25CHOOSE THE RIGHT SPECS
VERDICT This impressive rival to
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 is significantly
cheaper, but its battery life is disappointing★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE Microsoft Surface
Pro 8 £1,299 Microsoft’s model has a
slightly larger,
sharper
screen, but
is more
expensive for
a similar specLAPTOP-TABLET ❘ £1,000 from Huawei http://www.snipca.com/41941
Huawei MateBook E
Beyond the Surface
SPECIFICATIONS
Four-core Intel Core i5-1130G7 processor •• 16GB
RAM •• Intel Iris Xe graphics •• 512GB SSD •• 12.6in
2560x1600-pixel AMOLED screen •• 13-megapixel
rear camera •• 8-megapixel front-facing camera ••
USB-C port •• Wi-Fi 6 •• Bluetooth 5.1 •• Windows 11
Home •• 8x183x285mm (HxWxD) •• 719g •• One-year
warranty http://www.snipca.com/41941
screenshot, but that’s about it.
One area where the MateBook E leaves
the Surface behind is the quality of its
12.6in AMOLED screen. It’s crisp, with a
resolution of 2560x1600 pixels. In our
tests it reproduced 100 per cent of the
sRGB colour standard. It’s also one of the
better screens for using outside in bright
sunshine – with good contrast levels
more than making up for the glossy
screen’s reflectivity.
The tablet is a strong performer, with
Intel’s Core i5-1130G7 processor working
well with the 16GB RAM and nippy
512GB SSD. In short bursts, it’s extremely
quick, though it struggles somewhat if
it’s pushed for longer periods, with the
8mm-thick body not designed to stay
cool under prolonged pressure.
Realistically, it’s better for web browsing
and office work than more demanding
tasks, such as video editing and gaming.
Battery life is a letdown. You can
squeeze six hours of use with light work,
but in video-playback tests it lasted only
five hours 15 minutes.Microsoft’s Surface tablet – the first
device to combine a tablet and laptop –
has spawned many copycat rivals. The
latest is the Huawei MateBook E,
and we were keen to see what the
Chinese laptop manufacturer has done
with the format.
The big difference with other models
is the relatively low price. While the
Surface Pro 8 (reviewed in Issue 618)
costs £1,299 for a similar specification,
the MateBook E is available for £300 less.
It also comes with a keyboard cover, for
which Microsoft charges an extra £130.
We were really impressed with the
MateBook E’s keyboard. It attaches
magnetically to the back of the tablet,
with a fold-down section to hold the
screen upright. It isn’t as elegant as
Microsoft’s kickstand, but you can set
it to almost any angle you please. The
keys have a comfortable feel and are
generously spaced. The trackpad is
shallow and takes some time to get used
to, but its ample width provides enough
space for all gestures.
Officially the £100 M-Pencil stylus isn’t
included in the price, but there’s a good
chance you’ll find it bundled if you buy
directly from Huawei. The M-Pencil
attaches to the top of the chassis via a
strong magnet. It draws well with decent
pressure sensitivity, but it lacks buttons.
You can double-tap the side to take a
Ink-tank
printersWhat are they?
All inkjet printer ink used to be supplied
in cartridges. They were small,
expensive and didn’t hold much. In the
last few years, some manufacturers,
including Epson and Canon, have
replaced cartridges with ink tanks on
many of their recent models. These
make running costs much cheaper,
working out at around 0.2p per mono
page, or 0.4p for colour. Standard inkjet
printers will typically cost at least 2p per
mono page and 5p for colour.How do they work?
Ink tanks hold significantly more ink
than cartridges. The ink is supplied in
large plastic bottles, which are cheap
and easily recycled. Ink-tank printers
typically use four colours (black, cyan,
magenta and yellow) and come with
sufficient ink to print thousands of
pages. To fill the tanks you simply open
the lid of the printer, attach the ink
bottle to the nozzle on the tank, and
allow the ink to empty into it. We’ve had
ink-tank printers that went for years
without needing a refill.What are the specs?
Printers in Canon’s ink-tank series
have ‘G’ in their name, such as the
Canon Pixma G5050 (£170 from Argos,
http://www.snipca.com/41944, pictured).
Epson’s range is called EcoTank and
contains the code ‘ET’ in its name, such
as the Epson EcoTank
ET-1810 (£170 from
Amazon, http://www.snipca.
com/41945).
Check the
number of inks
used by any
model you’re
planning to buy, because both
manufacturers have mono models
that only use black ink, and six-colour
printers that are ideal for printing
photos.Can I change it later?
No, once you’ve bought a printer you
can’t change the way it takes ink.Great price for
the specifications,
but its battery life is
disappointing
Issue 632 • 25 May – 7 June 2022