Honor MagicBook 2022 review: a laptop for creators in a hurry
Construction
The MagicBook 14 2022 still retains the look of its predecessor: a sandblasted aluminum shell inspired by older-generation MacBooks. A simple mirror-effect Honor logo adorns the hood. This 2022 edition looks better designed and more robust than the previous ones. It also sounds less empty.
At first glance, the MagicBook 2022 looks identical to the previous version; only at first glance. © Digital
Opening the lid reveals a keyboard with black keys and a glossy screen. The set is of very good quality. No more bugs with the fingerprint reader and webcam. This whole little world is in its place: a webcam above the screen and a fingerprint reader integrated into the home button.
There’s little to complain about with the design of this MagicBook 14 2022. © Digital
The keyboard is a pleasure to type on, with a well-marked touch and keys that stay in place. Unfortunately, despite the two levels of intensity, the backlight is very weak. In daylight, it’s invisible, forcing the user to bend under the buttons to check if the LEDs are blinking.
Do not remove the Magic-Link sticker, it is used to pair the Honor smartphone. © Digital
The large touchpad provides a good scrolling feel. Windows gestures are completely taken into account, and clicks do not sink too much. Drag and drop fans with pressure will need to review their habits, clicking is very difficult to maintain pressure while sliding.
Two USB-C 3.2 ports (10 Gb/s); Honor is renewed. © Digital
The link made a leap forward. The USB-C port no longer has the USB 2.0 protocol. There are now two USB-C ports (10 Gb/s), a USB port (5 Gb/s) and an HDMI 2.0 port that can also be used for charging.
In terms of wireless connectivity, Honor ignores wifi 6E and settles for an Intel AX201 chip that connects to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 at 2400 Mb/s.
The webcam is equipped with a 720p sensor, the quality of which is acceptable in daylight. The image lacks detail and is very noisy even in low light.
Honor relies on two fans, two heat pipes, and two radiators to keep the Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 2050 cool.
So, with coding on the processor and enabling 3D rendering on the RTX 2050, the Honor MagicBook 14 is no more than 41.6 ° C at the hottest point between the keyboard keys and no more than 43.9 ° C at the hinge level. hot air is discharged. The touchpad stays warm and the hot spot is concentrated in the center of the keyboard between the two fans.
Noise pollution is also monitored and measured at 35.4 dB; the correct level to produce an audible breathing sound, but far from a PC the game can produce.
MagicBook 14 adopts 2022 cooling. © Digital
To access the components, you need to remove 10 Torx screws and open the case. Since only the SSD is replaceable, the interest is quite limited; the wifi card and RAM are soldered. If necessary, the battery can eventually be replaced; It is held in place with 4 Phillips screws. Honor announces a repairability index of 7.6/10 for this MagicBook 14 with GeForce RTX 2050.
A small point in opening the MagicBook 14, except to replace the SSD. © Digital
Performance
The MagicBook 14 2022 is equipped with an Intel Core i5-12500H processor accompanied by a 60W GeForce RTX 2050, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. This Core i5 has a hybrid architecture with 4 P -Hyperthread E8-. nuclei. It runs on a thermal envelope between 35W and 90W, depending on the cooling system used. Its performance allows it to be found on many computers the game.
Performance index (the bigger the better). © Digital
MagicBook 14 achieves a performance index of 133. That puts it between the Lenovo Legion’s Ryzen 7 5800H (126) and the Alienware X14’s Core i7-12700H (158). Performance that demonstrates the good form of 12th generation Intel Core processors. Thus equipped, MagicBook 14 is not afraid of any work, even the most demanding ones.
In use, the Core i5-12500H keeps the P-Core at 2.78GHz and the E-Core at 2.20GHz. After reaching the permissible 90 W, the processor stabilizes at 35 W. We observed no reduction in frequency (regulation) during our test coding.
As for the performance of the graphics part, which is the subject of a special article, the GeForce RTX 2050 allows you to play in the right conditions by reducing the amount of displayed details if you enable DLSS. It’s mainly there to help the Core i5-12500H with creative tasks by significantly reducing processing times.
The SSD installed by Honor is the Samsung PM1A, the OEM version of the popular 980 Pro. It reaches 6.8 GB/s in reading and 4.5 GB/s in writing, which allows for extremely fast file transfer.
Mobility / Autonomy
MagicBook 14 shows absolutely classic dimensions for a laptop of this format (30.7 x 22.7 cm for a thickness of 1.69 cm). Remember, it also houses the GPU and the cooling system that goes with it, which adds to the thickness of the chassis.
The PC alone weighs 1.58kg, plus 473g for the 135W charger for a total of 2.05kg. Therefore, MagicBook 14 should easily find its place in a backpack.
The 135 W charger is relatively compact. © Digital
Despite the presence of a dedicated GPU, the autonomy test ends with a pleasant surprise. The MagicBook 14 lasted 9 hours 01 minutes under our usual test protocol (Netflix under Chrome with a 200 cd/m² screen). A good result thanks in part to the 75 Wh battery capacity; whereas 50 Wh batteries are often found in this format.
Its 75 Wh battery allows for 9 hours of video playback. © Digital
