When I first saw the advertisement for the Persona Mybook 14i, it piqued my interest. A sub-PHP 25,000 laptop running Intel’s Core-i3 and Windows was a good deal, I thought. As a new brand in the market, I wanted to try out the laptop and see how well it performs.
Design: 4/5
The Mybook 14i is a 14-inch laptop that strongly resembles the Macbook. Just change the logo from Persona to an Apple logo and you’ll barely be able to tell the difference at first glance. The 14-inch display is not a retina display; instead, it is a Full HD LCD screen. It is not very color accurate but it is surprisingly bright.
The Mybook Persona 14i is not lacking in the I/O department. On the left are the power input, a USB 2.0 Type-A port, and the headphone jack. On the right are a USB 3.0 Type-A port, an HDMI port, a USB Type-C port, and a micro SD card reader.
Hardware: 3.5/5
The Mybook14i runs on an Intel Core i3-5005U. While the processor may be a bit dated, it still performed great especially paired with the 64 GB SSD and 1 TB HDD. The laptop also has 4 GB of RAM which is soldered on so don’t expect any expandability. The keyboard is backlit, which is great for working in the dark.
The trackpad is also decent, carrying Windows precision drivers. What impressed me is the included fingerprint scanner on the trackpad. It is decent, but suffers from the occasional misreads.
User Experience: 4/5
The Persona Mybook 14i couldn’t have come at a better time in the office. I was about to go on a media drive in Siquijor and dreaded bringing my personal 17-inch laptop. Thankfully, this laptop is so portable. I didn’t even need to bring a laptop bag, opting instead for a laptop sleeve to keep my baggage light.
Since I’m a writer, I really don’t need much from a laptop. Just the usual Microsoft Office and web browser and I’m off. Despite running on a dated processor, the laptop still performed fast thanks to the SSD and HDD pairing. Battery life is fairly decent too, lasting a day with on and off use, and a full five hours of continuous use.
With the FHD Panel, I found the laptop to be great even when used outdoors. The laptop was also great for media consumption, and I found myself binging on Netflix and Twitch on this device.
One thing that I didn’t like are speakers, which are built underneath the laptop so it sounds muddy when used. I suggest that you use headphones when watching Netflix on this laptop.
Also, you won’t be able to play games with this laptop since it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card. I tried playing CS: GO and got an average of 6- 12 fps which is not a greatest experience.
Overall, this laptop isn’t for everybody but it is great for someone who needs a cheap laptop or a secondary computer for working on-the-go.
Value: 5/5
The Persona Mybook 14i has a price tag of PHP 22,990 and with that price, I’d say this laptop is something to consider for students and other light users.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- CPU: Intel Core i3-5005U
- Display: 14-inch FHD LCD
- Memory: 4 GB
- Storage: 1TB HDD, 64 GB SSD (for Windows files)
- Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth
- Ports: Power input, 2x USB Type-A, 1x USB Type-C. HDMI, MicroUSB card Reader
What’s Hot:
- Great performance
- Good battery life
- Fingerprint reader
- Portable
What’s Not:
- Dated processor
- No GPU
- Bad built-in speakers
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE November 2019 Issue
Reviewed by Gabriel Pe