Aside from phones, HONOR aims to bring the rest of its ecosystem products to the Philippines, and the MagicBook X 15 is one of their first non-smartphone offerings locally. This budget laptop aims to be competitive against more established brands with both pricing and the features it has to offer.
We got to use the MagicBook X 15 for a week, and we share our thoughts on whether it is a solid entry for HONOR in the budget laptop segment.
How does the MagicBook X 15 Pro Look and Feel?
It’s a solid entry-level laptop with its unibody aluminum body and lid. The overall build is excellent, and we barely noticed any flexing on the whole body. It’s also slim at just under 17mm and weighs under 3.5 pounds, making it easily qualify as a large-screened ultrabook. It also looks familiar, as the MagicBook X reminds us of the MateBook D. That does not come as a surprise, since HONOR used to be under Huawei until the latter sold the former in 2020.
The MagicBook X 15 has all the essential ports users will need. These include two USB-A ports (the one on the right side is USB 2.0, while the one on the left side is USB 3.1), an HDMI 2.0 port, a headphone jack, and a USB-C port. The latter also doubles as the MagicBook X 15’s charging port, where it supports USB-PD at up to 65w. We wished that the MagicBook X 15 had another USB-C port so that you have another one that’s usable while charging it.
The MagicBook X 15 does not feel like a budget laptop with those skinny top and bottom bezels, giving you a large screen estate on a relatively compact body. The skinny top bezel caused HONOR to do a Huawei-like approach of placing the webcam hidden within the keyboard area.
How is the MagicBook X 15’s keyboard and trackpad?
The keyboard is decent for a budget laptop, though we are not a fan of the textured finish on the keys. Aside from the weird finish, the keys are well-spaced between one another and have good key travel. What’s missing though is backlighting, which is expected on a budget laptop. It’s not that big of a deal, but having a keyboard backlight will allow you to be productive while working in dimly-lit places.
The webcam is hidden in the keyboard area, where it pops up when needed. While we appreciate the idea of hiding the webcam to keep the top bezel slim, its location in the keyboard does not offer a flattering angle when doing video calls. It also doesn’t help that you are only getting a 720p resolution with the webcam—we recommend buying a separate one if you intend to use the MagicBook X 15 for video calls.
The trackpad, on the other hand, is responsive and easy to use. It has the right size for daily use, and we did not encounter any issues with it.
Is the display any good?
The MagicBook X 15’s display is fine for an entry-level laptop. While it is not color-accurate (HONOR says it only covers 45% of the NTSC color gamut), the display is reasonably bright. The skinny bezels make it feel more premium than expected, and the decent brightness range makes the MagicBook X 15 suitable for outdoor use.
Despite being not color accurate, the MagicBook X 15’s display is serviceable for watching videos. Colors are just fine—not too vibrant nor washed out, though the Full HD resolution of the 15-inch display does show its limitations when watching videos in full-screen mode.
We can’t say the same for the bottom-firing speakers. They don’t sound great—the vocals sound a bit high-pitched, and there’s barely any notable distinction between the mids and lows.
What’s it like to live with the MagicBook X 15?
The MagicBook X 15 that’s coming to the Philippines comes with a Core i5-1135G7 processor that has Iris Xe integrated graphics, 8GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage.
While the 11th-gen Intel processor is dated with 13th-gen processors slowly arriving to laptops, it is still a decent choice for an entry-level laptop. A Core i5 processor is a good all-around choice for general productivity.
The MagicBook X 15 comes with a 45wHr battery, which feels undersized for a 15-inch laptop. While we only recorded 3 hours and 40 minutes with our video loop test, we managed to clock in a little over 5 hours with real-life use that consist of web browsing, word processing, and a bit of watching YouTube videos.
The MagicBook X 15 charges via its lone USB-C port with 65w charging and the included charger can also be used for other devices as well.
Should you consider the MagicBook X 15?
If you are looking for a decent entry-level laptop, HONOR has a good offering with the MagicBook X 15 in the Philippines. Even if it looks very similar to Huawei’s MateBooks, you still get good value with the MagicBook X 15 for its excellent build and processor of choice.
How much is the MagicBook X 15 in the Philippines?
The MagicBook X 15 is priced at Php 37,990. Those who will purchase from February 22-28 will get a backpack and Bluetooth speaker with their purchase.
