Not only is the HONOR MagicBook Art 14 thinner AND lighter than Apple’s latest MacBook Air, it happens to have more ports, thinner bezels, and a higher screen-to-body ratio. However, the most impressive part about the entire laptop is the visible lack of a notch in the screen, like the one on Apple’s MacBook series. Honor’s solution is equal parts bizarre and clever – a magnetic snap-on camera accessory that docks inside the laptop when you’re not using it.
This rather innovative camera accessory measures a few millimeters and fits right inside the laptop’s body when not in use. However, when you need to attend a video call, the camera module pops right out of the side of the laptop, and magnetically attaches to the top of the laptop screen. The solution circumvents Apple’s notch problem, while also giving you a convenient privacy filter – you can simply pull the camera off to disconnect it.
The MagicBook Art 14’s camera outputs 1080p videos, and uses a powerful set of magnets to automatically connect either to its docking point on the side of the laptop, or the connection hub on the top of the screen. The super-slim camera module doesn’t sport a battery, which means it automatically powers down if disconnected. Pogo-pins on the camera’s base let you instantly connect the module to your laptop. No software, no drivers, no Bluetooth, no configuring… nothing. Snap on, and the camera starts working… snap off, and it is physically disconnected. The only caveat is that you do stand a chance of potentially losing the webcam if you aren’t careful. Honor doesn’t mention if the webcam module is available separately (just in case you lose yours), but it does have incredibly strong magnets, so when it’s attached, you can rest assured that it won’t accidentally fall off.
The snap-to-connect camera feels so simple and intuitive that it makes USB webcams look sluggish. The camera has the form factor of a tiny thumb drive, and includes the camera itself, the pogo-pin connectors, the powerful rare-earth magnets, and a tiny light that glows when the camera’s connected. A notification displays on the laptop screen to tell you whether the camera’s paired properly or not. It’ll even let you know if the camera is stowed in the side of the laptop.
The coolest part, however, is that the camera is reversible – another feature that allows the MagicBook Art 14 to stand out against the MacBook or any other laptop. Flip the camera over and dock it facing the other way, and you have a front-facing camera, perfect for presentations. You can literally flip the camera in the middle of a meeting and the video automatically flips over.
Flip the camera 180 degrees for front-facing video.
The HONOR MagicBook Art 14 is thinner AND lighter than the MacBook Air, while still boasting a larger 14-inch screen. Honor’s CEO pointed out that despite this, it also has a USB-A and HDMI port apart from 2 USB-C ports, outpacing the MacBook Air even in port quantity. The MagicBook Air 14 was announced at IFA 2024, although there’s no official word on price yet.
