Honor, under the leadership of its CEO, George Zhao, continues to announce new products and services. After launching the Magic 6 Pro in Europe and presenting its artificial intelligence functions, the Chinese firm reserved for CNBC the premiere of its Flip format smartphone project, in a strategic move aimed at competing with giants such as Samsung. This announcement comes in a context where the folding smartphone market is experiencing sustained growth, with an expected increase of 40% in 2024, according to estimates from Counterpoint Research.
George Zhao, boss of Honor, unveiled the Porsche edition of his Magic V2 on the sidelines of MWC 2024 © Honor
During this interview, George Zhao expressed his confidence in the expansion of folding smartphones, specifying that this new model would be presented in the very near future; This comes as little surprise, to the extent that this same interlocutor had confirmed to us the development of a Flip-type smartphone during the summer of 2024. The brand had already made a strong impression with its Magic V2, which we were recently able to test. For the moment, no information has leaked concerning the price or the technical sheet of this “flip phone”, but the ambition clearly seems to attack Samsung on its own ground, which has ceded its place as leader in sales of smartphones to Apple in 2023. It should also be remembered that Chinese brands (ZTE, Tecno, etc.) are also increasing the number of announcements of terminals of this type, even if they are little visible from Europe, where they are not marketed.
Honor in the Ring
Honor also plans, like the Apple brand, to launch its own connected ring, while the South Korean giant has just unveiled the design of its Galaxy Ring at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, after having teased launching in January. Although the characteristics of this connected ring are not official, George Zhao suggests that Honor will focus on monitoring physical activity and health, with extensive integration of artificial intelligence, in a desire to offer a fully connected ecosystem thanks to AI. As Honor’s ring is still in the planning stage, the brand will not risk revealing its official presentation date.
A busy start to the year for the Chinese firm which, although it occupies first place in its domestic market, is seeking to develop internationally and is aiming for a 10% market share in France.