Construction
The MagicBook 14 2022 still retains the look of its predecessor: a sandblasted aluminum shell inspired by older generation MacBooks. A simple Honor logo with a mirror effect adorns the hood. However, this 2022 edition seems better finished and more robust than the previous ones. It also sounds less hollow.
At first glance, the MagicBook 2022 looks identical to the previous version; only at first glance. © The Digital
Opening the lid reveals a keyboard with black keys and a screen with a glossy finish. The set is very qualitative. No more bugs with the fingerprint reader and webcam. This whole little world is in its place: the webcam above the screen and the fingerprint reader integrated into the home button.
Very few things to complain about the design of this MagicBook 14 2022. © The Digital
Typing on the keyboard is very comfortable, with a well-marked press and keys that stay in place. Only regret, a backlight is far too weak despite two levels of intensity. In bright daylight it is invisible, forcing the user to bend down to check under the keys if the LEDs are on.
Do not remove the Magic-Link sticker, it is used to pair an Honor smartphone. © The Digital
The large touchpad provides a good gliding sensation. Windows gestures are fully taken into account and the clicks do not drop too much. Fans of pressure drag and release will have to revise their habits, as the click is far too harsh to maintain pressure while sliding.
Two USB-C 3.2 ports (10 Gb/s); Honor is being updated. © The Digital
Connectivity has taken a leap forward. No more USB 2.0 protocol in a USB-C port. There are now two USB-C ports (10 Gb/s) that can also be used for charging, one USB port (5 Gb/s) and an HDMI 1.4 port.
In terms of wireless connectivity, Honor ignores wifi 6E and settles for the Intel AX201 chip that connects up to wifi 6 at 2400 Mb/s and Bluetooth 5.2.
The webcam is equipped with a 720p sensor, the quality of which is just acceptable in broad daylight. The image lacks detail and even becomes very noisy in low light.
Honor relies on two fans, two heat pipes and two radiators to ensure good cooling of the Core i5-12500H and GeForce RTX 2050.
Thus, by launching a coding on the processor and a 3D rendering on the RTX 2050, the Honor MagicBook 14 does not exceed 41.6 °C at the hottest point between the keys of the keyboard and 43.9 °C at the level of the hinge, where hot air is evacuated. The touchpad stays warm and the hot spot is concentrated in the middle of the keyboard between the two fans.
Noise pollution is also checked and measured at 35.4 dB; a correct level that produces an audible breath noise, but far from what a PC game can produce.
MagicBook 14 2022 masters its cooling. © The Digital
To access the components, remove 10 Torx screws and loosen the shell. However, the interest is quite limited as only the SSD can be replaced; the wifi card and RAM being soldered. The battery can optionally be replaced if necessary; it is held in place by 4 Phillips screws. Honor declares a repair index of 7.6/10 for this MagicBook 14 with its GeForce RTX 2050.
Little point in opening the MagicBook 14, except perhaps to change the SSD. © The Digital
Performance
The MagicBook 14 2022 is equipped with an Intel Core i5-12500H processor accompanied by a 60 W GeForce RTX 2050, 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. This Core i5 has a hybrid architecture with 4 P-Hyperthreaded Cores and 8 E- Cores. It operates within a thermal envelope of between 35W and 90W, depending on the cooling system used. Its performance makes it possible to find it on a large number of PCs game.
Performance index (the bigger the better). © The Digital
The MagicBook 14 achieves a performance index of 133. It is thus placed between the Ryzen 7 5800H from the Lenovo Legion (126) and the Core i7-12700H from the Alienware X14 (158). A performance that demonstrates the good form of 12th generation Intel Core processors. Thus equipped, the MagicBook 14 is not afraid of any task, not even the most demanding ones.
In use, the Core i5-12500H maintains its P-Core at 2.78 GHz and its E-Core at 2.20 GHz. After reaching the allowed 90 W, the processor stabilizes at 35 W. We observed no reduction in frequency (throttling) during our test coding.
As for the performance of the graphic part – which has been the subject of a dedicated article – the GeForce RTX 2050 allows you to play in correct conditions if you enable DLSS, while reducing the amount of displayed details. It is primarily there to help the Core i5-12500H with creative tasks by significantly reducing the processing time.
The SSD installed by Honor is a Samsung PM1A, an OEM version of the well-known 980 Pro. It reaches 6.8GB/si read and 4.5GB/si write, allowing extremely fast file transfers.
Mobility / Autonomy
The MagicBook 14 displays dimensions that are quite classic for a laptop of this format (30.7 x 22.7 cm by 1.69 cm thick). Do not forget that it also embeds a GPU and the cooling system that comes with it, which increases the thickness of the chassis.
The PC alone weighs 1.58 kg, to which must be added 473 g for the 135 W charger, for a total of 2.05 kg. The MagicBook 14 should therefore easily find its place in a backpack.
The 135 W charger is relatively compact. © The Digital
Despite the presence of a dedicated GPU, the autonomy test ends with a pleasant surprise. The MagicBook 14 lasted 9 h 01 min under our usual test protocol (Netflix under Chrome with a screen set to 200 cd/m²). A good result partly due to the capacity of its 75 Wh battery; while 50 Wh batteries are often found in this format.
Its 75 Wh battery allows for 9 hours of video playback. © The Digital