HONOR MagicBook 16: full review in english

Tested and stressed, it has shown all its strenght

A powerful hardware set up and an attractive design: everything you need to know about the HONOR MagicBook 16

Here we are for the complete final review of the HONOR MagicBook 16, HONOR's 16-inch laptop that outperforms its predecessors MagicBook 14 and MagicBook 15, while also introducing some new aesthetic details.

I used HONOR MagicBook 16 from normal office, social, leisure style routines, to some heavy video and photo editing works. In this post you will find my final impressions about HONOR MagicBook 16.

HONOR MagicBook: differences in design https://www.hihonor.com/global/club/topicdetail/topicid-107339/

In this article, you will find the following topics about the HONOR MagicBook 16:

·       technical specifications,

·       consumer uses,

·       video editing,

·       photo editing,

·       final considerations,

·       what doesn’t convince me,

·       used and tested softwares.

HONOR MagicBook 16: technical specifications

The 16.1” display of the HONOR MagicBook 16 is convenient for those who need a wide monitor to work. But it doesn't have an excessive weight: 368x236x18.2 mm and 1.84kg, considering the unibody aluminum body.

The monitor has fundamental specifications for those who spend many hours in front of the PC:

·       TÜV Rheinland Low Bluelight and Flicker Free certification;

·       Full HD IPS anti-glare technology with viewing angle up to 170°;

·       144Hz refresh rate;

·       FullView 100% sRGB and 87.3% screen / body.

HONOR MagicBook 16 has an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor with 6nm Zen 3 architecture, with 6 cores that have a base frequency of 3.3GHz and a boost of up to 4.25GHz. The ram is a 16GB dual-channel DDR4; the rom is a 512GB PCIe SSD. It has a 56Wh Li-polymer lithium polymer battery and a 65W charger: it charges up to 85% in 1h and up to 100% in 1.5h via the USB type-C cable.

Power button with fingerprint sensor, WiFi 6 and NFC for Multi-Screen collaboration with the HONOR smartphone, two stereo speakers and two microphones with Nahimic technology.

HONOR MagicBook 16: photos and details  https://www.hihonor.com/global/club/topicdetail/topicid-80572/

HONOR MagicBook 16: unboxing video and all specifications https://www.hihonor.com/global/club/topicdetail/topicid-84566/

https://www.youtube.com/*?v=yVAPmgUBoK0

HONOR MagicBook 16: connections and connectivity https://www.hihonor.com/global/club/topicdetail/topicid-95115/

HONOR MagicBook 16 for consumer use

At home for distance learning lessons or for smartworking, HONOR MagicBook 16 is perfect given its ergonomics and battery capacity. Equipped with the Microsoft Windows 11 operating system, the main office and educational programs such as the Microsoft Office suite and the most common navigation browsers can be used on the HONOR MagicBook 16. In the test phase I reached 6 hours of autonomy going from 100% to 5% battery with Microsoft Office Word and Excel, browser for social and office applications, WiFi active, display brightness at 50% and backlight of the keyboard disabled.

HONOR MagicBook 16 can be used for a morning or afternoon study session outside the home, at the university, in the library or at the park without having the charger connected to the power supply. HONOR MagicBook 16 can be used to work on the move, for example during a business trip, in the waiting room for boarding or on the train without having the charger connected to the power supply.

HONOR MagicBook 16 for video editing

Video editing, in all its parts, is fluid and enjoyable. The 16.1” display is very bright and the 144Hz refresh rate help to have smooth movements; the FullHD resolution, however, limits its potential. Excellent the 100% sRGB color space which I really appreciate for maintaining color fidelity.

The integrated video card is undermined only in the preview during the editing phase, but the final file is not affected. The processor is taken to the extreme in the rendering phase. There is no ram saturation and the video card does practically no work.

The cooling fans do their job by never letting the processor get to its maximum temperature.

HONOR MagicBook 16 can be used for amateur video editing, withstanding stressful intensive use such as editing and exporting large 4K video files.

HONOR MagicBook 16: intensive stress test https://www.hihonor.com/global/club/topicdetail/topicid-106862/

https://www.youtube.com/*?v=1mg2DgcT1Kg

Video shot in 4K 30fps with HONOR 50. Video edited, edited and exported with DaVinci Resolve on HONOR MagicBook 16

https://www.youtube.com/*?v=mjYIhfq6_Sc

HONOR MagicBook 16 for photo editing

In photo editing HONOR MagicBook 16 is fluid and precise, obtaining a very detailed tif file. The large 16.1" 100% sRGB display is very comfortable, increasing its added value: a certification of the dynamic range in favor of those who want to perform photographic processing.

HONOR MagicBook 16 can be used without problems for amateur photo editing, and is compatible with intensive stressful use such as rendering large image files.

HONOR MagicBook 16: working with heavy photos https://www.hihonor.com/global/club/topicdetail/topicid-108272/

HONOR MagicBook 16: my final thoughts

Nothing to complain about the power of the HONOR MagicBook 16: the 16GB of ram and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor are the perfect balance between performance and consumption. HONOR MagicBook 16 perfectly holds up multitasking in every situation faced. Lightning-fast start-up and opening of applications without uncertainties.

I really appreciated the 100% sRGB color space on the HONOR MagicBook 16's 16.1” display, perfect for working outdoors as well. The 144Hz refresh rate is ideal for video editing but also for gaming on the go.

The integration of the ecosystem with the Multi-Screen Collaboration between HONOR MagicBook 16 and HONOR smartphones is valuable.

The rise on the bottom, for heat dissipation, and the quietness of the fans, make the HONOR MagicBook 16 a powerful laptop that can cool down quickly after stressful use.

Finally on the HONOR MagicBook 16 the webcam has returned to its traditional position on the upper frame of the display.

The touchpad of HONOR MagicBook 16 has a smooth but not very wide surface, with the right sensitivity; the left and right keys do not have a sensorial or visual reference and for some it may be difficult to get used to.

The speakers of the HONOR MagicBook 16 are powerful but with neutral sounds, not overwhelmed bass nor too bright highs.

If you want to use HONOR MagicBook 16 intensively, I recommend connecting it to the power outlet, thus taking advantage of the Performance Mode that can be activated with the key combination Fn+P. It is also possible to set an Energy Saving mode that lowers performance but preserves the battery life of the HONOR MagicBook 16.

HONOR MagicBook 16: what doesn’t convince me

I feel the lack of the numeric keypad working a lot with Excel files: on the large body of the HONOR MagicBook 16 it could be inserted by partially sacrificing the stereo audio.

On HONOR MagicBook 16 there isn’t a SD/CF reader to transfer files from reflex or cameras without using USB cables or WiFi systems. Good supply of HONOR MagicBook 16 ports but there is no LAN port: you will have to think about an adapter. There is no Kensington locker on the HONOR MagicBook 16 so don't leave it unattended in unfamiliar places.

The webcam resolution is HD only, on a large laptop like the HONOR MagicBook 16 perhaps an FHD resolution with the possibility of downscaling would have been better.

On HONOR MagicBook 16 you might think of a better optimization of the use of the video card: this is also a piece of advice that I leave to AMD.

On HONOR MagicBook 16 I used Windows 11 for the first time: it did not fully convince me, some graphic things need to be reviewed and the account management is too armored and not very customizable.

HONOR MagicBook 16: used and tested softwares

·       7-zip

·       Adobe Acrobat DC

·       CCleaner

·       DaVinci Resolve 16

·       GIMP 2

·       Google Chrome

·       Hugin

·       Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive)

·       Minitab Statistical Software 21

·       PDFrizator

·       Speedfan

·       VLC Media Player

My journey with the HONOR MagicBook 16 ends here. If you have had the courage and patience to read everything, leave a like and a comment, they are always appreciated!