Specs: Both the MacBook Pro and MateBook X Pro have their hardware strengths, but the MateBook X Pro wins this round with its faster processor, bigger battery, and larger storage space. David Slotnick / Business Insider Hardware specs are important to consider when buying a computer, and I've compared the major components of the MacBook Pro and MateBook X Pro below. Processor: Although both machines have an i5 processor, they're actually pretty different. The MateBook X Pro has a quad-core processor with a 1.6Ghz base speed that can jump up to 3.4Ghz using an Intel technology called Turbo Boost. The benefit of having a lower base clock speed is that the processor uses less power when it's doing non-intensive tasks, which gets you better battery life. The trade-off is that the amount of power it draws spikes when you are doing something intense, like 4K video editing, which can negate your power savings. The MacBook Pro has a dual-core processor with a base clock speed of 2.3Ghz that can be turbo boosted up to 3.6Ghz. Because the MacBook Pro has a dual-core processor, it won't perform as well when you run apps that take advantage of multi-core processing, which include pro-level video editors and coding software. Apple's approach of using a processor with a base speed that's closer to its Turbo Boost speed means that it's less energy efficient when the computer is doing low-impact tasks, but better when you really push the computer. Which processor is better for you will depend on how you use your computer, but to choose an objective winner I compared the two using benchmarks from Notebookcheck.com, a website whose work I trust. The site put both processors through a series of tests and the MateBook X Pro's won out. Storage: Both the MateBook X Pro and MacBook Pro use SSDs (Solid State Drives) for storage instead of traditional hard drives. SSDs are more durable than hard drives because they have no moving parts, and a lot faster because they store data on blocks of flash storage instead of spinning disks. The MateBook X Pro wins this category because it comes with 256GB of storage and the MacBook Pro only comes with 128GB. Memory: The MateBook X Pro and MacBook Pro both have 8GB of 2133 LPDDR3 RAM, which is enough for more intense work like photo and video editing. Graphics: Both the MacBook Pro and MateBook X Pro have an integrated graphics card, which is less powerful than the dedicated graphics cards found in the higher-end MateBook X Pro and MacBook Pro models. Integrated graphics cards use the computer's main memory instead of having its own, which means there will be less for the rest of the computer to use if you're doing a graphically intensive task. The MacBook Pro has an Intel Iris Plus 640 graphics card and the MateBook X Pro uses Intel's UHD Graphics 620 card. In a direct comparison done by Notebookcheck.net, the Intel Iris card comes out on top, so the MacBook Pro wins this round. Screen: Apple and Huawei both built beautiful high-resolution screens into their laptops. The MateBook X Pro has a 13.9-inch display with a resolution of 3000 x 2000. It has a pixel density of 260 pixels per inch, which makes video, photos, and text look crisp. The laptop's 3:2 aspect ratio means you'll see black bars on the top and bottom of the screen when watching video, but you'll have more vertical space to work with when using other apps. Speaking of using apps, the MateBook X Pro's display is a 10-point touchscreen, so you can move windows around or select different in-app controls with your fingers. I'm not a huge fan of touchscreens on laptops, but being able to scroll through a long article with your finger is actually pretty nifty. The MacBook Pro has a 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600. It has a pixel density of 227 pixels per inch, which isn't as good as the MateBook X Pro's, but not by much. The MacBook Pro's screen pulls ahead because it can show more colors more accurately because it supports the full P3 color gamut. That means it can accurately display colors that lesser displays can't. This makes it a better choice for photo and video editors who want to work with the most accurate image possible. The MacBook Pro also uses the slightly more common 16:10 aspect ratio, which makes it better for watching videos. The MacBook Pro's screen is physically smaller but displays colors more accurately while the MateBook X Pro's screen is larger and has a touchscreen. Both are solid, so I'm calling this round a tie. Battery: The winner is clear in this instance: The MateBook X Pro's 57.7-watt lithium polymer battery holds more power than the 54.5-watt battery in the MacBook Pro. Both companies give an estimate on how many hours you should expect to get between each charge, but that's entirely dependent on the apps and settings you use. Winner: There's no doubt that both machines are powerful, but the MateBook X Pro comes out on top with more storage, a bigger battery, and a better processor.<doc-sep>Compared is a series focused on showcasing products that operate in the same space as Apple hardware. These may include laptops, phones, tablets, smart watches, etc. I recently got my hands on Huawei’s just-launched MateBook X Pro laptop. It’s a Windows-powered machine in an ultrabook form factor with a stunning 13.9-inch 3:2 minimal-bezel display. At first glance, it looks very much inspired by the MacBook, almost like a mix between the 12-inch MacBook and the MacBook Pro. How does Huawei’s flagship compare to the MacBook Pro? Watch our hands-on video for the details. Display The most notable part of Huawei MateBook X Pro is its glossy 13.9-inch 450 nit 3:2 display (3000 x 2000, 260 PPI), which provides a 91% screen-to-body ratio. This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen thin bezels on a Windows laptop, but the look never fails to impress, especially when you’re used to the MacBook Pro’s substantial bezels. The MateBook X Pro also enjoys better off-axis viewing angles than the MacBook Pro, and its 450 nits of brightness places it within striking distance of Apple’s machine. Huawei’s colors are a tad more saturated, which some people may prefer. Let’s just be honest; the MateBook X Pro’s display makes the MacBook Pro seem dated, but the good news is that Apple seemingly realizes that minimal bezels are the future (just look at the iPhone X). I think it would be a mistake for Apple to release a major MacBook Pro redesign without some serious bezel reduction. Video walkthrough Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos The MateBook X Pro also features a touch screen, and I know that a lot of Apple fans will disagree with me on this, but I like the idea in general. We’re so used to touch screens by now that not having touch feels somewhat backwards, and for users who are only familiar with touch-enabled devices, kind of broken. If Apple did end up doing a touch-enabled Mac, I feel like it would pay extra attention to things like screen wobble when touching the display. The MateBook X Pro doesn’t have terrible screen wobble, but it’s noticeable. Camera How does Huawei pull off the minimal bezel design while still accommodating a front-facing camera for video calls? They could have gone the route that other PC laptop makers have gone, and placed the camera at the bottom of the bezel, aka “chin cam”, or it could make a splash by doing something different. Huawei chose the latter option, and hid the camera under a retractable key. I think we’ll eventually get to the point where having a camera pointing at you constantly is going to seem “weird”, but I’m not sure if Huawei’s implementation is very practical. I think the decision to hide the camera is great for privacy, but the placement is less-than-ideal. Chassis Going along with the display, the chassis of the MateBook X Pro looks more modern than the MacBook Pro. Huawei even uses polished chamfered edges on its laptop, a design feature that Apple has used for its iPhones and iPads, but never for its Mac lineup. The result is a modern looking MateBook X Pro, that “blings” for the lack of a better word, when the light hits it at certain angles. The downside of the chamfered edge design is that it doesn’t look nearly as clean with the lid closed. The overall build quality of the MateBook X Pro is impressive. PC manufacturers have indeed come a long way over the past few years, and it’s blatantly obvious. The unibody teardrop tapered design of the MateBook X Pro looks great, and I actually prefer its take on space gray (yes, Huawei shamelessly calls it that) over Apple’s take on the color. I’m fairly ignorant about the ins and outs of the refining process that goes into producing aluminum products, but it’s clear that Apple is really good at it. Although I’m incapable of intelligently explaining why, the MacBook Pro’s aluminum feels better to the touch and feels more dense and less “hollow” than the material on Huawei’s machine. I also noticed that the MacBook Pro’s anodized aluminum does a much better job of rejecting fingerprints when compared to the MateBook X Pro. Keyboard The MateBook X Pro keyboard feels more substantial to type on, with more key travel. When comparing the two laptops, I preferred typing on the MateBook X Pro. Everyone knows that the MacBook Pro’s keyboard is extremely polarizing, and it would be all too easy to pile on to the growing amount of complaints that we see on a daily basis. Besides, I’ve already lamented about Apple’s keyboard woes on a previous episode of Back to the Mac. That said, I love the MacBook Pro’s individually backlit keys. Each LED is situated in a way so as to not have the backlight bleed through underneath each key. It’s a small detail, but one that makes the MacBook Pro appear more premium than the MateBook X Pro. I don’t use enough PCs to know if any other manufacturers employ this backlighting technique, but they definitely should. Trackpad Every PC laptop trackpad that I’ve tried has always felt inferior to Apple’s trackpads, and the MateBook X Pro does nothing to change this. It’s not that Huawei’s trackpad is bad, but it doesn’t feel as responsive as the MacBook Pro’s. Apple is just really good at making trackpads — after all, this is the same company that makes a huge wireless standalone solid state trackpad with Force Touch. The migration to the Force Touch trackpads a few years back has further separated PC trackpads from Apple’s offerings in my eyes. For example, there are “dead zones” near the top of the MateBook X Pro trackpad, while you can click anywhere on the MacBook’s trackpad and it responds in uniform. Fingerprint sensor Huawei’s MateBook X Pro includes a Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint sensor built into the power button. The fingerprint sensor is fast and responsive, unlocking the Windows lock screen in less than a second. The base model 13-inch MacBook Pro lacks a fingerprint sensor, which is unfortunate given how useful it is. To get a fingerprint sensor in a MacBook Pro, you have to step up to more expensive Touch Bar-enabled models. I’ve minced no words on how I feel about the Touch Bar, so I won’t regurgitate that all here, but just know that I don’t find it to be all that useful. The fact that you have to look down in order to use it kills the idea for me. Hopefully Face ID will replace the need for a fingerprint sensor in future consumer-grade MacBooks. Speakers The MateBook X Pro ships with a quad speaker setup featuring two top-firing tweeters and two bottom-firing woofers. The speakers sound decent, but I feel like the MacBook Pro offers cleaner, crisper sound on the high-end. Obviously in such a diminutive laptop form factor, low-end frequency is basically non-existent. Specs Huawei offers different configurations for the MateBook X Pro. The configuration that I’m using is the top of the line $1499.99 version, which includes a Core i7 quad-core processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a discrete GPU. Here is a full rundown of the machine’s specifications: Aluminum unibody design Space gray color Weight: 2.93 lbs Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.54 x 0.57 in 13.9-inch display with 91% screen to body ratio Aspect ratio: 3:2 Brightness: 450 nit Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (260 PPI) 1500:1 contrast ratio 10-point touch screen 8th-gen Intel Core i7-8550U quad-core CPU 1.80 GHz up to 4.00 GHz NVIDIA GeForce MX150 Graphics with 2GB GDDR5 16GB LPDDR3 2133 MHz RAM Bluetooth 4.1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 512GB SSD USB-A port USB-C port Thunderbolt 3 port 3.5mm headphone port 57.4 Wh battery with up to 12 hours of video playback Quad speaker split frequency setup Quad microphones Chiclet style keyboard with 1.2mm keyboard travel Recessed 1MP camera in keyboard Fingerprint sensor in power button 65W power adapter + USB-C cable USB-C dongle with USB-A, VGA, HDMI, and pass through charging Price: $1499.99 Benchmarks<doc-sep>Apple is no longer the second largest smartphone vendor in the world. The title now belongs to Huawei who beat the Cupertino giant in terms of global smartphone shipments in the second quarter. Market research firms IDC and Canalys revealed this week that Huawei outperformed Apple in terms of smartphone units shipped in the April-June period of 2018. This makes Huawei the second largest smartphone vendor after Samsung Electronics. Huawei reportedly shipped 54.2 million phones in the second quarter, up by 41 percent than the previous year. The telecoms giant now has 16 percent of the global market, while Samsung has 21 percent. Apple, who is now the third biggest smartphone vendor, has 12 percent, as per Bloomberg. Huawei’s jump to the second spot is a clear sign of the rise of Chinese manufacturers. Completing the top five vendors for the second quarter are Xiaomi and Oppo, who are also based in China. On the whole, Chinese firms are doing well because aside from their steady growth domestically, they are also expanding their reach to other parts of the world. “The importance of Huawei overtaking Apple this quarter cannot be overstated,” Canalys senior analyst Ben Stanton said. “It is the first time in seven years that Samsung and Apple have not held the top two positions. Huawei’s exclusion from the U.S. has forced it to work harder in Asia and Europe to achieve its goals.” Stanton also noted that Huawei’s growth should be a big concern for both Apple and Samsung. “Huawei’s momentum will obviously concern Samsung, but it should also serve as a warning to Apple, which needs to ship volume to support its growing services division. If Apple and Samsung want to maintain their market positions, they must make their portfolios more competitive.” For now, Samsung continues to reign supreme after shipping 71.5 million units. Nonetheless, the South Korean tech giant did reveal lower than expected smartphone sales in the second quarter, proving that its Galaxy S9 series indeed failed to capture the attention of many consumers. As for Apple, it did say that the previous period was its best June quarter ever after recording $53.3 billion in revenue and selling 41.3 million iPhones. The Cupertino giant’s surge in revenue was mainly thanks to the iPhone X, its most expensive handset ever that is also its best performer, according to AppleInsider. Photo: Reuters/Tyrone Siu<doc-sep>
China's Huawei shipped more phones than Apple last quarter, surpassing the Tim Cook–led tech giant to become the second-largest smartphone company in the world—for now. According to industry analysts, Huawei shipped 54 million smartphone units during the second quarter, while Apple shipped an estimated 41.3 million iPhones. Samsung, which remains the market leader, made more than 70 million shipments, but that was a 10 percent drop compared with last year. The arrival of Huawei in Q2—April to June—marks the first quarter since 2010 where Apple has not been the No. 1 or 2 smartphone company in terms of market share. The Chinese company is restricted from operating in the U.S. because of national security and espionage fears. But it continues to expand around the world, selling a variety of high-end and cheaper handsets. "The continued growth of Huawei is impressive, to say the least, as is its ability to move into markets where, until recently, the brand was largely unknown," said Ryan Reith, program vice president at International Data Corp. (IDC), which conducted the new analysis. "Apple moved into the top position each of the last two holiday quarters following its product refresh, so it's likely we'll see continued movement among the top-ranked companies in 2018 and beyond," he added. "For most markets, the high-end competition is some combination of Apple, Samsung and Huawei, [and] this is unlikely to change much in the short term." On Tuesday, similar reports emerged from research companies Canalys and Strategy Analytics. Huawei's market share is now at more than 15 percent, compared with Apple's 12 percent. The rest is made up of Samsung (20 percent), Xiaomi (9 percent), Oppo (8.5 percent) and others. Year-over-year, Huawei's output blasted upward by 40.9 percent in Q2. According to IDC's metrics, Huawei's results were boosted by its Honor phone and the P20 Pro, a high-end device that was designed to compete directly with Apple and Samsung phones. The company continues to invest in 5G technology. Apple, of course, is still making money. It boasted quarterly revenue of $53.3 billion, an increase of 17 percent compared with last year. In comparison, Huawei has made $48 billion in revenue over the first half of 2018. Strategy Analytics suggested on Tuesday that Huawei's performance is being bolstered by midrange devices sold across Asia and Europe. "Apple continues to grow in smartphones, but at a much slower pace than key Chinese rivals such as Huawei and Xiaomi," said director Woody Oh. "Apple will need to innovate new designs for the iPhone if it wants to grow future volumes." Apple is set to release three new iPhones later this year at different price points and screen sizes. Earlier this year, U.S. intelligence chiefs claimed—without releasing technical evidence—that Huawei devices could be spying on user data and advised companies against purchasing its products. A deal with AT&T recently fell through. "Huawei's exclusion from the U.S. has forced it to work harder in Asia and Europe to achieve its goals," noted Canalys analyst Ben Stanton. Huawei denies misusing customers' information, while company executives have continued to brush off accusations of having ties to the government. "In each of the 170 countries where we operate, we abide by the national laws and guidelines," the company wrote in a recent open letter responding to criticism. "To do otherwise would end our business overnight." Advertising executive Ken Segall, who worked on Apple campaigns alongside its pioneering founder, Steve Jobs, told The Telegraph this week that Cook was not taking enough risks. "Tim Cook goes by recommendation of the people around him," Segall said, adding that the people currently giving advice were "a little vanilla." He added, "In a big company environment, people tend to get safer…. In the old days, Apple used to do things that get a lot of attention."