Honor MagicBook 14 (2020) review: An excellent design hampered only by a last-gen AMD processor
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Some potentialHonour MagicBook xiv (2020) review: An excellent pattern hampered only by a last-gen AMD processor
This mid-range laptop has the correct price, but perhaps the wrong processor for mid-2020. 
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Primal
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-Red china trade relation issues, its Honor subsidiary has continued to button into general consumer technologies, including mid-range laptops.
I've been using the Honor MagicBook xiv (2020) for a few months now, and there is a lot to like here. But relying on last-gen AMD Ryzen does hobble its potential fifty-fifty more and then than its not-US release.
Mid-range Mac
Honor MagicBook 14 (2020)
Bottom line: This thin and calorie-free laptop is geared towards younger people on the go. While information technology utilizes an older AMD Ryzen processor, the excellent design and low asking toll brand information technology an exciting option for those on a budget.
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
- Not-convertible pattern
Honour MagicBook xiv specs and features
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Cardinal
The MagicBook 14 (and its bigger xv.half-dozen-inch version) are solidly mid-range laptops that follow Apple tree'southward MacBook design ethos without the Apple tree tax.
While there are Intel variants, the i used for this review features an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U CPU. Putting a third-gen Ryzen Mobile into a premium laptop similar the Surface Laptop 3 15-inch was not a great idea, but for the asking price for the MagicBook 14 it'southward OK. In that location were originally only the AMD Ryzen 3000 Mobile options for the 2022 MagicBook 14, but Accolade added Ryzen 4000 Mobile fries later on for extra performance.
While in that location is nothing especially special about the MagicBook specs they are very practiced for an entry-level and mid-range laptop:
| Category | Spec |
|---|---|
| Os | Windows 10 Home |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Mobile Processor |
| GPU | AMD Radeon Vega 8 |
| Display | 14-inch not-touch on 84% screen-to-body ratio 1920x1080 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 v.0 Realtek 8822CE Wi-Fi 802.11ac |
| Bombardment | 56Whr |
| Security | Fingerprint power button |
| Size | 221 (H) 10 323 (W) x xv.8 (D) mm |
| Weight | i,450g (iii.1lbs) |
The metal chassis is solidly built with piddling flex. Honor deserves credit for making an aesthetically appealing laptop with gorgeous blue accents on the edges. While the overall design is muted and tame, information technology lends itself to looking classy and professional person.
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
The 14-inch IPS full HD 1920x1080 display is matte and evenly lit with TÜV Rheinland certification, which ensures depression blue-light reflectivity making information technology better for eye health. There is an 84 percent screen-to-trunk ratio thanks to three of the bezels being quite thin (and a lower, larger mentum). The design here is reminiscent of laptops circa 2022, but considering the cost point here, it'southward not bad.
Laurels went with a make clean, sharp, and well-lit screen, and it's satisfying and so long as yous don't need color accuracy for photo editing. Color accurateness is below average with just 64 pct sRGB and 48 per centum AdobeRGB (DCI-P3 was also 48 percent). Brightness is below average, peaking at only 277 nits of effulgence. While the display looks not bad indoors, it volition struggle in brighter weather condition, although the matte anti-glare layer helps.
Port selection is basic only satisfactory with a iii.5mm audio jack, one USB 3.1 Blazon-C (also used for included 65-watt charging), i total HDMI, and two Type-A ports (one 3.0, the other 2.0).
There is a Windows Hello-enabled fingerprint reader on the keyboard deck that doubles every bit a power push. It works very well, with fast and accurate reads.
Honor MagicBook 14 What you lot'll love
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central
The MagicBook xiv is a handsome, relatively sparse laptop with particularly practiced fundamentals. The design is splendid and feels college quality than its sub-$600 asking cost. Although the i used for this review has a European keyboard layout, typing is excellent with decent key travel. It feels perfect to use, and the backlighting and contrast are decent.
The trackpad is a overnice size, polish, and it uses Microsoft Precision drivers. Information technology'south very accurate, and it has a satisfying click.
The ports are also proficient. Many companies are moving away from full HDMI, merely it'south still nice to accept, peculiarly on a consumer-media laptop. The Blazon-C port does what you lot wait one to do with information, video, and power, and two Type-As handle legacy items just fine.
Geekbench 5
Geekbench 5.0 (CPU) (College is better)
| Device | CPU | Single core | Multi cadre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurels MagicBook fourteen | Ryzen 5 3500U | 748 | 2,999 |
| Surface Laptop three 15 | Ryzen 5 3580U | 769 | 2,720 |
| CHUWI AeroBook Pro | i5-6287U | 925 | ii,049 |
| HP Green-eyed x360 | Ryzen 5 4500U | 1,100 | 4,564 |
| Acer Swift 3 | Ryzen 7 4700U | 1,131 | iv,860 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex five 14 | Ryzen v 4500U | i,087 | 4,570 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | i5-10210U | 1,069 | 3,754 |
| Lenovo Yoga C640 | i3-10110U | 1,015 | two,111 |
| Lenovo Yoga C740 xiv | i5-10210U | one,094 | 3,767 |
| Samsung Milky way Book Flex | i7-1065G7 | 1,317 | iv,780 |
| Dell XPS 13 (9300) | i7-1065G7 | 1,284 | iv,848 |
| Surface Laptop iii 15 | i7-1065G7 | ane,336 | 4,893 |
| HP Elite Dragonfly | i7-8665U | 1,125 | ii,942 |
| Surface Laptop 3 thirteen.5 | i5-1035G7 | 1,177 | 4,413 |
| HP Spectre x360 thirteen | i7-1065G7 | 1,006 | iii,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 Green-eyed x360 | iv,755 |
| Acer Swift 3 | 4,861 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 | 4,759 |
| Surface Laptop 3 15 (AMD) | 4,006 |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex xiv | 3,202 |
| Surface Book three 15 | 4,393 |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | iv,899 |
| Lenovo Yoga C640 | 4,008 |
| Lenovo Yoga C740 | 4,941 |
| Samsung Galaxy Volume Flex | 3,924 |
| Dell XPS 13 (9300) | 4,524 |
| Surface Laptop iii 15 (Intel) | 4,604 |
| Dell XPS thirteen 2-in-1 | 4,554 |
| HP Spectre x360 13 | 4,261 |
| HP Aristocracy Dragonfly | iii,716 |
| LG gram 17 | 4,157 |
| Surface Pro 7 (i5) | iii,992 |
SSD
CrystalDiskMark (Higher is ameliorate)
| Device | Read | Write |
|---|---|---|
| Award MagicBook 14 | 3,517 MB/s | 1,674 MB/south |
| HP Envy x360 | one,530 MB/s | 864 MB/s |
| Acer Swift iii | 2,161.99 MB/s | i,214.84 MB/s |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14 | 2,199.x MB/s | 1,017.07 MB/s |
| Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 14 | 3,405 MB/s | 1,512 MB/s |
| Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga | iii,188.82 MB/s | ane,685.61 MB/s |
| Lenovo Yoga C640 | i,906.78 MB/south | 970.69 MB/s |
| Samsung Galaxy Book Flex | 3,376 MB/s | 2,983 MB/south |
| Dell XPS 13 (9300) | 3,000 MB/s | 1,217 MB/southward |
| HP Spectre x360 (Optane) | two,092 MB/southward | 515 MB/s |
| Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 | ii,400 MB/due south | 1,228 MB/s |
| HP Elite Dragonfly (Optane) | ii,124 MB/s | 548 MB/due south |
| Lenovo Yoga C740 | iii,408 MB/s | ii,982 MB/s |
| LG gram 17 (2020) | 3,477 MB/due south | two,900 MB/due south |
| Surface Laptop 3 fifteen | 2,028 MB/s | 806 MB/s |
| Surface Laptop three 13.5 | 2,338 MB/s | 1,583 MB/s |
| Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T) | 1,641 MB/due south | 1,025 MB/southward |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Farthermost (Gen 2) | 3,416 MB/s | 3,016 MB/due south |
.
Storage performance is incredibly good. The loftier-end 256GB Samsung PM961 SSD gets a jaw-dropping 3,500MB/southward sequential read, while writes are respectable at 1,675MB/s. It's unusual to meet such a premium SSD in a upkeep laptop.
Fans of AMD will capeesh the lower cost compared to the Intel variant. Battery life is also decent thanks to the 56WHr battery, which pegs usage at effectually seven hours. That'southward non amazing, simply it's enough for most students.
Award MagicBook 14 What y'all'll hate
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Fundamental
The webcam pattern here borrows from the clever solution found in Huawei'south more premium laptops – that is, information technology's in the keyboard deck and popular-up webcam. Back when this laptop was designed in 2022, webcams were mostly an afterthought, but now play a more critical role thanks to work-from-home initiatives and the pandemic. The camera here works, simply it's non ideal (but hey, you lot get those thin display bezels).
It's too hard to get excited for the Ryzen v 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 meliorate display, convertible design, and is powered by AMD's newer Mobile 4000 series. The operation 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). The 2022 MagicBook 14 did get Ryzen 4000 Mobile fries afterward on as a way to boost functioning.
That'south the other letdown hither every bit the MagicBook is a directly-up, push button-down 14-inch sparse laptop as information technology lacks a touchscreen or convertible design. It is a very good traditional notebook, but the market is getting more than sophisticated these days.
Audio here is as well just OK. Two smaller speakers are found on the lesser 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 likewise nothing special.
Accolade MagicBook fourteen Should you buy?
Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Fundamental
Like Huawei, Award can make impressive PCs. The Honour brand is geared towards a younger crowd, and the MagicBook 14 tells me this company has a future in making exciting mid-range laptops (mainly for non-US markets).
That said, the MagicBook 14 reveals more than potential than annihilation compelling as we head into tardily 2022. The design would have been tremendous in early 2022, simply companies similar HP proved they could evangelize more power (and features) for the buck than some of the Chinese competitors.
But, for the request price, the MagicBook 14 is also quite satisfying to utilise. As I mentioned, the fundamentals here are great: typing, trackpad, adequate sound, and a non-glare matte display that is easy on the eyes. It'southward a precipitous-looking laptop that beats similar releases from CHUWI and its relatively depression asking price redeems it. In my usage, there was nothing that drove me nuts, nor any massive flaws that prevented me from liking it.
I recollect Honor is a make worth watching in this space. The MagicBook can exist an incredibly competitive mid-ranger, then long every bit Accolade can iterate more speedily the next time effectually. And indeed, Accolade has refreshed the laptop with some worthwhile changes.
There's now a MagicBook 14 for 2022, complete with 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs and better display. It still lacks Thunderbolt and an SD card reader, plus its camera nevertheless pops upwardly out of the keyboard, merely otherwise it's a major improvement over the 2022 version reviewed hither. Qualms about performance have been quieted, and the build quality (especially for a upkeep PC) is every bit skillful as ever. Staff Writer Cale Chase's Honor MagicBook 14 (2021) review has a lot more information on the subject.
Honor MagicBook fourteen (2020)
This thin and light laptop is geared towards younger people on the go. While it utilizes an older AMD Ryzen processor, the splendid blueprint and low request toll brand it an exciting selection for those on a budget.
Review Changelog, August 2022
This article was originally published July 2022. It was updated August 2022 with the following changes:
- Updated "Should you buy?" section with data about the refreshed MagicBook 14 for 2022.
- Updated "Specs and features" section with new CPU info.
- Updated prices and purchase links for the MagicBook 14 (2020).
We may earn a committee for purchases using our links. Learn more than.
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Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central. He has been covering Microsoft hither since 2007 back when this site was called WMExperts (and later on Windows Telephone Central). His interests include Windows, Surface, laptops, and mod computing. Follow him on Twitter: @daniel_rubino.
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/honor-magicbook-14-review
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