Luckily for Spanish citizens, technology companies are in a fierce fight to offer ever more powerful devices forever more affordable prices.
Xiaomi’s strategy has meant that today we can have a good smartphone without spending a fortune. Something that also begins to happen in the segment of laptops with other brands, such as Huawei or its Honor sub-firm.
The new Honor MagicBook 14 ( 599 euros ) is the perfect example of this since for only 599 euros it is possible to have good performance, a durable battery and lightweight design. As we have had the opportunity to try it for a few weeks, we will tell you about our experience with it.
Perfect weight for traveling
Although laptops were created with the idea of being able to move around with them, the truth is that many brands seem to have forgotten that important detail and do not make an effort to reduce the weight of their equipment. While it is true that lightness is present in most high-end models, “cheap” laptops tend to be quite heavy and bulky.
Precisely that is one of the highlights of the Honor MagicBook 14, as it has dimensions of 32 x 21 x 1.5 centimeters and a weight of 1.38 kilograms. Features that are greatly appreciated and that will allow us to carry it comfortably in a backpack or on the go without our backs having to suffer for it.
Purely in terms of looks, the notebook offers a sleek look with a gray finish topped by shiny blue edges. In general, it is a beautiful team, although it would not have hurt to offer other variants, such as a white finish.
Screen that meets without excess
This Honor MagicBook 14 incorporates a 14-inch FullView LCD screen with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and a screen-to-body ratio of 84%. In this sense, we must highlight the ultra-thin bezels of the laptop, which translates into a better experience when consuming multimedia content. As we say, the screen is far from the best on the market, but it offers great quality for a 599-euro device.
For such a low price it is also surprising that Honor has integrated a nearly 180-degree hinge on the screen. In this way, we can adjust the screen to our needs without fear of it breaking due to pushing it too far back.
Remarkable performance
Performance is another section that is usually quite weak in the case of cheap laptops. However, Honor has managed to offer a solvent team thanks to integrating an AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor, 8 GB of RAM, an integrated Radeon Vega 8 graphics and a 256 GB SSD storage.
Generally speaking, we have experienced fluency while using it as a tool for teleworking and for our entertainment moments. As a curiosity, we highlight its quick start-up, since it only takes a few seconds to turn on. Even when testing it with video games, the sensations are good, although it is not a team that is focused on gaming, but rather for occasional players.
Outstanding battery
The battery is, by far, what surprised us most about the Honor MagicBook 14. Its 56 Wh have translated on average into about 7 hours of autonomy in real use, a figure that guarantees almost a working day.
However, this great autonomy is not the only characteristic to highlight. The equipment also has a fast charge of 65W, which in half an hour gives us approximately 50% of battery. In short, to run out of battery you will have to give it a lot of energy and in the event that rapid charging occurs it will be our great ally.
When making this laptop, Honor has not forgotten the importance of the privacy section, either. For that reason, the MagicBook 14 equips a fingerprint reader located to the right of the keyboard, which makes it easier to turn on the computer in a much more comfortable way than using passwords.
Similarly, it has a pop-up webcam that comes out of hiding when you press a key. An ingenious system that will guarantee that nobody will record us remotely if our computer has been hacked.
From mobile to laptop and vice versa
The advantages of having an ecosystem compatible with other products are often talked about, as is the case with Apple and its MacBook, iPhone, iPad, AirPods, etc. Although many are unaware of it, Honor also has software, dubbed the Magic-link, which allows Honor or Huawei mobiles to be easily connected to their laptops.
In the case of the MagicBook 14, simply activate the NFC of an Honor or Huawei mobile phone (not all are compatible) and move it closer to the sticker that you can see in the photo. Once connected, we can easily pass files between both devices and even control the smartphone directly from the laptop. An integration that is a true wonder and that has made us fall in love.
A gem for little money
The Honor MagicBook 14 perfectly represents what has evolved in the notebook market in recent years. Until recently, it was difficult to find a relatively cheap laptop that complied with aspects such as lightness, good performance or a durable battery.
Features present in the device that we have been able to test and that hardly requires an investment of 599 euros. We believe that any user who doesn’t need overwhelming power for video editing or similar tasks could see all their needs met with this Honor laptop, a gem for little money.