p><p><br></p><p>Could this hardware have some kind of backdoor implemented in software? Yes, but erasing the software and reloading it, or loading something else should fix that. Although don't forget that Windows 10 has a feature that reads a string from firmware and can redownload software automatically, even if you do a "vanilla" install from Microsoft's download servers.</p><p><br></p><p>Could this hardware have some kind of backdoor implemented in firmware? Yes, but any unauditable hardware could. Debating the merits of your homeland government vs. a foreign one is a fool's errand.</p><p><br></p><p>Is this hardware nice? Yes.</p><p>EDIT: I'd like to amend this statement: I prefer hardware that is serviceable. It looks pretty, but if I can't repair it easily (i.e. it's held together with glue, like Macbooks), then I would personally shy away from it.</p><p><br></p><p>Is it competitive to other offerings based on specs and pricing? Yes.</p><p><br></p><p>Is it worthwhile to review a product that could ultimately end up unsupported? Sure. No harm in looking at what is available in other markets. See my other statement about companies copying other companies.</p><p><br></p><p>Is it worthwhile to recommend a product that could ultimately end up unsupported? No, not really. I would relegate this to the rest of the pile of Chinese electronics, as if it had a foreign keyboard and OS, that wasn't targeted to my market. I'd rather get something where the company has a local presence wherein they offer support and warranty services. Otherwise I could end up with a $1500 paperweight that would cost about as much to courier to China for repairs (see above, re: foreign governments).</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      30 January, 2019 - 5:43 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#400400">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>Don't forget that Paul has an international audience, so whether the US playing hardball or not, the products are available to buy by some of Paul's readers.</p><p>The same goes in reverse, I don't mind some US centric articles, because Paul also has US readers. I do get irritated by US centric articles that assume the rest of the world is following the US' lead, but that is a minor gripe.</p>

      • waethorn

        30 January, 2019 - 10:04 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#400556">In reply to wright_is:</a></em></blockquote><p>Whether you like it or not, the US has a lot of sway in the rest of the world. If a brand gets banned in US due to an embargo, you can bet that they'll try to push that forward to the UN, and eventually the EU will get on board. I'm not trying to criticize Paul with the final statement I made – I'm still interested in a review to see what is available….in other markets. But that's how I would place this: this is a product that could very well be not carried in the Western market for much longer, and consumers should be aware of the consequences of getting into products that are not supported in their market. It's also probable that buying a product like this from an embargoed company would be illegal to import in your country. And that has a lot of legal ramifications if you're trying to communicate with the manufacturer because of a support issue. That's what I was getting at.</p>

        • skane2600

          30 January, 2019 - 11:42 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#400605">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>US influence has waned in recent years, particularly since Trump was elected. Zero chance that the UN is going to ban Huawei products no matter what the US wants. Even if a majority of members were in favor (unlikely) China is on the UN Security Council and could simply veto the resolution. </p><p><br></p><p>Despite the self-importance of some US government officials, the US has no superior legal standing in the world and other countries are fully capable of conducing their own investigations and come to their own conclusions. </p>

          • wright_is

            Premium Member
            31 January, 2019 - 12:20 am

            <blockquote><em><a href="#400762">In reply to skane2600:</a></em></blockquote><p>Good point, and in legal areas the USA has had its wings clipped in recent years as well. The Safe Harbour was thrown out as a way of storing EU data in the US, because the US Government could still get access to it without a warrant – illegal. This was replaced by Privacy Shield and the USA has still failed to fulfill the requirements of that, so most cloud services are on rocky ground at the moment.</p><p>Add to that that Hauwei has a huge presence in Europe now, at least in smartphones and they are pretty much the only supplier for 5G comms kit at the moment, it will be hard to ban them quickly.</p><p>Without evidence, I don't think the USA will come very far.</p>

  • Xatom

    29 January, 2019 - 9:24 pm

    <p>So you're hocking this tired trope the same day the US reveals massive criminal charges over numerous violations of US law including IP theft. Talk about out of touch. I don't care about your politics. Your readers look to you for sound information. You would wise to get fully educated on a matter of import before spouting nonsense and ignorance.</p><p><br></p><p>And anyone who doesn't believe there are hacks embedded in every device made in China should write me. I have a bridge for sale.</p>

  • skane2600

    30 January, 2019 - 12:11 am

    <p>I don't know the legal issues surrounding a foreign company not complying with US sanctions against a third, but the latest charges the US is making have nothing to do with malware or backdoors.&nbsp;As I've stated before, such backdoors would be easily discoverable by US intelligence services and if they found some there would be no security issue in revealing them to the public. Based on that, I don't believe there are any.</p>

    • t-b.c

      15 July, 2019 - 11:18 am

      <blockquote><a href="#400515"><em>In reply to skane2600:</em></a><em> Back doors are not easily discoverable, especially if they are baked into the hardware. I'm not saying there is any, only challenging your presupposition. I used to work for a company that manufactured high speed network switches used primarily in hospital campuses and cell phone towers. For critical infrastructure you need to be very certain a foreign power cannot shut down your network. </em>Huawei&nbsp;switches are used in phone networks all across South America, North America is not that trusting. </blockquote><blockquote><br></blockquote><blockquote>Despite Paul's political bias, none of the last four Presidents have allowed Huawei&nbsp;equipment into the US. I wouldn't have a problem with Huawei&nbsp;consumer products being sold here, but I wouldn't be comfortable with their network devices being used in government or hospital facilities, power plants, or phone networks. And I wouldn't want members of Congress using Huawei&nbsp;cell phones or PC's. Although if the Secretary of State can run her own unsecured email server from her home for government business maybe it doesn't matter if Huawei&nbsp;monitors us. We're already giving away the store. </blockquote><p><br></p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC