Honor has made several new announcements at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona. The company launched the Honor Magic 6 series and foldable Honor Magic V2 lineup in international markets and showcased its on-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities. The Chinese smartphone maker also revealed that it is working on a clamshell-style flip phone that will be launched later this year, and it is looking to further expand its portfolio through a smart ring that it is also working on. It is going on.
In an interview with CNBC at the event, Honor CEO George Zhao was asked if a flip phone is also in the works after the smartphone maker globally debuted the folding Honor Magic V2 series. In response, Zhao said, “This year we are preparing for the flip phone launch – we are now in the final stages internally.” He also emphasized that the company is confident about the future of foldable handsets and wants to invest in it. “I believe this will create some market gap for new vendors to enter or expand into the flip segment and test the market,” he said.
Details about an Honor smartphone with a horizontal hinge and clamshell design have been circulating since August last year. A report suggests that the phone may be called Honor Magic V Flip, but not much has been revealed in terms of specifications. Tipster Digital Chat Station (via GSMArena) claimed that the smartphone could have a 4,500mAh battery, making it the largest battery capacity on a flip phone. Currently, the Oppo Find N3 Flip with a 4,300mAh battery is at the top.
Zhao also teased in the interview that the company is working on a smart ring. “Internally, we have a solution like this, we’re working on that part now, so you can have an Honor Ring in the future,” he said. The Honor Ring may be what is called a wearable. The timing of the information was also interesting as it came just a few days after the Samsung Galaxy Ring was first officially showcased at MWC.
However, Honor is considering an AI-enabled health-centric device with the Honor Ring. Explaining the company’s approach with the smart ring, the CEO said the wearable will be paired with AI-enabled apps that will offer professional training courses based on habits and health data tracked by the device. “I think AI will transform these types of applications,” he said.
