Computers

Huawei MateStation S review: One smart workstation

Bringing the entire master race together in one suite

Published

March 26, 2021

Gab Orlina

Desktop workstations work the same way the moment you get them: boot it up, and start working on your reports or presentations. The moment you press the button, you come prepared with every piece of hardware you need to get going. From your smartphone and storage devices to wireless headsets, this is how an ideal workstation practically looks like.

However, the integration of all of these technologies into one workstation requires a ton of things to consider. From compatible hardware to required software, you can’t fully optimize everything in, supposedly, one sitting. Well, Huawei thought you probably could. You just need the proper hardware to bring everything together.

Enter the Huawei MateStation S and the suite of peripherals it can come with. The entire system comes with features that ultimately enhance the workstation experience, while integrating smart features here and there. For a company’s latest attempt in expanding their portfolio, I feel this is their way of creating an entire ecosystem.

But, is this workstation even worth looking at? Well, here’s what you’re getting with the MateStation S:

It comes in a compact form factor with a Star Trail design

Inside, it is powered by a 4th generation AMD Ryzen CPU

It only comes in the Space Gray colorway

Well-thought out design, but be careful

The main star of the show is this compact prebuilt system in Space Gray. Honestly, I was surprised that a workstation like this comes in a relatively small package. Like I mentioned before, its compact form factor makes it relatively easy to move around and place anywhere. I felt that this would be a good thing for people who have cramped work spaces.

Huawei also didn’t mind putting in a little flare in there with the Star Light design at the front panel. To be honest, I was looking for some way this could be useful to the system in terms of ventilation. Upon my usage of it, it’s mostly just for pure aesthetics since there’s no air coming out of it.

An extra slot for mobile RAM and another M.2 SSD

Now, this system isn’t actually totally complete in terms of a full upgrade. I’ll run down the spec sheet later on, but I found out there’s room for upgradability inside the system. From additional RAM to even installing a dedicated GPU, this is a workstation that you can turn into a beast. Of course, you have to willingly void your warranty early if you choose to open this up.

Workstation performance fit for WFH

Inside the Huawei MateStation S is an AMD Ryzen 5 4600G processor, which offers great performance and power efficiency. This hexa-core processor is great for even most basic workstations you either plan to buy or build. Along with the Ryzen 5 4600G, the MateStation S comes only with integrated Radeon graphics and 8GB of RAM.

For the most part, I had a pleasant experience using this machine for some of my business-centric tasks on my day job. From creating process documents and data reports to online video conferences, the system handled all of these quite well. When using this for social media browsing and HD video playback, it still remains fast and responsive.

Although, I don’t recommend using this workstation in its current configuration for graphic-intensive work. Sure, basic photo editing and older games work on this system but the integrated graphics option simply can’t afford going higher than that. The good thing is you can pry the system open and upgrade your RAM and GPU, but at your own risk.

Comes with a great, optional display option

Obviously, the MateStation S isn’t the only thing the entire suite contains but from here on out, these are purely optional stuff. First up is the Huawei Display, which comes in at PhP 7,999. It’s a 23.8-inch FHD display which is designed like any other monitor for offices. Apart from the gold Huawei branding and the sleek black color, there’s really nothing else fancy about it.

In my time using it, it’s a decent workstation monitor and secondary display. The display is quite bright and is relatively color accurate when watching HD videos. Although, it does suffer from a little bit of glare against sunlight so I’d rather place this far from the window, if ever. Also, it comes with the standard HDMI and VGA ports at the back — again, it’s stuff you expect from most monitors.

However, the first few times I used the monitor, I noticed a bit of a backlight issue by the right side. When it happened, it only shows up on either darker backgrounds or when I boot up the machine. Fortunately, it didn’t happen for the majority of the time I was using it, so I guess it pretty much solved itself out.

An optional, ultra-slim, smart keyboard

Another optional peripheral for the entire suite is Huawei’s Ultra-Slim Keyboard. It’s a full-sized keyboard, complete with the usual function keys catered for media and business. At first, you would think that there’s really nothing special about it. However, this is where Huawei put their smart service integration to the fullest of its extent, in my opinion.

See, this slim keyboard comes with two important features: Windows Hello and Huawei Share. At the top right of the keyboard, you will find a fingerprint sensor/button that unlocks your PC through Windows Hello. It’s fairly easy to set up, and it was quite fast in recognizing your fingerprint, as long as it’s relatively clean.

When it comes to Huawei Share, you will find this on the right Shift key and contains a built-in NFC sensor. In essence, you can use your compatible Huawei smartphones to transfer files for work or do Multi-Screen collaboration. It’s something that even their own MateBook lineup hasn’t fully integrated yet, so this is a big step up for a smarter experience.

Is this your WorkstationMatch?

At PhP 30,999, the Huawei MateStation S provides quality performance for any business-centric workstation. Its compact form factor allows for any flexible arrangements for your workspace, and it comes with powerful hardware for all your tasks. If you just need a prebuilt system for some school work, this is one great option too.

If you’d like, you can opt to bundle this with the optional peripherals Huawei has to offer for a smarter experience. Specifically, the Huawei Ultra-Slim Keyboard would be the ideal peripheral to buy for Windows Hello and Huawei Share integration. Also, you can upgrade certain hardware inside the system at the expense of your warranty.

Overall, the Huawei MateStation S serves as a riveting workstation PC for any and all professionals, and even for the young ones in school. If you’re knee-deep in Huawei’s growing ecosystem, this expansion into the desktop PC space is something worth investing in.

Related Topics:featured Huawei Huawei Mate Station S

Computers

HP unveils Experience Hub flagship store in Malaysia

X-Hub for short

Published

January 19, 2022

GadgetMatch

Computer company HP on Wednesday announced the opening of the HP Experience Hub (X-Hub) flagship store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The X-Hub is a seamless online-to-offline (O2O) experiential retail experience for tech consumers.

The physical store in Malaysia is combined with an integrated O2O platform to create a seamless omnichannel commerce journey across six Southeast Asian countries.

More immersive retail experience

The Experience Hub unifies the retail experience across the Southeast Asia region, connecting the Kuala Lumpur flagship store to 82 online stores spread across Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, with Thailand and Vietnam to follow in March 2022.

Online consumers may be able to personally interact with HP Live Advisors, a team of dedicated experts based on the X-Hub via real-time video calls and chat functions.

These will be made available in preferred local languages, while live streams on the latest HP products is also made possible via the HP Virtual Showroom.

This way, consumers will be able to continue shopping without having to be in Malaysia physically.

Interactive ‘Test Drive’ stations

As for customers who want to visit the physical store in Malaysia, there are interactive ‘Test Drive’ stations to experience all of HP’s technology.

These stations include:

Premium (High-end consumer devices)
Gaming (Laptops, desktops, and monitors)
Commercial (Business-grade devices)
Print (Home and office printing)

Visitors can also access personalization services such as custom engraving and printing, or connect to in-store or online HP Live Advisors for real-time inquiries.

Location

The HP X-Hub flagship store in Malaysia is located at Pavilion Bukit Jalil (level 4) in Kuala Lumpur.

The flagship store was created in partnership with Thunder Match Technology Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s largest tech retailer. HP also partnered with Shopee and Lazada. Both of which support the online experience.

CES 2022

Samsung’s Odyssey Ark monitor is built different

Curved, 55-inch, 4K, gaming screen

Published

January 6, 2022

GadgetMatch

This looks incredible. Samsung’s Odyssey Ark gaming monitor is turning heads at CES 2022.

The Odyssey Ark is a next-generation flexible monitor. It’s made literally for anything from editing to gaming at home. The Ark is the new industry-leading gaming display with a curved 55-inch display and 16:9 aspect ratio. That’s huge.

It’s HAS or Height Adjustable Stand can pivot and tilt functionality. In addition to advanced ergonomic design, it offers every gamer optimal comfort.

It can go into a new vertical cockpit-style rotating display that provides a new gaming experience and allows portrait or landscape orientation for multi-tasking and multi-window setup. Multiview options allow users to adjust Odyssey Ark exactly how they want it with a totally adaptable screen size to fit the game or the program without compromising its 4K display and bright, colorful images.

The monitor also features a wireless, dial controller to manage lighting and the interface.

Pricing has yet to be announced but Samsung hopes to bring it to market in the second half of 2022.

CES 2022

Lenovo launches new ‘Think’ line at CES 2022

Small and Medium Business Portfolio

Published

January 6, 2022

GadgetMatch

Hybrid work, work from home, and what have you. There are plenty of work setups now and Lenovo hopes to be in the forefront of everything as they launch plenty of ‘Think’ line of devices for small and medium businesses.

ThinkCentre neo

The ThinkCentre neo offers a stylish and minimalist design for a contemporary look with a new terrazzo color and material finish. A nice departure from the bland look of most SMB desktop PCs.

Connectivity options and smarter online meeting experiences enable futuristic collaboration, ThinkShield compliance enhances security and sustainability commitments are reinforced with Lenovo’s first ever use of ocean- bound plastic in packaging and eco-friendly design using post-consumer recycled content and paint-free raw materials.

All powered by 12th Gen Intel Core processors, there are three ThinkCentre neo models: ThinkCentre neo 70t, ThinkCentre 50s and ThinkCentre neo 30a

ThinkCentre neo 70t

A tower model designed to meet the needs of high-performance content creators, developers and anyone who works with complex workloads.

It features up to 128GB DDR5 memory, up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTXTM 3060 Ti GPU, giving it the benefit of the NVIDIA Studio platform, and 2TB HDD / 1TB SSD storage to perform multiple tasks without disruptions.

It has a Smart Cable which instantly connects two computing devices while simultaneously operating them within one screen. Using neo 70t’s Smart Storage feature, it is easy to automatically backup data securely and access it from multiple devices.

ThinkCentre neo 50s

It’s a small form factor desktop designed to provide performance and space savings in a 7.4- liter design. EPEAT Gold certified for energy efficiency and Intelligent Cooling Engine 5.0 ensures the desktop runs with optimal power consumption. TÜV-certified Ultra-Low Noise (ULN) and packaging made from ocean-bound plastic, as well as raw materials that are painting-free, promise quiet performance and environmental friendliness.

ThinkCentre neo 30a 24

It’s a collaborative all-in-one (AIO) desktop with a 23.8-inch FHD 16:9 WVA (Wide Viewing Angle) display, audio by Harman and a retractable webcam.

Focused on delivering a highly productive AIO and a smarter conferencing experience, neo 30a 24 includes AI Meeting Manager that offers Real time Translator, Voice to Text, Subtitles, Meeting Notes Editor and Amazon Alexa Voice Interaction10 for futuristic collaboration experience. Lenovo Smart Appearance enhances facial features and blurs the background for professional-grade video conferencing.

New ThinkBooks

The latest ThinkBooks come with vibrant high refresh rate displays and high screen-to-body ratios, slim form factors and smarter features.

ThinkBook 13x Gen 2

A very thin (12.9mm) and light (1.21kg) premium aluminum laptop design that will meet the requirements of an Intel Evo laptop. It has Intel’s hardware specifications and key experience targets for responsiveness, instant wake, battery life, fast charge and intelligent collaboration.

It features the latest Intel 12th Gen Core U-Series processors and designed for mobile professionals. The ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 includes a bright EyeSafe certified 13.3-inch 16:10 display with high STB ratio greater than >91%, an edge-to-edge keyboard and optional touch.

A large 56Whr battery and ambient light sensors to manage display power efficiency mean power anxiety is not on the agenda. A unique ThinkBook Wireless Multi-Device Charging Mat is optional and can deliver 65W wireless laptop charging via Power by Contact, and the integrated Qi charger can charge a compatible mobile device up to 10W.

ThinkBook 14 and 16 Gen 4+ i

It offers highly flexible configuration options, from mainstream productivity needs to high performance models. All have a slimmer design to previous generation and move to 16:10 aspect ratio with a larger display area.

Display options include a 90Hz 2880×1800 14-inch and a 120Hz 2560×1600 16-inch panel with hardware color calibration, and both can be powered by optional NVIDIA RTX graphics.

A larger Touchpad with glass surface adds to the interactive experience and Dolby Atmos Speaker System delivers immersive audio for calls and entertainment. Optional sensor-based smart features are focused on security and collaboration.

ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 Sling Backpack

A sturdy and stylish bag with weather-resistant materials, a convenient padded and adjustable shoulder strap for extra comfort and includes zippered and hidden pockets to store valuables. As hybrid working takes hold, easy to use input devices have become a mainstay of many.

ThinkBook Rechargeable Mobile Mouse and ThinkBook Rechargeable Performance Mouse

Premium and consistent designs with dual-host Bluetooth connections allowing pairing to two different devices, USB-C recharging, and adjustable DPI up to 2400.

Easy Install

Easy Install is a deployment service specifically designed for SMBs. Lenovo will provide remote and on-site install services of new technology.

Companies can leverage the Lenovo Service so that they can rest assured that their employees’ hardware, accessories, and software were installed correctly, properly configured, tuned and tested, improving productivity and the employee experience.

Easy Install Services will be available to customers via their preferred purchase method, i.e., directly from Lenovo and Lenovo’s Partners.

Price and availability

ThinkBook 13x Gen 2 will be available from April 2022, with starting price of US$ 1099.
ThinkBook Wireless Multi-device Charging Mat available from April 2022, with starting price of US$ 199.99
ThinkBook 14 Gen 4+ i will be available from April 2022, with starting price of US$ 839.
ThinkBook 16 Gen 4+ i will be available from April 2022, with starting price of US$ 859.
ThinkCentre neo 70t will be available in selected markets from March 2022, contact Lenovo locally for pricing.
ThinkCentre neo 50s will be available from March 2022, with starting price of US$ 799.
ThinkCentre neo 30a 24 will be available from March 2022, with starting price of US$ 1069
ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 Sling Backpack will be available from April 2022, with starting price of US$ 69.99
ThinkBook Wireless Mobile Mouse will be available from April 2022, with starting price of US$ 39.99
ThinkBook Wireless Performance Mouse will be available from April 2022, with starting price of US$ 39.99
Easy Install is available initially in the US in January 2022 starting at US$ 68 per unit for the remote service and US$ 135 for the on-site service. It will expand to other markets starting February 2022.