Why Did I Bought Matebook D 15 by Huawei?

Mar 17, 2021

I bought a new laptop rather impulsively last November. Coincidentally the old computer that had just been installed at my new workplace was on the verge of a total malfunctioning. It was one of those "the stars have aligned" moments although one of the most important reasons I wanted a new laptop is just so that I can have a better experience watching Netflix. 


It helps a lot at work too.


Anyway, we already got a new laptop at work, so, there's that.






I got myself Matebook D 15! It was such an exciting purchase after my thorough research especially since I put a budget of 2.5k. That has really limits my choice considering the specifications that I want. This post was originally supposed to be a review of the laptop but I feel like reviewing a laptop needs to be more informative so I thought I will simply do the "why's" I finally ended up buying it. Plus, this way it will reflect better on my needs from the laptop. 


If you're here to learn more about this laptop (it kinda weirds me out knowing there will be random peoples reading my blog instead of my blogging friends only), I think you needed to know what kind of person who's using this laptop just so you can get a better understanding of my view. 


I mainly use my laptop for Netflix and blogging. I hardly use it for work since I did all my work on my work laptop. Having said that, work stuff mostly only needs me to go online and probably some Words and Powerpoint which is still achievable with a basic laptop. However, I do need it to at least be able to run some basic video editing software because I sometimes do simple video editing. I think that was it for background information, lets get on to the main points!


Brilliant Screen


My old laptop is very old. I had it like 10 years ago and my only goal is for it to be able to run Words and Powerpoint. The screen wasn't as bright and if you're watching movies with dark cinematography, you'll end up watching your reflection most of the time. So this is my main concern and since I don't know anything about display technology, I went directly to a PC shop to have a look myself. The screen was bright and the color was brilliant. Not to mention the screen is 15.6 inches! It was so satisfying. However, I'm not sure how it will look like under the sun which I have been aware to be not so good from my research. I'm already using the highest brightness indoor. There's another model that has a greater display which I have forgotten which but it will cost me at least another RM700 so I settled with this to be the best within my budget.






Thin and lightweight



Lightweight is more of an added bonus for me. I know I'm not going to be bringing my laptop to places but I don't want to feel like a strain if I want to use my laptop while lying down. Plus being lightweight also means I'm getting a thinner laptop which is what I needed more. I don't mind if it's heavier. Just make it thin. I want it to be portable and feel comfortable with it. This laptop is a big win in that section being only 1.53kg. I can simply pull it out and flip it around and thus feeling more portability out of it.


Good processor


This is important since I do want this laptop to be able to at least do some simple video editing. I usually use VSDC and was hoping to maybe use Photoshop or something. I might not ever actually do any of those but I want my choices to be available. This was such a big setback for me because I was looking for at least an intel core i5. There are probably other Intel processors that work for me but these things are confusing so I just settled that it must be at least an intel core i5. That however is quite costly as well. That was when I learned about AMD and how Ryzen 5 is on par with intel core i5. This laptop uses Ryzen 5. So I'm currently sitting at 8GB RAM and 256SSD which is good for me especially since I usually only stream shows instead of downloading or gaming. I have a vague memory that the processor can be upgraded but the storage can definitely be upgraded. Ryzen 5 won't be that good for gaming but it might work out better with Ryzen 7 provided that you get more storage of course. I think there's an advanced version of this model that comes with  Ryzen 7 and 512GB SSD.


Fancy design


I've been living with an ugly laptop for 10 years. The design was quite nice during the old days and I even get those fancy laptop stickers that totally rocks but the time has changed. Matebook D15 is definitely a catch in this point since the design tries to mimic Macbook. Metallic built, minimal design, that fancy Huawei words, sleek keyboard, 87% body to screen ratio and my utmost favorite is of course the fingerprint reader unlock option. It just looks so cool. However, the webcam placement is on the keyboard. There is an extra button between F6 and F7 that will pops out of the camera when pressed. You'll end up with a low-angle video, but I don't ever use those, so I don't mind. But the quality is still decent.


Cheaper by RM500 


The average price is around 2.5k which fits my budget accurately. I was planning on buying it at Lazada provided it must be from a shop that I can directly go to if I have any problem. I found a seller based at Plaza Low Yat. I think there's another seller which cost a bit more but I can get some good gifts as well. I was really only aiming for the backpack. However, since it was 11.11, the Plaza Low Yat ones got a major discount and it ended up only cost me 2k! I saw the discount notice before 11.11 and thought to myself that this is too good to be true but it indeed is and that was how I ended up buying a laptop in the middle of the night. The packaging was good albeit the seller sent it out a bit late.





Other miscellaneous reasons 


The battery lasted longer than I have anticipated like I can still watch two to three episodes of anime on Netflix with battery saver mode on and as I have said before, I always use full brightness mode. It uses a type C charger so it is a whole lot less bulky and I can use it to charge my phone as well. I was worried earlier that a type C charger will make it longer to reach full charge. I usually just leave it charged for few hours or so. Since it has that battery protection thingy, it will stop charging automatically when it is full. But I never leave it overnight or anything. The sleek keyboard is not only cool to look at but also has a  good feel to it. There was some heating complaint but I've been writing this for almost two hours already on my lap and it was fine. The sound was loud enough and it doesn't break even when I'm using VLC on full volume. 



 That was it. Feel free to ask me anything if you want to know more.