HONOR continues to conquer the notebook segment with its uncompromising solutions. This time, the Honor MagicBook X series received an update. For the average user, there is everything for a pleasant user experience and for a very affordable price. What is so good about it, and is the laptop worth your attention – let’s figure it out.
Packaging and equipment
The device comes in a simple cardboard box. There is a handle on the side for easier transportation. Please note that the box from the new device must have uncut seals.
Inside are a laptop, foam seals, charger, and wire.
Appearance
Before starting, it is worth clarifying that the entire new lineup of the Honor MagicBook X 2023 line differs only in dimensions, screen sizes, and RAM. Also, the series has a device with a Pro attribute – compared to the usual one, there are significant differences here, but this model will not be discussed in the review.
Without any embellishment, the laptop looks great. The strict minimalistic design definitely gives the device its own charm. Let’s talk about practicality right away: the matte dark gray coating hardly collects fingerprints. Of course, there will still be traces, but their visibility is minimized.
The case is made of aircraft-grade aluminum, its thickness is 16.5 mm, and the weight is some 1.4 kg. Taking a laptop with you to work, vacation or travel will not be a problem.
It is also worth mentioning that the bottom panel is made of plastic.
Related: How to Use a Laptop as a Second Monitor in Windows
The 16-inch fellow is not much larger: thickness – 17.9 mm, weight – 1.75 kg. In both cases, the assembly is monolithic: the parts fit perfectly, nothing is pressed through or creaks, and the devices are felt seriously in the hands.
The lid opening mechanism is too tight, so even if there is a notch for a comfortable grip on the lid, it is unlikely that it will be possible to open the device with one hand. The maximum angle that the screen can tilt is 150°.
At the bottom, there are three rubber feet and perforation for air intake. The exit of hot air is carried out through openings from the back side of the device.
Ports
The laptop ports are represented by two USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, HDMI 1.4b, and 3.5-jack connectors. To the left of the Type-C port is the power indicator. The bandwidth of the USB Type-A connector is 5 Gb / s, while the USB Type-C is 10 Gb / s. By the way, the latter also supports video stream output and reverse charging.
Webcam
At the top of the screen is a 720p 30fps webcam, next to it are an activity indicator and two microphones. Alas, the quality of the camera leaves much to be desired.
Keyboard
The keyboard has a moonlight backlight, which is designed to help you work in the dark. The CAPSLOCK indicator is embedded in the top right corner of the button. The key travel is 1.5 mm, and small “craters” are made on the keycaps themselves for more comfortable typing.
Touchpad dimensions – 120 x 73 mm.
A fast fingerprint scanner is built into the power button. Unlocking when switching from sleep to active mode occurs in less than a second.
Screen
Honor MagicBook X is equipped (depending on the model) with a 14- or 16-inch IPS matrix with a maximum brightness of 300 cd / m², a pixel density of 162 ppi, and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. The screen resolution is 1920×1200. As you might guess, the aspect ratio is also not quite standard – 16:10. This solution allows you to see a little more information compared to screens with a standard 16:9 ratio.
Thanks to thin (4.5 mm) frames, the usable screen area is 89%.
The backlighting is uniform, even in very dark scenes there were no highlights.
With viewing angles, everything is in order, color distortion is not noticed.
It is also worth noting that the brightness of the screen was enough for comfortable surfing the Internet even under sunlight.
Hardware, performance, and software
The heart of the Honor MagicBook X is an octa-core Intel Core i5-12450H processor with 4 P-cores and 4 E-cores. The maximum operating frequency is 4.4 GHz.
The TDP of the processor can reach up to 95 watts. During a 30-minute stress test, the temperature of the “stone” did not exceed 82°C.
In Geekbench 6.1, the processor received 2209 points in single-threaded and 8503 points in multi-threaded modes. In office applications where a small number of threads are used, the device will perform excellently.
The built-in Intel UHD Graphics Alder Lake core acts as a graphics adapter.
It will not be possible to expand the built-in 16 GB of LPDDR4x RAM with timings of 24-24-24-56: the memory is soldered on the board.
For storage on the device, the KIOXIA KBG50ZNV512G 512 GB M.2 drive is responsible. The board also has a second slot for an SSD drive with a capacity of up to 1 TB.
The Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201D2W module acts as a wireless adapter, which supports networking using the 802.11ax protocol at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.
The Honor MagicBook X 2023 comes stocked with Windows 11 Home. The HONOR PC Manager utility acts as an assistant.
In the software, you can configure the operation of the “Multiscreen” and HONOR Share functions (allows you to quickly transfer files without connecting to the Internet). In the “AI Audio” tab, the user can select the speaker mode. Also, the “manager” allows you to diagnose and optimize the device.
Battery
The laptop battery capacity is 5195 mAh. According to the results of testing in PCMark 10 in the “Modern Office,” “Videos” and “Gaming” modes, the following was revealed: in-office tasks, the device can work for about 11 hours and 30 minutes, with continuous video viewing, the user can count on 13 hours of work. It will not work to conduct long gaming sessions: only an hour and a half in such a scenario.
A 65-watt power adapter (20 V, 3.25 A) is responsible for charging the Honor MagicBook X 2023. The length of the complete cable is 1.8 meters. From 0% to 100%, the laptop comes in 2 hours.
Conclusion
Honor MagicBook X 2023 is a good solution for work. Stunning design, a lightweight, powerful battery. It will be not only pleasant to work with such a device, but it will also not be a shame to show it to colleagues.
The Intel Core i5-12450H processor is enough for any task that the average user can only think of. Even with undemanding games, the built-in graphics can easily cope.
Multiscreen and HONOR Share functions will allow you to look at the laptop + phone bundle in a new way.
