Review: HONOR MagicBook 14 is a fun, low-cost notebook with one drawback
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
A few years ago, Huawei surprised many of us in the PC world by releasing some exceptionally well done gen 1 Ultrabooks. While the company is mired in US-China trade relation issues, its HONOR subsidiary has continued to push into general consumer technologies, including mid-range laptops.
I’ve been using the HONOR MagicBook 14 for a few months now, and there is a lot to like here. But relying on last-gen AMD Ryzen does hobble its potential even more so than its non-US release.
Mid-range Mac
HONOR MagicBook 14
Pros
- Excellent design and feel
- The matte display is sharp, easy to look at
- Speedy SSD
- Perfect keyboard and trackpad
- Good price
Cons
- Older AMD Ryzen underwhelms
- Pop-up webcam
- Non-convertible design
HONOR MagicBook 14 specs and features
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
While there are Intel variants that run 8th Gen Core processors, the one used for this review features an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U CPU. Putting a third-gen Ryzen Mobile into a premium laptop like the Surface Laptop 3 15-inch was not a great idea, but for roughly $550 asking price for the MagicBook 14 it’s OK.
Category | Spec |
---|---|
OS | Windows 10 Home |
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Mobile Processor |
GPU | AMD Radeon Vega 8 |
Display | 14-inch non-touch 84% screen-to-body ratio 1920×1080 TÜV Rheinland Certified |
Storage | PCIe NVME SSD 256GB |
Memory | 8GB DDR4 dual channel |
Ports | 3.5mm audio jack 1x USB-C 3.1 1x HDMI 1x USB 3.0 1x USB 2.0 |
Wireless | Bluetooth 5.0 Realtek 8822CE Wi-Fi 802.11ac |
Battery | 56Whr |
Security | Fingerprint power button |
Size | 221 (H) x 323 (W) x 15.8 (D) mm |
Weight | 1,450g (3.1lbs) |
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
HONOR went with a clean, sharp, and well-lit screen, and it’s satisfying so long as you don’t need color accuracy for photo editing. Color accuracy is below average with just 64 percent sRGB and 48 percent AdobeRGB (DCI-P3 was also 48 percent). Brightness is below average, peaking at only 277 nits of brightness. While the display looks great indoors, it will struggle in brighter conditions, although the matte anti-glare layer helps.
There is a Windows Hello-enabled fingerprint reader on the keyboard deck that doubles as a power button. It works very well, with fast and accurate reads.
HONOR MagicBook 14 What you’ll love
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
The trackpad is a nice size, smooth, and it uses Microsoft Precision drivers. It’s very accurate, and it has a satisfying click.
The ports are also good. Many companies are moving away from full HDMI, but it’s still nice to have, especially on a consumer-media laptop. The Type-C port does what you expect one to do with data, video, and power, and two Type-As handle legacy items just fine.
Geekbench 5
Geekbench 5.0 (CPU) (Higher is better)
Device | CPU | Single core | Multi core |
---|---|---|---|
HONOR MagicBook 14 | Ryzen 5 3500U | 748 | 2,999 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 | Ryzen 5 3580U | 769 | 2,720 |
CHUWI AeroBook Pro | i5-6287U | 925 | 2,049 |
HP ENVY x360 | Ryzen 5 4500U | 1,100 | 4,564 |
Acer Swift 3 | Ryzen 7 4700U | 1,131 | 4,860 |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 | Ryzen 5 4500U | 1,087 | 4,570 |
Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | i5-10210U | 1,069 | 3,754 |
Lenovo Yoga C640 | i3-10110U | 1,015 | 2,111 |
Lenovo Yoga C740 14 | i5-10210U | 1,094 | 3,767 |
Samsung Galaxy Book Flex | i7-1065G7 | 1,317 | 4,780 |
Dell XPS 13 (9300) | i7-1065G7 | 1,284 | 4,848 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 | i7-1065G7 | 1,336 | 4,893 |
HP Elite Dragonfly | i7-8665U | 1,125 | 2,942 |
Surface Laptop 3 13.5 | i5-1035G7 | 1,177 | 4,413 |
HP Spectre x360 13 | i7-1065G7 | 1,006 | 3,402 |
Surface Pro X | SQ1 | 725 | 2,819 |
Galaxy Book S | SD 8cx | 685 | 2,681 |
PCMark
PCMark 10
Device | Score |
---|---|
HONOR MagicBook 14 | 3,711 |
HP ENVY x360 | 4,755 |
Acer Swift 3 | 4,861 |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 | 4,759 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 (AMD) | 4,006 |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 | 3,202 |
Surface Book 3 15 | 4,393 |
Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | 4,899 |
Lenovo Yoga C640 | 4,008 |
Lenovo Yoga C740 | 4,941 |
Samsung Galaxy Book Flex | 3,924 |
Dell XPS 13 (9300) | 4,524 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 (Intel) | 4,604 |
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 | 4,554 |
HP Spectre x360 13 | 4,261 |
HP Elite Dragonfly | 3,716 |
LG gram 17 | 4,157 |
Surface Pro 7 (i5) | 3,992 |
SSD
CrystalDiskMark (Higher is better)
Device | Read | Write |
---|---|---|
HONOR MagicBook 14 | 3,517 MB/s | 1,674 MB/s |
HP ENVY x360 | 1,530 MB/s | 864 MB/s |
Acer Swift 3 | 2,161.99 MB/s | 1,214.84 MB/s |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 | 2,199.10 MB/s | 1,017.07 MB/s |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 | 3,405 MB/s | 1,512 MB/s |
Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | 3,188.82 MB/s | 1,685.61 MB/s |
Lenovo Yoga C640 | 1,906.78 MB/s | 970.69 MB/s |
Samsung Galaxy Book Flex | 3,376 MB/s | 2,983 MB/s |
Dell XPS 13 (9300) | 3,000 MB/s | 1,217 MB/s |
HP Spectre x360 (Optane) | 2,092 MB/s | 515 MB/s |
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 | 2,400 MB/s | 1,228 MB/s |
HP Elite Dragonfly (Optane) | 2,124 MB/s | 548 MB/s |
Lenovo Yoga C740 | 3,408 MB/s | 2,982 MB/s |
LG gram 17 (2020) | 3,477 MB/s | 2,900 MB/s |
Surface Laptop 3 15 | 2,028 MB/s | 806 MB/s |
Surface Laptop 3 13.5 | 2,338 MB/s | 1,583 MB/s |
Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T) | 1,641 MB/s | 1,025 MB/s |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) | 3,416 MB/s | 3,016 MB/s |
.
The current price is around $544 (USD), which is exceptional for what you are getting.
HONOR MagicBook 14 What you’ll hate
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
It’s also hard to get excited for the Ryzen 5 3500U in mid-2020. Its performance, especially compared to Intel, or the latest from AMD, is underwhelming. We reviewed HP’s excellent ENVY x360, which delivers a better display, convertible design, and is powered by AMD’s newer Mobile 4000 series. The performance jump between Ryzen 3000 and 4000 is massive, but you’re not paying much for it either as the ENVY x360 starts in the $650 range (and you get a pen).
Audio here is also just OK. Two smaller speakers around found on the bottom edges with some clearance but lack the power of top-firing or amplified ones. They sound better than most entry-level or mid-range laptops but are also nothing special.
HONOR MagicBook 14 Should you buy?
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
That said, the MagicBook 14 reveals more potential than anything compelling as we head into late 2020. The design would have been tremendous in early 2019, but companies like HP proved they could deliver more power (and features) for the buck than some of the Chinese competitors.
Nevertheless, one does have to wonder how much cooler this laptop could be with the latest from AMD, which does rock Intel’s boat. And while there is a more expensive Intel version, it is also a generation beyond making it even a harder sell.
I think HONOR though, is a brand worth watching in this space. The MagicBook can be an incredibly competitive mid-ranger, so long as HONOR can iterate more quickly the next time around.
HONOR MagicBook 14
This thin and light laptop is geared towards younger people on the go. While it utilizes an older AMD Ryzen processor, the excellent design and low asking price make it an exciting option for those on a budget.