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A new iPad Pro challenger emerges at MWC.
Huawei has thrown down the gauntlet to the likes of Apple and Microsoft at MWC 2016 with the launch of a 2-in-1 device called the Huawei MateBook.
Company CEO Richard Yu revealed the latest challenger to the iPad Pro and the Surface tablet range at the Barcelona event, declaring that the hybrid slate is a viable laptop replacement.
The MateBook is powered by Windows 10 and runs off a sixth-generation Intel Core M-series processor – users can choose between an M3, M5 or M7 with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM, depending on the size of their wallet.
Internal storage ranges between 128GB, 256GB and 512GB, with the amount of on-board memory also impacting on the price tag.
Whichever model you choose, you’ll get a 12-inch 2160 x 1440 QHD display and 4430mAh battery – which Huawei claims offers ten hours of runtime off a single charge – for your money.
The MateBook also offer a slimline build, measuring in at 6.9mm thick and tipping the scales at 640g, and an all-metal body.
Clipping Huawei’s magnetic keyboard attachment to the tablet turns it into a makeshift laptop, while the MatePen stylus takes care of your drawing and sketching needs, although both accessories will cost you extra.
The MateBook itself ranges between $699 (around £480) and $1,599 (around £1,100), with the keyboard priced at $129 and the stylus at $59. There’s also the MateDock, which adds HDMI, VGA, Ethernet and USB ports to the tablet for an extra $89.
You’d better start saving up now, because Huawei has promised that the MateBook will hit Europe and the US “in the coming months”.
