Honor is set to break new ground with its foray into two additional product categories alongside mainstream smartphones. In an exclusive interview with CNBC at the Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, George Zhao, CEO of Honor, revealed the company’s plans to introduce a vertical-folding style smartphone, likely named Honor Magic Flip, alongside a smart ring. This move signifies Honor’s ambition to challenge established players in the product category like Samsung.

Honor’s upcoming flip phone with some AI-powered functions

Honor
Honor Magic V2

The upcoming flip phone represents Honor’s foray into the flip foldable category, a style popularized by brands such as Samsung and Motorola. Zhao expressed confidence in the potential of foldable devices, highlighting the company’s positive outlook for the future. While Honor already boasts a range of foldable phones, including the Honor Magic V2, these devices come with a book-style form factor and are generally more expensive.

At the heart of Honor’s strategy lies the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into its devices. Zhao emphasized the importance of AI in enhancing user interaction and experience. By leveraging AI capabilities, Honor aims to anticipate user needs and preferences, exemplified by features such as predictive actions based on user behavior. At MWC, the company showcased AI-powered functionalities, including eye-tracking technology on the Honor Magic 6 Pro handset and a chatbot built on Meta’s Llama 2 AI model.

Although not much about hardware specifications is known at this point, some earlier reports suggested that this vertical folding device could pack a 2,420mAh + 1,980mAh dual-cell battery, offering a total capacity of 4,500mAh. If true, this device will have the biggest battery among flip phones.

A smart ring from Honor that aims to utilize AI in health monitoring

In addition to its advancements in smartphones, Honor is expanding its product portfolio to include smart rings in its wearables. The company unveiled its first smart ring at MWC 2024, a move following Samsung’s debut of the Galaxy Ring. Zhao hinted at the potential synergy between its wearables and smartphones through its health app, envisioning seamless health monitoring facilitated by AI.

The incorporation of AI into health-focused devices opens avenues for personalized health insights and recommendations. Zhao underscored AI’s transformative potential in revolutionizing health applications, envisioning tailored training programs based on individual habits and health data. With the smart ring, Honor aims to empower users with actionable insights derived from AI-driven analysis, complementing its existing lineup of wearables and smartphones.

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