Huawei MateView review: Sleek and premium

Huawei makes a play for the home office monitor space with the 28.2-inch MateView. It comes with a document-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio and boasts up to a crisp 4K resolution. In addition, its attractive design would not look out of place in an Apple Store. But the Huawei MateView is not a gaming monitor, and is probably not the best for content creators, either.

Quick specs

28.2-inch IPS monitor (3,840 x 2,560 pixels)
HDMI, mini-DisplayPort and USB-C (with 65W power delivery)
Dual 5W speakers
VESA DisplayHDR 400 (500 nits typical)

The MateView has a unique touch-sensitive navigation bar, dubbed the Smart Bar, at the bottom edge of the monitor. You have to swipe and tap (once to confirm, twice to go back) to go through the MateView's relatively limited on-screen display (OSD) settings. It took me a while to get used to it. The Smart Bar feels very sensitive to my swipes, but taps require more force to be registered. It also gets tiring to use after a while because of the position of my hand. Given a choice, I would prefer a joystick because it is more consistent, though the Smart Bar is definitely a step in the right direction.

Another notable feature is its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. In fact, the MateView is the first monitor I have tested that can update its software directly via Wi-Fi. In that sense, the MateView feels more similar to a smart TV or something in-between like the Samsung Smart Monitor M7. Being able to wirelessly connect to the MateView is handy if you need a second display, especially for a laptop, smartphone or tablet. In addition, you can pair a mouse or keyboard via Bluetooth. However, I did notice that the monitor's colour and resolution take a slight dip when showing content from a wireless source, likely because of bandwidth constraints. Huawei, of course, has made it very easy to connect the MateView to its own devices. For instance, you can simply tap your Huawei smartphone to the base of the monitor to project the phone display to the MateView.

As a monitor, the MateView boasts an impressive 4K resolution and is relatively bright at around 500 nits. Huawei says it supports 98% of the DCI-P3 gamut that's used by the film industry. However, its 3:2 aspect ratio, which offers more vertical screen space, is more suited for office documents than anything else. Similarly, content creators may prefer 16:9 or even 21:9, while gamers will sniff with disdain at the MateView's 60Hz refresh rate. Colours, though, appear vibrant and viewing angles are excellent. The built-in speakers will do in a pinch, but like most monitor speakers, are not very good. And while its design looks minimalist, the MateView still offers tilt and height adjustment. However, it cannot rotate from landscape to portrait orientation, though that's less of a concern given the 3:2 design.

At S$998, the Huawei MateView is fairly expensive for a 4K monitor when you can get a 27-inch 4K display from market leader Dell for around $500. Or even a 35-inch ultra-wide 21:9 monitor from LG for under S$900. Of course, these competitors probably lack the wireless connectivity, eye-catching design, or the unique Smart Bar. If you're looking for a good-looking, premium 4K monitor for the home office, the Huawei MateView is available on Lazada and Shopee. There's also an ongoing promotion (ends today, Sep 8) that brings the price down to S$858.

Note: Review unit provided by Huawei.

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