Looking for a laptop upgrade? Can’t decide between Huawei’s MateBook D15 (2021) and HP’s Pavilion 14? We got you – today we’re taking a closer look at these two Intel 11th gen-powered laptops to see which one is a better buy for you. Let’s get started:
Design
Both Huawei and HP make extensive use of aluminum in the construction of their laptops, with both devices using plenty of metal in the body of their devices.
Both look very premium, though we prefer the sleeker design of the MateBook D15 VS the more angular approach that HP took for the Pavilion 14.
As for ports and connectors, both devices have roughly the same amount of ports: the MateBook D15 2021 has one USB Type-C connector plus two USB Type-A 3.0 ports and an HDMI port, along with a 3.5mm jack. The HP Pavilion 14 has a Type-C port, plus two USB Type-A 3.0 ports as well as a 3.5mm jack. The HP Pavilion 14 also has microSD expansion which is missing on the MateBook D15 2021. One thing that the MateBook D15 has over the HP Pavilion 14 though is the fact that you can charge it via its USB Type-C port with a power bank – since power delivery is done via the Type-C port.
Display
The MateBook D15 has a slightly larger 15-inch IPS display VS the 14-inch panel on the HP Pavilion 14, though both use full HD resolutions and IPS panels.
The MateBook D15 2021’s bezels are a smidge smaller though, which gives the laptop an 87% screen-to-body ratio.
Huawei’s laptop also has TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification as well as TÜV Rheinland Flicker Free Certification.
Keyboard and features
Because of the HP Pavilion 14’s smaller size, the keys on its keyboard are a bit more smooshed together, which isn’t a problem on the slightly bigger MateBook D15 2021.
Both laptops have fingerprint scanners integrated into the chassis, though Huawei’s implementation is easier to use since it’s embedded in the power button, VS the one on the HP Pavilion 14 which is placed on the right of the trackpad.
The MateBook D15 2021 also has a hidden webcam that helps it get its screen-to-body ratio, which is cleverly positioned in between the function keys.
Performance and battery
Both the Huawei MateBook D15 2021 and the HP Pavilion 14 use Intel’s newest 11th generation Core i5 processor, though the MateBook D15 2021 has more RAM (16GB) VS the competition (8GB). Storage remains the same for both laptops, which come in at 512GB via NVMe SSD.
More RAM is always good since it allows you to open more applications at the same time, and gives you a little bit more headroom when it comes to editing videos and photos.
Huawei’s MateBook 15 2021 also has a nifty way of sharing photos and other media from your laptop to your phone and vice versa through Huawei Share. You only need to tap your Huawei phone on the NFC tag on the side to send documents like spreadsheets and PDFs to colleagues, classmates, and teachers. No need for complicated and ugly screenshot sharing through messenger or emailing yourself links – just tap and go. Thanks to Huawei Share, you can also make and receive phone calls from your phone directly to the laptop and route it to a TWS headphone like say, the Freedbuds 4. Likewise, you can also interact with your phone directly on the laptop’s screen without having to root around for it – all without the need for an active internet connection.
As far as batteries go, the HP Pavilion 14 uses a 43 Wh Li-ion polymer battery, while the MateBook D15 2021 uses a similar 42 Wh battery. One nice thing going for the MateBook D15 2021 is that it uses a smaller USB Type-C charger VS the traditional barrel charger VS the HP Pavilion 14 that still uses a barrel charger.
Wrap-up and verdict
While both laptops bring something unique to the table, Huawei’s MateBook D15 2021 edges out the HP Pavilion 14 in a few aspects.
It has a bigger screen, a roomier keyboard as well as an easier to use fingerprint scanner that makes Windows Hello convenient to use for secure unlocks.
Huawei’s offering also has double the RAM and has easier wireless sharing options through Huawei share if you own a Huawei phone.
As far as pricing goes, both laptops are priced rather close to each other, with the 16GB/512GB variant of the MateBook D15 2021 comes in at Php 48,999 while the HP Pavilion 14 is priced at 47,990.
