a good travel companion

With its MagicBook range, Honor offers affordable laptops that combine current aesthetics and performance. The proof with the 2022 vintage of the MagicBook 14, a really successful model, almost flawless.

The Chinese brand Honor is well known in the world of smartphones where it has, for a few years, worked in the shadow of its parent company Huawei. Ties broke when US sanctions fell on the Chinese giant and soldier Honor had to be saved. Since then, the firm has been on its own and is no longer content with phones to make its mark on the tech market. Connected watches and bracelets, headphones, tablets but also laptops are included in the brand’s catalog, which is renewed each year.

Witness, this MagicBook 14 which arrives in a new 2022 version – the very first was released in 2020 – and still maintaining a reasonable price. We chose to test the version based on an Intel Core i5 12500 H processor (Alder Lake) and an Intel Iris Xe graphics processor. The machine is available in a second version which will satisfy players, this time acquiring an nVidia RTX 2050 graphics card. A little boost billed 300 euros more. We were able to try this MagicBook for several weeks. Here is our verdict.

Honor MagicBook 14 (2022): an elegant and comfortable contemporary design

Rather thin, the MagicBook 14 does not fall into the category of ultraportable PCs. In question, its weight of 1.54 kg which takes it away from the 1000 g bar so expensive for this type of PC. This small excess, it owes in particular to its design. All clad in metal – an aluminum alloy – the MagicBook makes a very good impression in a single color called Space Gray (a name widely used by Apple for its iPhones). The finishes do not disappoint with a chassis with a robust appearance and a sober character.

Once opened, the MagicBook looks even more like an old generation MacBook with its keyboard with black keys, the black chin positioned under the screen and its large touchpad. From a distance, only the presence of the Intel Core, Intel Iris Xe and Honor Magic-link stickers allow it to be differentiated. In this regard, do not remove the Magic-Link sticker. It allows contactless pairing of a smartphone of the brand with the PC.

The keyboard, for its part, provides real typing comfort with its keys spaced sufficiently apart so as not to tangle the brushes and the stroke of the keys which achieves the right balance. Typing long texts on it does not cause any worries or fatigue or noise. And when darkness comes, we take advantage of a backlight. On this point we regret that it is only established on two levels and that the most powerful of them turns out to be too weak. It is not likely to dazzle you.

Finally, we note that the power key houses a fingerprint reader in order to exploit the Windows Hello identification function of the system. And don’t look for the webcam under one of the keyboard keys as with previous versions of the MagicBook 14. Honor has finally decided to place it above the screen. The point of view is undoubtedly better.

On the edges, the MagicBook provides enough to easily connect your peripherals unlike ultraportables which often opt for the bare minimum. On the left side there are two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports (one of which can be used for power) as well as a 3.5 mm jack.

The right side accommodates a USB-A 3.2 port. You can easily connect your printer, an external hard drive or a smartphone to it without having to look for an adapter. There is also a full-size HDMI port to connect it to an external monitor or TV for example. Well seen. On the wireless side, WiFi 6 (ax) is there, as is a Bluetooth 5.2 connection.

Honor MagicBook 14 (2022): too bright screen

For this model, Honor put, as its name suggests, on a 14-inch screen. It is an IPS LCD panel in 3:2 format offering a definition of 2160 x 1440 pixels for a resolution of 185 points per inch – the pixel density, which determines the “fineness” of the display. This is more than enough to work or watch a movie in good conditions. But beware of reflections! The panel is particularly brilliant even if it is not a tactile model (well known for this phenomenon). Outdoors, it may therefore be difficult to find the best possible viewing angle. Especially since the brightness, if it is quite comfortable indoors, remains barely once in direct sunlight with 300 cd / m² (candelas per square meter) maximums announced by the manufacturer. The contrast ratio of 1500:1 remains quite satisfactory for a laptop in this category.

Honor MagicBook 14 (2022): very decent performance

Technical sheet

With its Intel Core i5 12500H processor and 12 cores (4 high performance and 8 high efficiency cores) supported by 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512 GB M.2 PCIe NVMe 4.0 SSD, the MagicBook 14 2022 gets by with brilliantly. He is of course very comfortable with office tasks. The results provided by Procyon, the new 3DMark test protocol, show great agility in this area. But it doesn’t lag behind with image processing and video editing either. We can therefore carry it around easily and edit sequences without having to carry a heavy gaming PC. Moreover, even when the processor is running at full load and the fans are kicking in, the MagicBook 14 knows how to remain discreet with a very contained blowing noise.

Obviously, for those who want more, the Intel Iris Xe graphics circuit is insufficient. It will then be better to opt for the version of the MagicBook 14 boosted by an nVidia RTX 2050 graphics card. In this case, it will also be possible to enjoy recent games without pushing the level of detail too high.

PC Mark 10 results

3D Mark Results (Time Spy)

GeekBench 5 Results

Procyon results (office automation)

Procyon Results Video

Honor MagicBook 14 (2022): generous autonomy

Under its hood, the MagicBook 14 has a generous 75 Wh battery. Enough to make him very easily hold a full working day if you don’t push him to his limits. In video playback, we achieved a longevity of more than 1:30 p.m. with the screen brightness set to 70%. It’s also quite comfortable to inquire about several episodes of a series, quietly installed on the sofa without needing to get closer to an electrical outlet. For recharging, it took us 1h45 to refuel to 100% thanks to the 135 W charger provided. A very reasonable score considering the size of the battery.

Honor MagicBook 14 (2022): should you fall for this laptop?

This MagicBook 14 vintage 2022 presents all the aspects of a wise and refined laptop PC. But behind this sober dress which still strongly resembles that of MacBooks, this hides a small reactive PC which does not balk at the task. It offers great performance when it comes to working with the usual office tools. But not only. He is also comfortable in image processing and video editing. Be careful though, its SSD is limited to 512 GB. However, it is not welded (unlike the RAM) and you can therefore easily exchange it for a more generous model. For those who want more, do not hesitate to turn to the expanded model of an nVidia RTX 2050 graphics card which retains the same size but can however heat up a little more. At this price, this MagicBook 14 presents itself as a good companion capable of easily holding up the workday with a generous battery without sacrificing entertainment. A good value for money.