Honor is giving a lucky few users an early peek at its next big software update, and from the looks of it, they’re going all-in on visuals. The MagicOS 11 brings a beautiful full-screen transparent design, headlined by something called “Liquid Glass”, which Honor claims is the first of its kind on Android.

Built on Android 17, this update is a big visual refresh. The Liquid Glass effect spreads translucent, glass-like visuals across the entire system: notification shade, settings, animations, navigation, you name it. It plays with light, depth, reflections, and fluid movements that react to how you touch the screen and even your environment’s lighting. Honor has shared some demo videos, and the effect looks impressively smooth and almost liquid-like, with tons of options to customize themes, icons, and layouts.

Right now, this is a limited beta. Honor is recruiting a small group of enthusiasts and developers to test it and give feedback. The eligible phones for this first wave are the Honor Magic 8, Magic 8 Pro, Magic 8 Pro Air, and Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design.

If you have one of those devices and want to try it, open the Honor app, go to Clubs > MagicOS section, and look for the “MagicOS 11 Liquid Glass Beta Version Pioneer Recruitment.” You’ll fill out a short questionnaire, and if selected, you’ll get the update.

Keep in mind this is early beta software, so expect possible bugs, performance hiccups, extra battery drain, or overheating, all the usual pre-release quirks. Honor says they’ll roll it out to more devices in later waves.

Beyond the flashy new look, the update also includes more AI-powered features. It’s clear Honor wants to push a more premium, intuitive, and visually rich experience.

In a world where phone makers are competing hard on software design, MagicOS 11’s system-wide transparent effects feel like a bold move. It’ll be interesting to see how it stacks up once it matures.

For now, only select users in China with the latest Magic 8 flagships can get their hands on it. Global rollout details and the full feature list are still to come, but this early look suggests Honor is aiming to make the interface feel fresh and modern again.

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