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Honor, an offshoot of Huawei Technologies, has unveiled what it claims to be the thinnest foldable smartphone in the world, featuring artificial intelligence capabilities. The release is part of Honor’s strategy to penetrate the high-end market.
During a media briefing in Shenzhen following the product launch, Honor’s CEO George Zhao Ming stated that the slim design gives Honor a competitive edge in the expanding worldwide foldable smartphone market. This market includes both vertically opening clamshell models and booklet-style devices that unfold horizontally into tablets.
Fold, but don't settle. #HONORMagicV2, still light-years ahead in the galaxy of foldables. pic.twitter.com/sfygo8OQvo
— HONOR (@Honorglobal) July 10, 2024
“Industry players are all working quickly with AI partners on the cloud [computing services] side, but it’s on-device AI that will make a difference,” he told a press event on Friday, the South China Morning Post reported. “But it’s meaningless to pursue thinness for the sake of it,” Zhao said. “It’s more important to enhance and utilise the capabilities of a phone that is fully unfolded.”
Honor Magic V3 features and price
Honor introduced the 5G-capable Honor Magic V3, a book-type foldable smartphone with a thickness of just 9.2 millimeters when folded and a weight of 226 grams, making it slimmer than similar models from Samsung and Huawei.
Priced at 8,999 yuan (approximately US$1,238), this new device is competitive in the premium market. Meanwhile, the basic Magic Vs3 model starts at 6,999 yuan ($964), featuring a folded thickness of 9.8mm and a weight of 229 grams.
Honor also showcased its innovative use of AI for eye protection, simulating a defocus lens to help mitigate myopia or degenerative short-sightedness, and improve compatibility with video and reading apps. Other AI features include advanced motion-capture photography and smart photo album organization.
The foldable market
According to an IDC report, while Apple dominates China’s premium smartphone market, Android manufacturers view foldable handsets as pivotal for competing with the iPhone in the high-end segment.
These devices, particularly those with AI features, are expected to drive a 3.1 per cent increase in China’s smartphone shipments in 2024, reaching 279 million units. Last year, Honor held a 6 per cent share of the premium market in mainland China, ranking third, as per Canalys.
In a major market shift, Huawei also overtook Samsung as the leading global seller of foldable smartphones in the first quarter, despite severe U.S. sanctions effective since 2019. Huawei’s foldable smartphone sales surged by 257 per cent year-on-year, capturing 35 per cent of the global market, surpassing Samsung’s 23 per cent.
Featured image: Honor
