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00:00All right, let's do this.
00:02Hey guys, Anton the Tech Chap, and this, well this is just a brown cardboard box, but what's
00:07on the inside is a very interesting new laptop that I can't wait to show you, and if I get
00:12this opened up, it's kind of like that Pulp Fiction scene, but inside here we have the
00:19brand new Honor MagicBook 14.
00:22So I'm actually quite a big fan of these Honor MagicBooks, I've tested them for a couple
00:26of years now because, I know it's a bit of a cliche, but they're just good all-round
00:31laptops.
00:32They don't completely break the bank, they're quite affordable.
00:34So this is the new 2021 MagicBook 14, a big thank you to Honor for sending this over and
00:39also sponsoring this video, although as always, all opinions are my own.
00:43Now the tagline for this is powerfully compact, which obviously is a marketing spiel, but
00:49I think it's pretty on point because it's quite thin and light, it weighs just 1.38
00:53kilograms, it's a hair under 16mm thick, and also we're getting the brand new or the
00:58very latest Intel 11th Gen processors, either the i5 or the i7, paired with up to 16 gigs
01:04of RAM and up to 512 gigs of storage.
01:07So a very nicely specced laptop that is reasonably portable as well, and crucially, not too expensive.
01:13So this starts for the i5 with 8 gigs of RAM and 512 storage for just £799.
01:19And I think the biggest upgrade is the fact that these 11th Gen processors come with Intel's
01:24Iris Xe graphics, which is up to twice as fast as their previous integrated graphics.
01:30So let's just jump straight in and play a bit of Rainbow Six Siege.
01:33This is at 1080p with high settings and I'm averaging a very playable 55fps.
01:40Not too shabby at all and actually it stayed nice and cool throughout as we're getting
01:43new dual heat pipes and a bigger cooling fan.
01:47So this particular model is the higher spec one with an i7, 16 gigs of RAM, 512 storage,
01:52and that will cost more, although I don't have the final pricing for it.
01:55But for that £849 price tag, you're getting the i5, 8 gigs of RAM and also still 512 gigs
02:00of fast NVMe storage, which isn't bad at all actually.
02:03And crucially, you can upgrade it yourself.
02:05So maybe in 6 or 12 months, if you've got a few more pounds to spend, you can maybe
02:09double the RAM and expand the storage.
02:11So I've just dived straight in talking about performance, but let's take a step back and
02:15have a look at this laptop as a whole.
02:17And I think this is a pretty good looking laptop.
02:20We're getting an aluminium chassis in space grey and it's got a kind of sleek understated
02:25aesthetic to it.
02:26The top and the side bezels are nice and thin, although there is a bit of a chin at the bottom,
02:30but it's still a solid 84% screen to body ratio.
02:34Plus we're getting a 180 degree hinge so you can fold the screen right back and then, well,
02:40use it like that if you want to.
02:42Apparently people do sometimes and they share their work or what they're looking at with
02:45their flat screen.
02:46I'm not sure how useful that would be for me.
02:48But what is helpful is that you have more options for the viewing angle.
02:51So if you are maybe putting this on a laptop stand or however you are using it, you basically
02:56can adjust the screen however you like.
02:58So that is useful.
02:59You may also notice there's no webcam up here and that's because it's hidden away under
03:04this key between F6 and F7.
03:06Now we've seen these privacy webcams on Honor and Huawei laptops for a few years now.
03:11And while the quality isn't fantastic and it does look up your nose, you do have the
03:15benefit of being able to physically hide it if you are a bit concerned about privacy.
03:20Other nifty extras include a fingerprint reader built into the power button.
03:24Also, as it literally says on the tin, this supports Honor's Magic Link.
03:28So just by tapping your Honor phone, you can share files and with the cross collaboration
03:32feature actually use your phone's screen on the laptop.
03:35There's a pretty decent selection of ports, including two full size USB A's, one 3.2
03:40Gen 1, one USB 2 for some reason, which is a bit old and slow, as well as a full size
03:44HDMI, USB-C for charging, which I'll come to in a second, and a headphone jack, plus
03:49we're getting Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
03:52But you will notice that unlike a lot of more affordable laptops, there's no ugly, annoying
03:56DC power brick that you have to lug around with you.
04:01Instead, when you unbox this laptop, I could have given you the whole unboxing experience,
04:05but it's just a cardboard box with some styrofoam inside.
04:08But crucially, we get this inside.
04:10It's a fast 65 watt USB-C charger.
04:14So this is going to be great for your smartphone as well.
04:16And it means you can plug it in with a USB-C port.
04:19And in just half an hour, you'll get 44% of your battery.
04:22So fast charging with this is a really nice extra.
04:25And speaking of battery, thanks to the more efficient chips and also the 56 watt hour
04:29battery we get inside, Honor says we'll get up to 10 and a half hours of local full HD
04:35video playback.
04:37So far in my more real world testing, I'm getting closer to 6 and a half or 7 hours,
04:42which is still good.
04:43And of course, you do have the fast charger as well, but it does all depend on how you
04:46use it.
04:47But it should get you through a full working day.
04:49Now question for you guys.
04:51Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen on your laptop?
04:55There are pros and cons for each.
04:56Glossy is generally a bit more contrasty and can make colors pop a bit.
05:00But personally, I quite like a matte panel like we get on the MagicBook here, because
05:04it means you don't really have to worry about reflections as much and it just makes it easier
05:07to use outdoors.
05:08And considering that this is supposed to be a bit of a portable travel companion as well,
05:12it's all about that powerfully compact tagline, having a matte screen, I think is quite a
05:16good choice.
05:17But I would genuinely be curious what you guys prefer between matte and glossy.
05:21So let me know in the comments below.
05:22So with the MagicBook, we're getting a 14 inch, 1080p IPS LCD screen, 300 nits, 1000
05:28to 1 contrast, and actually covers an impressive 100% of the sRGB color gamut.
05:34But if I could have one upgrade or I would love to have a 16 by 10 aspect ratio that
05:39fills in maybe a little bit of that chin, maybe for next time, if Honor are watching.
05:48Now I have to say one of the most surprising standouts for me about this is actually the
05:52keyboard.
05:53I was making some notes and writing the review for this the other day, and my wife was sat
05:57next to me and she said how nice it was that this wasn't a really loud, annoying, clacky
06:02keyboard.
06:05You can hear it's nice and muffled, yet it's still responsive, there's good key travel.
06:10It's actually a lovely keyboard, it's well spaced out, it's backlit as well.
06:13So unlike a lot of keyboards that just drive my wife crazy because I'm like banging away
06:17and it's clacking, this is kind of like softer and a little bit rubbery.
06:22It's nice.
06:23And also this smooth precision trackpad is a good size.
06:26You couldn't really squeeze much of a bigger one in here.
06:29So that's your walkthrough of the MagicBook 14.
06:32But going back to performance just for a second, and over the past week or so as I've
06:36been using this, it's comfortably handled 1080p video editing in Premiere Pro, plus
06:41you could always use proxies if you're doing more intensive 4K editing, and also I could
06:45smoothly edit my videos in Lightroom.
06:48So to wrap up, if you're after a thin and light laptop with the latest specs, good performance
06:53and a smart design that also doesn't cost an absolute fortune, then I would definitely
06:58give the Honor MagicBook 14 a look, or even its bigger brother the MagicBook 15.
07:02And I'll leave links in the description below if you want to check it out.
07:05My only feedback would be that while I do appreciate the privacy of the hidden webcam,
07:10the position isn't great, and actually for me I wouldn't mind it being up here and perhaps
07:14physically disabling it some other way.
07:16Also having a USB 2 port, while it's fine if you're plugging in a peripheral for like
07:20a mouse or keyboard, it's not ideal, maybe a faster USB 3.
07:24Or even a Thunderbolt would have been lovely with this.
07:27And also I suppose it would have been nice to see perhaps a bit of a refresh of the design.
07:31It still looks good, but perhaps next time a 16 by 10 and a slightly thinner chin down
07:36here would be good to see.
07:37But that's it really.
07:38So what do you make of the new Honor MagicBook 14?
07:41Would you be tempted to buy one?
07:43And if not, well, why not?
07:44Let me know in the comments below.
07:45If you did enjoy the video and want to see more from me, then hit that subscribe button,
07:49ding that bell, all those annoying YouTuber things, and I will see you guys next time
07:53right here on the Tech Chat.
07:54Thanks for watching.