Honor MagicBook 16 (2022) review

The Honor MagicBook 16 is a budget-friendly beast for creative students.

The Honor MagicBook 16 on a small table
(Image: © Future)

Our Verdict

The Honor MagicBook 16 is big, beautiful and budget-friendly, rocking a 144Hz display and speedy components. It can't hold a light to something like a MacBook Pro, but at this price, it's a great alternative for students getting started in a creative environment. Bear in mind that it's not currently available in the US.

For

  • Great 16.1-inch 144Hz display
  • Speedy AMD components
  • Classy, modern design

Against

  • No SD card slot
  • Battery life is disappointing
  • Regional availability is spotty

Why you can trust Creative Bloq Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Honor MagicBook 16 likely won’t be on the radar for many folks in the western market given the brand is more commonly associated with mobile phones than computers, but if you’re looking for a large, budget-friendly laptop then you should stop and take a moment to absorb this review.

Honor used to be a part of the Huawei brand until they split back in 2020 (likely to get around strict anti-Chinese imports affecting Huawei in countries like the USA), and as such Honor laptops still have a few similarities with the devices from its old parent company. If you know anything about Huawei laptops though, this isn’t a bad thing as most of the cons surrounding buying one comes from their regional availability and app support, which are two things Honor has (mostly) managed to avoid thanks to the split.

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The Verdict
7

out of 10

Honor Magicbook 16 (2022)

The Honor MagicBook 16 is big, beautiful and budget-friendly, rocking a 144Hz display and speedy components. It can't hold a light to something like a MacBook Pro, but at this price, it's a great alternative for students getting started in a creative environment. Bear in mind that it's not currently available in the US.

More info

BrandHonor
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Jess Weatherbed
Freelancer

Jess is TechRadar's computing writer, covering hardware, PC gaming and peripherals, though she can be found freelancing for creative tech like 3D printers and graphics drawing tablets. She also likes to dabble in digital art and can often be found playing games of both the PC and Tabletop variety, occasionally streaming on Twitch to the disappointment of everyone.