Honor launched computers some time ago to expand its product line. However, with the various concerns that the brand is experiencing about Android and Google’s services, the manufacturer has decided to step up the pace by offering more laptops at attractive prices. After launching its 14 and 15-inch MagicBooks, the manufacturer is now launching a 16.1-inch model.
Usually, when we talked about Acer before, we talked about a brand of relatively classic computers, not necessarily very high-end and sometimes even a little too entry-level. However, this is no longer the case; Acer is a brand that innovates and takes up challenges. The new challenge that the brand has taken up now is that of the thinnest PC in the world! Suffice to say that the brand has changed a lot and now offers us quality equipment and innovation clearly at the rendezvous. But what is this Acer Swift 7 really worth?
Let’s compare the two popular brands Honor MagicBook Pro vs Acer Swift 7.
General Info
| Honor MagicBook Pro | Acer Swift 7 | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | Honour | Acer |
| Model | Magicbook Pro | Swift 7 |
| Weight | 1.7 kg | 1.13 kg |
| OS | Windows 10 Home | Windows 10 Home |
| Display | LED FHD | LCD |
| Dimensions | 16.1 inch | 13.5 inch |
| Type | Ultrabook | Ultrabook |
Design
Honor MagicBook Pro
No need to wonder where the inspiration is found here. However, the Honor MagicBook doesn’t sport the quality of a MacBook Pro. No aluminum to act as a carcass, no XXL trackpad or premium look at a first impression. Finally, the premium aspect is there, but when you take the MagicBook Pro in your hands, you do not feel the robust and qualitative side of a MacBook Pro. No worries, however, the PC is still sold at half the price!
If everything is not perfectly adjusted and totally unibody, like the speakers that stick out and are not embedded in the shell, nothing is too serious here. Because of the price charged for this laptop PC, we can not ask for the quality of an Apple computer, an expert in the field for many years. We are therefore satisfied with what we have, and we are content with it very well.
The keyboard is nice, and the fairly large keys with short travel are a real plus. We note a space bar a little noisier than the other keys, but we’ll talk about it again. The trackpad is a regular size model.
A very positive point, however, is the pads located below the computer. These are quite high and make it possible not to scratch the underside of the MagicBook Pro in case of problems or of dirt lying on your desk; this is a positive point. Likewise, the cooling system expels the air from below and through air vents located opposite the screen’s hinge.
Acer Swift 7
When unpacking the computer, you can see from the thickness of the box that it will certainly be quite thin. Indeed, Acer does not hesitate to praise its Swift 7 as the thinnest PC in the world. Come on, let’s stop the suspense; this is a super-slim laptop. Once opened, it is even thinner than my iPhone 11 Pro Max!
No, just because it’s an ultra-thin laptop doesn’t mean it looks like Apple’s late 12-inch MacBook. Indeed, the production of the latter has been stopped (and so much the better). We notice edges that give even more the impression of finesse; here, we have a sober and elegant design, but not aluminum like a Mac. It’s a shame; it would have given an even better qualitative aspect to this Swift 7. Besides the aesthetic appearance, it would have given it greater solidity, especially when typing text on the keyboard.
Apart from all these small details, we have a clearly successful design and a computer that maximizes space.
Now let’s talk about the annoying things, namely the keyboard. Far from being bad, the latter is not up to all our expectations on a specific point. Comfortable for entering text, it remains a little less intuitive than on an MSI PS63 or a 2019 MacBook Pro, but it is quite honorable.
Display
| Display Type | LED FHD | LCD |
| Display Size | 16.1 inch | Gaming |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | 13:3 |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Touch Screen | No | No |
| Refresh Rate | – | 60 Hz |
| Dimension | 369 x 234 x 16.9 mm | 324 x 229 x 9.98 mm |
Honor MagicBook Pro
We are fortunate to have a matte screen, unlike what can be found on some premium and high-end laptops. So this is an excellent point that we can note. This will prevent glare from the lights behind you, glare from the sun, and the like. However, the rendering is far from exceptional. It’s just good, but we would have appreciated having it a little better for a “Pro” version of the MagicBook.
The screen is of a classic definition; it’s 1920 x 1080 pixels, Full HD, we asked for no more and no less. This resolution is sufficient for a laptop with a 16-inch screen, although we wouldn’t have been against having a few more pixels. Here, the pixel density is 137 DPI, which is not bad for a laptop. We are lucky to have a screen with fairly wide viewing angles of 170 °. Even though it uses IPS technology, this display is not the best that we have had in front of our eyes.
It is possible to adjust the color temperature via a menu integrated by Honor in the PC when you right-click on the desktop. If desired, we can add an eye comfort mode to yellow the screen a little and reduce the blue light. However, the latter is not configurable in terms of schedules. Too bad. It is also possible to change the color temperature. We advise you to leave it by default.
The Honor MagicBook Pro offers us 300 nits in terms of brightness, which doesn’t seem very high compared to their smartphones. However, the brightness of a laptop PC is always lower. This brightness allows you to see very well in the middle of the day, and yet, we did not raise it to the max to write this test.
Here no 144 Hz, it is a classic 60 Hz screen that is sufficient for its use, namely office software, some professional software, Facebook, your emails but certainly no gourmet video games. Unless you want to take advantage of an experience, let’s say … mixed. You don’t have the Aorus 17X in front of you.
Acer Swift 7
The screen of the Acer Swift 7 has the advantage of being frankly beautiful! The colors are intense and beautiful; it feels like a limit on the latest MacBook Pro or even a little better. We find a Full HD screen that does the job very well and allows you to see as it should, without seeing the pixels.
A higher resolution screen would have been problematic for several reasons. First, it would have pumped to death on the battery, and second, on the processor. Already the CPU of this computer is not the most powerful in the world; let’s avoid pulling on it unnecessarily.
Two other points should be noted on this screen, and a third will result from it, and not the least. First, we note that the screen is borderless, with a few millimeters of edges on each side. It is very appreciated to optimize the size of the computer! We will also notice that the webcam is like on the Huawei MateBook X Pro, at the keyboard level, to be released manually. As long as there is no notch, all is well.
Second, the screen is a touchscreen! This is relatively rare on laptops, and when it is done, it is either very good or horrible. For once, we can not see that it is perfect. The touch responds very well and does not alter the quality of the screen; for once, we can be satisfied with its presence.
The third point that we can therefore note, is the smoothness of the screen! Usually, touch screens often sound thick except on ultrabooks, when they have one. Here, the screen is really super thin, almost as thin as a 12 inch MacBook, except that this one is tactile.
Performance
| Processor Name | AMD Ryzen 5 4600H | Intel Core i5-7Y54 7th Gen |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon | Intel HD 615 |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 | 8 GB DDR3 |
| Storage | 512 GB | 265 GB SSD |
| Optical Drive Type | No | No |
Honor MagicBook Pro
In terms of performance, here we find an AMD Ryzen 5 4600 processor. The latest generation of AMD processors on the Zen architecture has 6 cores and 12 threads. This choice is interesting because AMD is less expensive than its competitor Intel. So this allows Honor to offer you a cheaper laptop. Regarding the graphic part, however, we do not have the information. It’s a shame because we would have appreciated having more details than “AMD Radeon Graphics.” The graphics card is an AMD RX Vega 6 with 512 MB of dedicated DDR4 memory. Basically, it’s not exceptional, and other manufacturers are doing better.
However, where we can recognize that the PC is interesting is in the amount of RAM. Where for a similar performance/price ratio, few offer 16 GB of DDR4, Honor offers them well. The RAM is configured in dual-channel; it is 16 GB of DDR4 in CL20, which promises latencies, however a bit high. We will not go into more detail to stay in the whole of the laptop.
Regarding his performance, they are good. However, the more you pull on it, the faster you will melt the battery. However, it remains less powerful than the 2020 Acer Swift 5.
Acer Swift 7
Such a thin computer with an Intel Core i7 and 8 GB of RAM, it is a feat, you would say! We calm down right away. First, the processor is a downgraded version because we have an Intel Core i7 8500Y at 1.5 GHz. It is a version that has a reduced rate so as not to overheat.
We, therefore, have a 4-core processor with 4 MB of cache … Immediately, we can feel the Core i7 being pushed aside. All that for that, as much to put a Core i5… However, a higher version, even drastically lower in frequency and general performances, is more selling. We can also add that the Core i7s have hyperthreading, which allows having 2 cores and 4 threads. This is a good thing.
We’re not even halfway through what an iPhone 11 Pro Max can do at the processor level. However, considering the size of the screen and all the other components inside this PC, nothing really shocking. When it comes to storage, the SSD is fast and capable, which is a great point.
Multimedia
| Web-cam | Yes Pop up | Yes |
| Speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Audio | 3.5 mm | 3.5 mm Input 3.5 mm Output |
| Usd Slots | 3.2 x 3 | 3.1 x 2 USB C |
| Wireless Lan | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI | Yes | Yes |
| GPS | No | No |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 v | 5.0 v |
| Ethernet | No | No |
| Memory Slots | No | No |
In terms of connectivity, we have almost everything you need on this Honor MagicBook Pro. While Wi-Fi 6 is booming, boxes start to integrate, and routers like the Linksys Velop or Honor Router 3 offer it, the MagicBook Pro stops at Wi-Fi ac (Wi-Fi 5). Too bad.
Regarding the connection of the computer, however, it did not please us so much. There is a USB-C port for recharging the laptop, but the problem, this USB-C port is the only one on the PC! In 2020, while some brands only offer this connection, Honor only offers one port on a PC that has just been released. Certainly, the autonomy is good and will allow us to use USB-C for a while but still. At worst, you can still connect an adapter, but that’s still an external device to buy and connect.
Otherwise, we are delighted to find three USB-A ports (conventional USB) with a 3.5mm jack port and an HDMI port for the rest of the connection.
Acer Swift 7 with a compact chassis, it’s no wonder that the connections are the most minimalist. At least at first glance since the two Thunderbolt 3 ports, in addition to the load, allow connecting a wide variety of peripherals thanks to the appropriate cable. A headphone/microphone port completes the package.
Acer also provides a mini-dock with an HDMI port, USB Type-A, and a USB-C port that allows charging. A protective leather cover is also part of the game.
Battery
| Battery Type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Battery Capacity | 3 Cell | 2770 mAh |
| Battery Backup | 11 Hours | 9 Hours |
| Power | 65 W Fast Charging | 45 W |
When it comes to the Honor MagicBook Pro battery life, the manufacturer announces on its site 11 hours of battery life. However, writing the review of this MagicBook Pro and other products hold up very well. However, the only conditions are not to turn the screen brightness too high as well as the keyboard brightness. Although we will talk about the latter, it should not pump a lot on the battery.
Regarding recharging, it is carried out via the 65 Watts charger, which is supplied and in USB-C, via the only port present. The PC recharges in a little less than 2 hours, allowing having quite quickly an autonomy of more than 8 hours. We measured around 7.40 hours of battery life for this Honor MagicBook Pro in light use, though. However, this is satisfactory for a 16-inch large-format laptop, with a GPU and an AMD Ryzen 5 processor accompanied by 16 GB of RAM.
With its 2770 mAh battery, the Acer Swift 7 promises a good battery life of up to 12 hours. In reality, we can last ten hours or so in energy-saving mode and light use (word processing, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth cut…).
It is, however, quite honorable for a laptop so thin and so light; it must be said that the light performance components are there to help this perfect autonomy.
Conclusion!
Honor can develop in other markets. Here, in the laptop computer market, the brand achieves an almost flawless performance with a large format laptop, a beautiful screen, and excellent performance. We can only recommend this laptop to you!
This Acer Swift 7 is a perfect laptop for those who need portability and mobility while keeping optimal lightness. Its battery life is also excellent. However, the performance is not exceptional.
