I got hands on with Huawei's new summer tech line-up including world's lightest 14in laptop
Brand unveils huge array of upcoming products at launch event spectacular in Dubai - we've got all the info you need
Chinese tech pioneer Huawei this week launched an array of new kit at a glitzy in-person event in Dubai.
The massive tech extravaganza took place at the spectacular Atlantis Hotel in the Arabian city and featured plenty of forward-thinking innovations across all products.
The scale of the event and the diverse range of kit reminded us that the company remains one of the largest and most important tech brands on the planet.
Huawei's summer tech line-up for 2024 included new MateBook laptops, a new MatePad tablet, new Freebuds 6i earphones, a new Go Paint app to rival ProCreate and a string of exciting looking new wearables including the Huawei Watch Fit 3 smartwatch which I’ve been testing out the past number of weeks.
New wearables
The new wearable follows the long standing Huawei tradition of being compatible with both iOS and Android devices and it delivers week-long battery life based on my testing. You can make or take phone calls on it and keep in touch with your smartphone notifications as much as you like - or just use it as one of the most powerful health and fitness trackers you can buy for less than €200. Watch Fit 3 is out now, and costs from €159.
Other wearables unveiled included Watch 4 Pro Space Edition which is built with durable and sleek DLC aerospace-grade materials, and a new green colour for Watch 4 GT. The latter costs €249 while the former will set you back €649.
The most impressive item unveiled in Dubai was the new MateBook X Pro, the world’s lightest 14in notebook which is even lighter than Apple’s 13in MacBook Air.
The entire device weighs just 980g, and is just 13.5mm thick. It is the only laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 9 high-performance processor to weigh in at less than 1 kg.
MateBook X Pro will be available in Europe from June 18, with pre-orders beginning on June 4. Prices start at €1,999 for the 16GB RAM, 1TB storage model. While a 32GB RAM, 2TB model will cost €2,299.
We were also introduced to the MateBook 14, a laptop with a professional 2.8K OLED display and Apple-matching 19 hours of battery life. It also goes on sale June 18, with prices starting at €1,099 for a 16GB RAM, 512GB storage option.
And we had the launch of the all-new MatePad 11.5in S - the first productivity tablet to feature the new-generation PaperMatte Display that the firm said brings surface reflectivity down to below two percent and eliminates 99 percent of light interference. It has an aspect ratio of 3:2, a high refresh rate of 144Hz, and a resolution of 2.8K. It comes with a new self-developed GoPaint app that rivals ProCreate. I am not the world's best painter, to say the least, but I found the app intuitive and easy to use during a quick lesson - it felt like it had some of the best elements of both Adobe Fresco and ProCreate combined, and that can't be a bad thing. The MatePad 11.5in S, incidentally, goes on sale June 18 from €399.
We also saw the unveiling of the FreeBuds 6i, with enhanced noise cancellation capabilities, but no pricing or release date was confirmed for this product. And we got a new beige colour option for the firm's popular FreeClip open ear earphones. They are on sale now for €199.
Huawei has also just launched the ground-breaking new Pura 70 Ultra smartphone which it said will take mobile photography to the next level thanks to a one-inch sensor. I was lucky enough to get to put its incredible ability to capture fast moving action by snapping media colleagues zipping across the sea on jetskis - I was super impressed by how sharp the images captured at both 1x and 3.5x were. I'm going to do a full review of the camera's prowess in the coming weeks - keep an eye on Irish Mirror.
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