Honor has taken a significant step into the future of smartphone technology by unveiling its flagship Magic 6 Pro at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Approximately six weeks after its initial release in China, Honor announced the global release of the Magic 6 Pro at MWC.
Additionally, the company revealed pricing details for the exclusive Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 RSR, a special edition of the Magic V2 foldable phone with enhanced specifications and a design inspired by the renowned German automobile manufacturer.
The Magic 6 Pro, priced at around US$1,407 and featuring 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, will hit markets from March 1st. Meanwhile, the Porsche Design Magic V2 RSR, equipped with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, will retail at around US$2,625 and be available from March 18th. These products are expected to be accessible in European regions, although availability in the US market remains uncertain.
Already available in China, Honor is actively working towards integrating this tool in international markets. In anticipation of the annual MWC in Barcelona, starting February 26th, tech and telecom companies are releasing new products and features, banking on the current interest in generative AI to boost business prospects.
In the realm of smartphone manufacturing, there is hope that the growing fascination with AI technology will rejuvenate the somewhat stagnant smartphone market. However, experts caution that the emergence of generative AI could raise legal and ethical issues.
Competing with giants like Apple and Oppo in China’s smartphone arena, Honor aims to incorporate the advanced LlaMA 2 large language model (LLM), akin to ChatGPT, into its global phone offerings.
In 2024, AI-powered capabilities form a significant part of Honor’s offering for the Magic 6 Pro. The company intends to support the AI-based eye-tracking feature, initially previewed at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit last year.
According to Honor, this feature will detect when users view notifications on the phone’s Dynamic Island-style interface (termed the “Magic Capsule” by Honor) and automatically open the corresponding app without needing physical interaction.
Other AI-driven functionalities include the “Magic Portal,” designed to identify mentions of events or addresses in messages, automatically linking them to suitable maps or calendar applications.
Furthermore, Honor is developing an AI tool capable of creating videos from photos using text prompts, processed on the device through its MagicLM technology. This innovation underscores the company’s affinity for its “Magic” branding.
Beyond AI, the Magic 6 Pro stands as a conventional flagship phone, powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and boasting a substantial 5,600mAh battery. It supports rapid charging of up to 80W wirelessly via cable and 66W. The phone features a 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED display, offering a resolution of 2800 x 1280 and a peak brightness of 5,000 nits.
The rear of the phone houses a trio of cameras within a large circular bump, including a primary 50-megapixel camera with a variable aperture, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 180-megapixel periscope camera with a 2.5x optical zoom. The device also boasts an IP68 rating, offering the highest dust and water resistance level in mainstream phones.
The Porsche Design edition of the Honor 6 Pro features a camera bump reminiscent of the German sports car, offers 1TB of storage, enhanced durability for its external display, and includes a stylus. Another Porsche-themed edition of the Magic 6 is slated for release in March, although its design details have yet to be shared.
Both versions of the Magic V2 share a slim and lightweight design, measuring just 9.9mm thick when folded and weighing 234 grams, partly due to their titanium hinge. They also share the same camera setup, including a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 20-megapixel telephoto camera. However, the Porsche edition operates on last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a consequence of the Magic V2’s initial launch in China back in July 2023.
As of 2023, data from the International Data Corporation shows that Apple held a 17.3% market share in China, closely followed by Honor with 17.1%.
Honor is also launching the new MagicBook Pro 16 laptop, featuring an AI tool that allows users to seamlessly transfer applications, such as messaging apps, between devices, such as from an Android smartphone to a Windows PC, with a simple drag-and-drop action.
In a recent statement, George Zhao, the CEO of Honor, expressed a firm belief in the transformative impact of collaborative synergy, particularly in the age of AI.
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