I tried Honor's premium ultrabook, and it's a serious alternative to the MacBook Air

Chinese brand Honor, originally launched by Huawei as a smartphone sub-brand, then spun off in 2020, certainly isn't the biggest name in laptops. But here at Creative Bloq, we like to ignore the marketing hype and focus on what devices are actually like to use. So I've been objectively putting the Honor MagicBook Pro 14 through its paces... and it's been quite a revelation.

My experience suggests that Honor has taken its mobile expertise into the laptop space with remarkable success. So if you're in the market for a premium laptop, this deserves a spot on your shortlist of best laptops for graphic design.

There's one big caveat: Honor devices are generally not officially or widely available in the USA, although you might find some models available through third-party sellers. They're sold pretty much everywhere else, though; for example, in the UK, you can currently get one for under a grand.

That's cheaper than a MacBook Air M4 and with more storage to boot. So it's well worth considering. Read on to find out what I liked, and didn't like, about it.

Key specifications

Design, build and display

• One-hand opening
• Resists fingerprints well

In terms of look and feel, The Honor MagicBook Pro 14 didn't wow me initially. At 17mm thick, it's not especially thin. There's nothing especially stylish about it, either: it's basically a big silver rectangle with an Honor logo stamped on it.

Over time, though, I've grown to appreciate what I'd call its understated elegance. The grey-finish model I was sent has a sophisticated matte texture that completely resists fingerprints – a godsend for anyone who's tired of constantly wiping down their laptop (my MacBook Air 2020, by way of comparison, looks like a crime scene).

Wonder of wonders, the lid opens smoothly to 180 degrees with one hand alone. I've reviewed a lot of laptops over the decades, and I can't remember a hinge that felt so perfectly calibrated – firm enough to hold position at any angle, yet smooth enough for effortless adjustment. That gives me a little bit of joy. And more broadly, the magnesium alloy chassis feels premium throughout, with no flex in the keyboard deck.

Ultimately, though, it's the display that sets this laptop apart. The 14.6-inch OLED panel is quite gorgeous, offering perfect blacks, infinite contrast and colours that pop off the screen. The 3120 x 2080 resolution provides razor-sharp text and images, while the 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and touch interactions feel incredibly smooth. (No, 3.1K isn't the same as 4K, but honestly, it's only on rare occasions that I've been able to tell the difference.)

Overall, this laptop doesn't look as stylish as a MacBook Air. But functionally, the design is in some ways superior. So it comes down to a philosophical question; one that equally applies to phones, mattresses, sofas, even romantic partners... Given that you spend so much time with them, what's more important: looks, or being able to get on with them?

Design score: 4.5/5

Features

• Good selection of ports
• Interoperability with phones

Honor's software ecosystem is genuinely clever. The MagicRing technology allows seamless file sharing between your phone and laptop, regardless of whether you're using an Honor device or an iPhone. Once I'd set it up and got the hang of using it, I often found this more convenient than email or cloud storage for quick file transfers.

For most devices, of course, you'll want to connect them up in the old-fashioned way, and the MagicBook Pro 14 gives you a lot of good options. To start with, there are two USB-C ports that handle data transfer up to 10Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2), provide power delivery for charging, and support DisplayPort Alt Mode for video output to external monitors. There are also a couple of USB-A ports (USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5Gbps), for connecting older accessories like mice or flash drives. Finally, an HDMI 2.1 port supports crisp 4K resolution at 60Hz for external displays or TVs. Rounding out the physical connections is a standard 3.5mm audio jack for your headphones.

You'll notice, though, in that list the absence of Thunderbolt 4 or USB4. While the USB-C ports are fast, they lack the extremely high bandwidth needed for, say, external GPUs (eGPUs) or complex multi-display setups with a single cable.

Another physical limitation of this laptop is that the RAM is typically soldered to the motherboard, meaning you can't upgrade it yourself later on; you need to choose the right amount of RAM when you buy the laptop.

Feature score: 4/5

Benchmark scores

We test every one of our laptops using the same benchmarking software suite to give you a thorough overview of its suitability for creatives of all disciplines and levels. This includes:

• Geekbench: Tests the CPU for single-core and multi-core power, and the GPU for the system's potential for gaming, image processing, or video editing. Geekbench AI tests the CPU and GPU on a variety of AI-powered and AI-boosted tasks.
• Cinebench: Tests the CPU and GPU's ability to run Cinema 4D and Redshift.
• UL Procyon: Uses UL Solutions' Procyon software suite to test the system's ability for AI image generation in Stable Diffusion, its Microsoft Office performance and its battery life in a looping video test.
• Topaz Video AI: We use Topaz Video AI to test the system's ability to upscale video and convert video to slow-motion.
• PugetBench for Creators: We use the PugetBench for Creators benchmarking suite to test the system's ability to run several key tasks in Photoshop.

Performance

• Processor delivers exceptional performance
• Superb thermal management

On paper, the MagicBook Pro 14 seemed like it was going to be a proper powerhouse. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor, with its 16 cores and 5.4GHz boost clock, is top of the range, and the 32GB of LPDDR5x memory is generous, though it's worth noting it's soldered to the motherboard.

But specs are one thing, real-world practice is another. So I threw everything at it that I could; from drawing in Illustrator to photo editing in Lightroom, to having 20 browser tabs open while simultaneously streaming music.

The results were just as I'd hoped for: the MagicBook Pro 14 didn't slow, stutter or otherwise break a sweat at any point. The 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD is blisteringly fast, too, delivering read speeds over 7,100 MB/s. There's also space for a second M.2 drive if you need more storage further down the line.

Overall, I found the MagicBook Pro 14's performance to be genuinely impressive, and that experience was backed up by my benchmark testing. In Cinebench R24, for example, it scored 1,080 points in the multi-core test, putting it ahead of many more expensive laptops. Similarly, the Geekbench 6 GPU score of 42,057 points, demonstrates that the Intel Arc 140T graphics can handle demanding creative tasks with ease.

The cooling system deserves particular praise. A dual-fan design with optimised heat pipes keeps the processor running at full speed without throttling, which is crucial for creative work. That means that under sustained loads, the laptop has remained relatively quiet and cool, even at the height of summer.

I'll add some qualifiers to all of that, though. Firstly, initial benchmark scores out of the box were far lower. Raising them meant not only tweaking the Windows settings to 'Best performance' but, crucially, the Honor PC Manager settings, which are a little buried in the interface and easy to miss.

Secondly, I wouldn't recommend this laptop for heavy video editing or VFX workloads. Intel's integrated Arc Graphics are capable of handling HD and some 4K video editing, but professional video editors would generally be better off choosing a laptop with a dedicated GPU, such as the NVIDIA RTX series.

Thirdly, I'd stress that the MagicBook Pro 14 very much isn't a gaming machine, in terms of AAA games at least. So for instance, I needed to scale down the settings on Forza Horizon 5 considerably to get a smooth experience. On the plus side, the laptop handled older games such as Gears Tactics and Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden fine. But on the whole, if laptop gaming is important to you, I'd look elsewhere.

Battery life, though? That's pretty great. The MagicBook Pro 14 comes equipped with a 92Wh battery, which Honor claims is the largest ever fitted into a 14-inch lightweight laptop. This capacity, combined with AI-powered optimisation, meant I could comfortably achieve around 10 to 12 hours of battery life with mixed use, sometimes even more for lighter productivity tasks. In our standard UL Procyon benchmarking test, which is based on video playback on a loop, it goes for an impressive 13 hours and 43 minutes. An encouraging result for anyone wishing to watch movies on a long journey.

When it's time to recharge, the laptop supports 100W Honor SuperCharge via USB-C, allowing for quick top-ups. I could typically get to about 50% charge in just over 30 minutes, with a full charge taking about an hour and 10 minutes.

Performance score: 4/5

Price

Here's the crucial thing. The Honor MagicBook Pro 14 has an RRP of £1,299, but at the time writing, Honor is currently offering it for £949 (plus a free gift of an Honor Wireless Mouse). At this promotional price, it's very compelling.

To put this in perspective, the ASUS Zenbook A14 with similar specs costs £1,099, while the premium MacBook Air M4 starts at £1,099 but only includes 256GB of storage. The Honor offers 1TB of storage and 32GB of RAM at a lower price. That's a strong argument for buying this laptop over its closest rivals.

Value score: 5/5

Who is it for?

• Creative professionals needing colour-accurate displays and solid performance

The MagicBook Pro 14 is a strong choice for creative professionals who need a laptop that can handle demanding applications, whilst providing accurate colour reproduction. The OLED display's 100% DCI-P3 coverage and Delta E <0.5 colour accuracy, along with the fast processing speeds needed to run creative software, make it a great choice for photo editing and graphic design work, although it's probably not the best choice for professional video editing.

Buy it if...

• You need to power to run demanding creative software
• You want a gorgeous, colour-accurate display
• You're seeking day-long battery life

Don't buy it if...

• Stylishness and lightness are your priority
• You need support for Thunderbolt 4
• You're a serious gamer

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