Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025: 30-second review
The Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025 is a direct update to last year’s impressive MagicBook Art 14 2024, and as you would expect, it boosts almost every aspect of the specifications and performance.
The new model is just as slim and light; however, the performance takes a huge leap forward. When it comes to the performance, it’s worth noting that the “Art” is more in the name rather than indicating a creative focus for its use.
The ultrabook’s slimline profile and weight are key features, which meant that throughout the review period I was able to take it comfortably with me without it adding too much weight or bulk; an additional kilo really doesn’t feel like a great deal in a backpack.
There’s also the build quality to consider, which once again feels good and robust. The main chassis is made from aerospace-engineered magnesium alloy, while the keyboard utilises titanium. The ceramic-style surface also gives the machine one of the best aesthetic finishes I have seen, especially with the way it reflects the light.
Away from the build and style of the machine, the performance is equally impressive. Although the “Art” label is once again a little confusing, this really refers to the art of the machine rather than it being aimed at the creative market, such as the ASUS ProArt series.
This laptop is aimed at those looking for a high-end office, lifestyle or general machine that looks great and has a decent amount of power to match.
Through the benchmark and real-world tests, the high-level performance became apparent, and there was no doubt about just how good the new Intel Core Ultra CPUs are. Microsoft Office apps ran quickly, with the high-resolution display affording greater screen real estate for spreadsheets and Word documents. Likewise, utilising cloud-based office applications proved strong with a stable internet connection.
Used for general office work, the machine is exemplary, keeping up with demands placed on it as well as enabling superb audio for media playback. The integrated Arc graphics handled all day-to-day tasks with ease, although it did start to struggle under more intensive tasks such as video production and gaming.
However, as an office-focused machine that’s slimline, lightweight and looks great, there is little to fault in one of the best ultrabooks (and best-looking) on the market.
HONOR MagicBook Art 14 2025: Price & availability
- How much does it cost? $950 / £950
- When is it out? Available soon
- Where can you get it? Widely available
The Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025 will be available soon with several different iterations. No US pricing is available yet, but in the UK, it’s retailing for £1499.99.
You can check it out on Honor’s official site by clicking here.
Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025: Design
Specifications
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 225H / Ultra 7 255H
Graphics: Intel Arc Graphics 140T (integrated)
RAM: 32 GB LPDDR5x
Storage: 1 TB or 2 TB SSD
Left Ports: Webcam dock, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Thunderbolt 4
Right Ports: USB‑A 3.2, HDMI 2.1, 3.5 mm audio
Connectivity: Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Audio: 6-speaker setup, DTS spatial audio
Camera: 1080p removable magnetic webcam
Size: 316.8 × 223.6 × 11.3 mm
Weight: 1.03 kg
OS installed: Windows 11 Home
Accessories: USB-C charger, cable, webcam, documentation
The quality of the build, style, design and materials really do stand out. Like the previous version that offered an attractive matte green surface, my review sample of the Art 2025 features a white ceramic finish that accents colours in different environments. It’s instantly striking, sometimes looking like a flat colour and other times as though there’s a gradient.
The size and weight of ultrabooks are always important factors, and here the machine measures 316.77 x 223.63mm x 11.5mm and weighs approximately 1.03kg, much the same as the previous version. Once again, the chassis is made from aerospace-grade magnesium alloy with a triangular topology that helps provide the strength of the design. Titanium alloy is used for the keyboard, and there’s an aluminium alloy fan inside, helping to keep the components cool while also keeping the weight down.
Around the edges of the machine, there’s a small but good selection of ports including USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, USB4/Thunderbolt 4, USB-A 3.0, HDMI 2.1 and 3.5mm audio jack.
The screen is one of the big features of this machine. At 14.6 inches with a resolution of 3120×2080, it’s also a touchscreen and offers a massive 1600 nits of brightness, making it a great solution for use at a café or other outdoor venue.
While the laptop isn’t designed for creative use, it still offers decent colour accuracy with 100% DCI-P3, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 60/120Hz refresh rate.
Another feature I liked in the previous model that once again appears here is the removable webcam. This inserts into the side of the laptop and can be removed and popped on top as required. This means there’s no break in the screen or thick bezel to house the camera, it’s a great solution and one that obviously increases security as well.
On biometrics, the laptop features a dedicated fingerprint recognition key in the top right of the keyboard, enabling fast access when needed.
Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025: Features
Delving into the features of this ultrabook, there’s a little bit more to this machine than most. Firstly, there’s the ultra-slim design that houses the Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 255H and integrated Intel Arc 140T GPU. The machine is available in a series of configurations depending on your needs, with the review sample featuring a 1TB SSD and 32GB of LPDDR5x 8400MT/s.
One of the fetaures that I liked when I reviewed the precious version was the small detachable magnetic webcam. While the quality is relatively low at 2.1MP and a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080, this is more than enough for most conference calls. What I do like is that it can also be placed to face forward or backwards.
The screen is superb and fully touchscreen, and the hinge has been designed to enable easy one-hand opening and offers a good range of movement, although it won’t lie fully flat.
In use, complementing the screen are the six small DTS audio speakers that give good depth of sound in line with other premium laptops.
Despite the sleek design, the keyboard and touchpad are full-sized, with only the up and down cursor key half sized. The touchpad is also large and responsive, with several preset gestures for volume, brightness, screenshots and more.
Alongside the impressive array of features, there’s enough processing potential to take the workflow beyond spreadsheets. As this machine offers the latest AI-enabled CPU, it can handle more than most machines of this size. HONOR has ensured the internal cooling can cope and it stays impressively quite at just 3dB.
Overall, when it comes to features, from aesthetics, build materials to ports and connectivity, this is a machine clearly focused on those looking for a premium work laptop with plenty of power.
Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025: Performance
CrystalDiskMark Read: 7114.89MB/s
CrystalDiskMark Write: 6352.79MB/s
Geekbench CPU Multi: 2659
Geekbench CPU Single: 13615
Geekbench GPU: 32073
PCMark Overall: 5752
Cinebench CPU Multi: 14375
Cinebench CPU Single: 1970
Fire Strike Overall: 8436
Fire Strike Graphics: 9128
Fire Strike Physics: 27605
Fire Strike Combined: 3233
Time Spy Overall: 4323
Time Spy Graphics: 3933
Time Spy CPU: 9884
Wild Life Overall: 25169
Steel Nomad Overall: 839
Windows Experience Overall: 8.4
From the outset, the MagicBook Art 14 2025 impressed, especially with Windows 11 Home edition installed as standard. Opening apps and general use felt fast and responsive, and the quality of the screen and touchscreen responsiveness stood out.
One aspect that impressed me was the power of the small speakers, that despite the slim chassis, they delivered a decent depth of sound.
Opening large spreadsheets, I found that the increased resolution enabled easier viewing of more content than expected from a laptop this size. The screen throughout is a strong feature, with the 1600 nits maximum brightness allowing it to be seen in most situations, even outside a café. However, as is common with office-focused machines, the reflective surface did reduce visibility in bright environments.
For office and Windows-based tasks, including web browsing and multimedia playback, this machine performs as well as any I’ve used. This was reflected in a Windows Experience score of 8.4, one of the highest I’ve recorded.
RAM and storage are well balanced, and during testing, the machine easily handled switching between multiple apps. When using CapCut to edit a quick video, the speed of the SSD really stood out. While it doesn’t quite reach PCIe 5.0 speeds, with read speeds of 7114MB/s and write speeds of 6352.79MB/s, it is still one of the fastest laptop SSDs I’ve used, this also means it boots up exceptionally fast.
As I started to push the system further, the CPU performance boost became clear. The Cinebench Multi result of 14375 showed that CapCut, Lightroom and Photoshop were all handled easily. Even with multiple layers and high-resolution images from the Canon EOS R5 C, performance remained good. However, storage became an issue, and I needed an external SSD. Fortunately, the Thunderbolt 4 port enables ultrafast SSDs, such as the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5, to be connected.
Impressed by the image enhancement, I moved on to video editing. iPhone 15 Pro 4K footage was handled well in CapCut, allowing fast social media edits with some complexity. However, switching to Log3 footage from a Sony A7 IV pushed the machine to its limits, and performance began to falter.
Having reached the limits for work, I tested a few games. I was initially surprised that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle loaded, but while initially playable, there were plenty of dropped frames and frequent crashes. Other newer titles also struggled, though I did manage a round of DiRT Rally.
When pushed, the fans do kick in, but they remain well-balanced and quiet.
The final note is on the 60W battery, which provided around 4 to 6 hours during multimedia, office and light creative work. For pure office use, I’d expect closer to the quoted 10 hours. Gaming would naturally yield much less.
HONOR MagicBook Art 14 2025: Final verdict
The Honor MagicBook Art 14 2025 is an impressive ultrabook that will suit anyone looking for a powerful, premium machine for office and general use.
The aesthetics are stunning, and I think that this is one of the best-looking ultrabooks available, with a slimline design and lightweight build that means it will easily slip into a backpack or laptop bag without adding much bulk.
In the office or on the move, there are plenty of connectivity options, and while there’s no network port, Wi-Fi speed and signal strength proved impressive during testing.
In use, the screen really impressed with its large, bright, crisp display and touchscreen functionality. I just wish it would fold flat or, better yet, fold over to be used as a straight tablet.
The power for most tasks is impressive. As long as you don’t plan on playing the latest games or editing high-bitrate, high-resolution video, it can handle most creative applications. When it comes to Windows and Microsoft Office, this laptop handles everything with ease with the best Windows Experience score I’ve seen which was ultimately reflected in the real world use.
If you’re after a premium ultrabook, the MagicBook Art 14 2025 is a great option.
Should I buy a HONOR MagicBook Art 14 2025?
|
Value |
A premium laptop with a price and build quality to match |
4 |
|
Design |
The materials ensure that the laptop remains lightweight and strong, with one of the nicest finishes I’ve seen |
5 |
|
Features |
A strong set of features for a powerful laptop for general use, while remaining compact |
5 |
|
Performance |
Keeping in mind this is a high-performance office machine, it supplies power where needed |
4.5 |
|
Overalls |
Outstanding machine for office and general use with a great look and premium feel |
4.5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
For more professional picks, we’ve reviewed the best business computers and best business laptops around.
