Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has just released a new laptop that’s positioned to challenge Apple’s expected 16-inch MacBook Pro, and it has a 16.1-inch display of its own in an Ultrabook form-factor, Gizmochina reports.
The new Honor MagicBook Pro has all the trappings of an Ultrabook, including some of the latest trends in screen design. Honor has reduced the screen bezels on either side of the display to just 4.9mm. This let’s it fit a 16.1-inch display into a laptop with a form factor closer to that of a 15.6-inch laptop. And, it’s weight stays trim, too, at about 3.75 pounds (1.7 kg).
Already, that’s shaping up nicely as an Ultrabook. The weight puts it in below the 15-inch 2018 MacBook Pro while also delivering more screen space. And, with 100% coverage of the sRGB color space, it’s suited for professional work in web design.
Internal specs may make the difference
On the lower end of the MacBook Pro lineup, the Honor MagicBook Pro could be a real contender. That’s because beyond the screen size and Ultrabook form factor, it’s not the beastliest machine.
The two detailed models pack 8th-Generation Intel Core i5 and i7 U series processors. In other words, they have lower-power CPUs that offer solid performance balanced with efficiency, not the blistering speeds some may want in a professional machine. And, there’s only 8GB of memory (RAM) for now, though a 16GB model has also been announced. The MagicBook Pro does include an Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics processor (GPU), which can improve graphical performance slightly.
Those specs won’t compare tot he higher-power processors and GPUs that are likely to show up in a larger MacBook Pro. But, for lighter users, they won’t need to. The MagicBook Pro appears to have plenty to challenge lower-end configurations of any potential MacBook Pro updates, and it will likely compete strongly on price.
While no international release information has been announced, the starting prices for the MagicBook Pro in China are low. The Core i5 model starts at 5,499 Yuan (about $800, £640, AU$1,145), and the Core i7 model starts at 6,199 Yuan (about $900, £720, AU$1,290).
So, anyone on the market for a MacBook Pro-like product that also has a big screen, Ultrabook design, and a low price may want to keep their eyes out for an international release of the MagicBook Pro.