Summary
- Honor plans to release a foldable flip phone this year, competing against brands like Motorola and Samsung in global markets.
- The company aims to bring its global sales on par with the sales in China in the next few years, with hopes that new devices like this upcoming foldable flip phone will help achieve this goal.
- Honor is also working on a health-focused smart ring, the company’s CEO confirmed, though no additional details were provided.
Flip phones today are significantly different from what we used to see a decade or so ago. While the likes of Samsung and Motorola are ahead of the curve in terms of modern-day clamshell foldables, plenty of other manufacturers have since joined the fray. Chinese manufacturer Honor has now confirmed plans to launch a clamshell foldable of its own, with the company’s book-style foldable, the Magic V2, already making an impact with its thin form factor.
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Speaking to CNBC at the ongoing Mobile World Congress, Honor CEO George Zhao said the manufacturer intends to release a foldable flip phone this year, saying it’s currently in the “final stage” of internal testing. Zhao didn’t offer additional details on this device, though we will be curious to learn how much it will cost.
Fellow China-based manufacturer ZTE unveiled the Nubia Flip 5G at MWC this week, the company’s first foldable flip phone, featuring a $600 price tag in global markets. Meanwhile, the Motorola Razr is the closest thing that comes to a cheap foldable in the US, starting from $700. So if Honor decides to join the bandwagon, it will have to do so in the midst of some heavy competition, particularly in markets like Asia and Europe.
Despite being around for a few years in the global markets, Honor hasn’t quite made an impact across the world, though it enjoys a decent market share in China. Zhao expressed hope that Honor’s global sales can overtake its sales in China over the next three to five years. This clamshell foldable may have a big part to play in those plans.
Honor’s currently available Magic V2 foldable retails for upwards of $2000 in some European markets, but it’s likely the company will follow in the footsteps of Motorola, ZTE, and brands like Tecno by releasing a budget-friendly foldable flip phone. The executive didn’t reveal if the company would bring the new flip phone stateside, but we’re not getting our hopes up based on past history.
The Honor Magic 6 Pro
Much like any major smartphone manufacturer today, Honor spent a fair bit of time discussing how artificial intelligence will work on its current devices, demonstrating with the Honor Magic 6 Pro, which will soon pick up fancy features like AI-powered eye tracking. Meanwhile, Honor also showcased a Llama 2-based AI chatbot during the course of the event.
Not letting Samsung take all the attention from its recent Galaxy Ring announcement, the Honor CEO also told CNBC that the company is working on its own health-focused smart ring. Zhao didn’t say much about what this ring will bring to the table but confirmed that it’s being worked on internally. It’s still unclear if Honor will launch this smart ring this year or push its release to 2025. The company is on course to launch the aforementioned flip phone this year, though, so there’s something to look forward to.
