I tried this gorgeous Surface Pro alternative, and it showed what's wrong with tablet PCs

It's been three years since Microsoft introduced the first Surface Pro, and still nobody's nailed the "tablet PC" concept - at least, not comfortably.

While the likes of Lenovo and HP have made very good laptops that can also serve as makeshift tablets, few companies have gracefully pulled off the reverse.

It's entirely possible to get things done with that "stronger-than-usual tablet + attached keyboard" combo, but often times the experience feels compromised. As a tablet, it's strong, but unwieldy. As a laptop, it's super portable, but not as comfortable to use. That these 2-in-1s tend to come at a price premium doesn't help.

That said, they've become popular. The Surface Pro has its share of rabid fans, and even Apple jumped into the game last fall with its jumbo-sized iPad Pro. There's an audience out there - and probably one with deep pockets - that's hungry for this kind of flexibility.

The latest company aiming to sate that crowd is Huawei, the fast-growing Chinese firm that's best known for making smartphones. Now, it's launched its first stab at the tablet PC market: the Huawei MateBook. It's gorgeous. It's also showed me what's wrong with tablet PCs in general. Let's take a closer look.