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The Honor MagicBook 14 has been one of the laptops with the best price and performance ratio in recent years, offering an unbeatable balance by major brands in terms of design, specifications, performance and features.
Its new model for
2021 makes the change from AMD to Intel chips, which causes the general
configuration to become more expensive without assuming a notable increase in
performance, as we will see later.
Models vary by
region, but there are models with the Core i5 and Core i7. We have tested
the last one, which has the same CPU found in the Huawei MateBook X
Pro from 2021, of which we have also published its review .
While the MagicBook was previously a mid-range laptop, the new high-end specs and accompanying price means that it now has stiff competition.
Design and build quality
Externally, the new
MagicBook 14 is not much different from the previous model we
tested in late 2020. That may not be a surprise, since 2021 is a year in which
laptops are getting updates on the inside and not so much on an aesthetic
level. .
It is also not a
surprise given that this laptop has earned a top position for its good looks. That
does not mean that the brand can try to change things, improving the screen
bezels and making some adjustments in dimensions. Still, at 15.9mm and
1.38kg, it's perfectly portable.
The aluminum chassis
is robust and provides a high-end look and feel. We particularly like the
beveled edge around the lid which is colored blue to match the logo, which
stands out when caught by light. Its finishes are in Space Gray or Mystic
Silver.
It's certainly more attractive than many other mid-range laptops we've tested, and the plastic bezel around the display is the only real element that sets the MagicBook 14 apart from flagship models.
That bezel is very
thin (4.8mm) around three sides, resulting in a pretty good 84% screen-to-body
ratio. As with the Honor and Huawei laptops, by not having the webcam
there, it allows you to gain in viewing area.
Instead, the camera
is moved to a pop-up key located on the keyboard. It's a good solution for
privacy, but if you make a lot of video calls (as is the norm these days), the
angle is somewhat awkward and unflattering to avoid double chin.
There is no SD card
slot, but the MagicBook 14 has a reasonable range of ports including HDMI, two
full-size USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and USB-C. The latter is used for
charging but does not support Thunderbolt.
It should also be noted that one of the USB-A ports (the one on the right side) is old generation, version 2.0. That's fine for connecting a mouse, but the USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port on the other side is up to seven times faster for file transfers.
Proof of this is that
it only took us 20 seconds to move a 6 GB folder of data from an external SSD,
compared to the 2 and a half minutes it took to do it with the lower
specification USB 2.0 port.
Honor does not
indicate the speed of the USB-C port, but you can use it to get a charge for
your mobile, since I was only able to achieve USB 2.0 speeds in the tests.
Keyboard and trackpad
This is an area in
which laptop manufacturers often try to save money, not realizing that the
keyboard and trackpad are becoming determining factors in choosing a new
laptop, now that many spend hours and hours telecommuting from home.
The ones on the
MagicBook 14 are decent enough, with keys that ensure fast and responsive
action. The keyboard is also backlit and offers two levels of brightness,
plus a top row of function keys for easy shortcuts.
Mind you, it's not
the perfect keyboard, as like most laptops, it has small, medium-sized up and
down arrow keys, unlike the layout of a full-size desktop keyboard. This
would be the only complaint.
The trackpad may not
be made of glass, but it is a decent size and responds perfectly to touch,
gestures, and clicks. We didn't have the slightest problem with friction
versus the previous generation, which is why Honor seems to have rectified
here.
Like the Huawei MateBook 14, there is a power button with an integrated fingerprint scanner. It works well and provides a quick and easy way to log into Windows. If it works well, why change would be the motto.
Screen and Speakers
As we mentioned
before, the laptop has a plastic bezel around the screen (Huawei's MateBook
versions have a glass front), but that doesn't mean the screen quality is bad.
In fact, this is a
quality screen and it is an area where laptop manufacturers typically cut back
when they want to adjust prices on a more economical range of notebooks.
As the name suggests,
this is a 14-inch screen and offers Full HD resolution (there's also a
MagicBook 15 if you want a larger size). It may look the same as its
predecessor, but it offers better brightness and color reproduction, according
to Honor.
It is something that we were able to verify with our tests. The SpyderX colorimeter showed that the screen can reach 354 nits, 99% sRGB and 7.5% Adobe RGB and P3. The previous model peaked at 220 nits and a mediocre 63% sRGB and 47% for Adobe / P3.
All of that makes for
a noticeable improvement and the lack of a glass front (as seen on the
MateBook) means you'll have fewer reflections. In fact, the matte finish
combined with the good gloss levels means you can use it anywhere.
It is also TÜV
Rheinland certified flicker free and low blue light. We certainly didn't
notice any issues, but that's the point - it doesn't flicker or emit much blue
light.
However, only one
model in the range has this screen: the one with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of
storage. The others have a lower quality screen that is not clear if it
really represents an evolution from the previous generation.
The hinge allows the
screen to be fully opened on the desktop. Note here that Honor does not offer
any option to choose a touch screen within its range of equipment, something
for which you will have to resort to other brands of laptops.
The stereo speakers don't sound bad at all. There is a good balance of tones and even a slight warmth to the bass reproduction. They sound good without having to turn the volume all the way up, with 60% for listening to music and avoiding distortion.
Specifications and performance
One of the major
changes to this year's MagicBook 14 (and 15) is the switch to Intel chips. It's
interesting considering that Huawei moved to AMD for last year's MateBook and
the Ryzen processors have been great options.
However, Honor has
opted for the latest 11th Gen Intel Core Tiger Lake silicon (as have many
rivals) and there is a slight choice between a Core i5-1135G7 or a Core
i7-1165G7 depending on the performance you can demand.
We have reviewed the
latest and most powerful, which had four CPU cores and eight threads of
execution with a Turbo Max speed of 4.7 GHz. Honor has not skimped elsewhere,
as the MagicBook 14 has up to 16 GB of RAM of dual channel and a 512GB SSD.
As indicated, this
laptop configuration is no longer a mid-range model to compete in
specifications with superior equipment, fully coinciding with the flagship
Huawei MateBook X Pro (2021).
Performance is
excellent, tackling demanding tasks with ease, despite not having a separate
GPU. Still, the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics do a good job handling
photo editing and some games, as long as you don't expect too much.
As you can see below
in the benchmark graph ,
the Honor MagicBook 14 fares well against its predecessor and its rivals. Beating
the XPS 13 and X Pro is impressive, however not a huge leap at 300 bonus points
in Geekbench 5 versus its predecessor or Ryzen 7 team.
The MagicBook 14 has a dual heat sink and 38% better air intake compared to the
previous generation. The 'Supersized' fan kicks in for demanding tasks and
sometimes when charging, but overall it's a quiet fan.
In terms of wireless connection, you get the latest standards in Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6 with 2 X 2 MIMO dual antenna.
Battery duration
There is no
improvement in battery life over the previous MagicBook 14 we tested. When
looping HD video with the brightness set to 120 nits, a result of 11 hours and
35 minutes is still solid, although not noticeable today.
The MagicBook 14 from
late 2020 lasted over 13 hours, so things have gone a bit backwards. Keep
in mind that if you are considering the MagicBook 15, it has a smaller 42 Wh
battery compared to 56 Wh. Honor claims it lasts 7.6 hours.
Charging is still
fast at 65W and there is no in-line power brick, so the charger looks more like
a smartphone with a USB-C to USB-C cable. This makes it easier to
transport and use with other devices.
Just keep in mind
that it's a bit wide so it could get in the way of adjacent plugs when you plug
it into a power strip.
By charging the MagicBook 14 from scratch, we found that with our usual 30 minute connection test it managed to reach 39% of its charge capacity. That's 5% less than what Honor says, but still a decent speed.
Software and operating system
The Windows 10 Home
version comes standard, but Honor adds a couple of useful features, starting
with a PC manager to control things like the power plan and drivers.
We also have a pop-up
bar with other useful items such as notifications, documents, clipboard, and
basic applications. The main thing you'll want to use is Honor MagicLink,
which allows you to pair a smartphone with the device via NFC.
Once connected, you
can easily transfer files, take calls on the MagicBook, create an instant
access point, and use the phone interface on the laptop, all in a seamless and
transparent way.
The caveat or
limitation is that you need to use it with an Honor or Huawei phone with EMUI
9.0 or Magic UI 2.0 or later to ensure full compatibility. We did not have
a compatible phone to test this, but it is the same as Huawei Share in the
MateBook 14.
Even if you don't
have a compatible phone, you can use the 'My Phone' app to connect any Android
phone and get a pretty similar experience.
Price
At the time of
writing this article, Honor has not yet confirmed to us which models will be
for sale in Spain and in other markets. However, it seems that things are
relatively simple, with a choice of Core i5 / i7, 8 or 16 GB of RAM, and 256 or
512 GB of storage.
We know that the Core
i5 model costs € 849 (with a supposed 8GB / 256GB) and the Core i7 model with
16 / 512GB tested here costs € 1,199. Although they may soon be available
on HiHonor and Amazon, they are not listed yet.
With previous
AMD-based MagicBook 14 models priced
at just € 599, it seems difficult to justify the small performance increase in
exchange for the higher price. The added extras don't seem to justify its
final price.
This means it has a
different set of rivals, including the Dell XPS 13, the HP Envy 13, or the
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, leading it to compete in another higher division.
Check our ranking of
the best laptops of the year .
Verdict
Although updates are
always welcome, Honor may not have made the right decision in moving from the
mid-range notebooks to trying to compete with the more premium lower end of the
notebook market.
The MagicBook 14 was
one of the best, if not the best laptop with the best value for money you could
buy last year, but now, it competes with the flagship models of the world's
best-selling brands.
Don't get us wrong,
the performance of the high-end model we tested is excellent and the display is
a huge improvement over the previous generation. And it still comes in a
stylish, well-made chassis. But the price makes the demand higher.
The most basic Core
i5 model does not have that improved display and even the Core i7 is not much
of an improvement compared to the Ryzen 5 included in the last model from late
last year. At this price, things that were once acceptable now turn into a
disadvantage.
The webcam, now a
more important part of laptops, is awkwardly positioned and there's only one
fast USB port, which isn't even USB-C. There is no SD card reader and
there are other signs of its past, such as the plastic display bezel and the
quality of the trackpad .
It is still a good
laptop, but you will have to assess the potential of its rivals with a
dedicated graphics card, as well as all those older models with AMD technology
that you can still find at tempting prices.
Specifications
- Finishes in space gray or
silver
- 14-inch FullView LCD, Full
HD (1920 x 1080)
- 100s RGB (available on
16/512 model)
- Intel Core i5-1135G7 or Core
i7-1165G7
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- 8/16 GB DDR4 dual channel RAM
- 256 / 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
storage
- Connectors: 1x USB-C; 1x
USB-A 2.0; 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1
- HDMI output and 3.5mm
headphone jack
- Wi-Fi 6 2x2 MIMO and
Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity
- 720p pop-up webcam (720p)
- Fingerprint sensor
- Stereo speakers
- 56 Wh battery (10.5 hour
battery life)
- 65W Type-C Fast Charger
- Honor MagicLink 2.0
- Windows 10 Home
- Dimensions 322.5 x 214.8 x
15.9mm
- Weight 1.38 kg