Since its re-entry into the Middle East, Honor has steadily become the go-to brand for the latest in technology. The key to this growth has been the brand’s appetite to innovate, delivering both affordable and premium devices with unique and industry-leading technology.
An aggressive first half-year, marked by the launch of the X series catering to the new-gen requirement of vlogging and the Magic series, has helped Honor increase its market share by 70 per cent in the Middle East and Africa, says Mafeijian (House), Country manager of Honor GCC. Honor Magic Vs, the gapless smartphone with hinge technology, the company’s first foldable smartphone in the region, has also piqued the interest of many.
“The exceptional sales of Honor X9a and our flagship Honor Magic Series have significantly contributed to this growth in market share,” he explains. “In the first quarter of 2023, Honor experienced a remarkable annual shipment growth of 500 per cent in the Middle East and Africa, indicating our increasing market share. In addition, our year-on-year shipment in the first half increased by 388 per cent, which indicates our great success in the Middle East.”
Honor thrives on its ability to provide cutting-edge features with a premium look and feel at an affordable price, thereby growing its market share of smartphones in the price range of Dh1,500-Dh2,000 to 10 per cent. Every device that it has launched has aimed to address specific pain points for its consumers without sacrificing fundamental requirements like 5G, which is present on 80 per cent of all Honor smartphones today.
Cutting-edge features with AI at its core
Quick to realise AI as the future of smartphone technology, Honor has spent years in research and development. Both Magic5 Pro and Honor 90 come with AI features such as AI Motion Sensing and AI Vlog Master respectively. GPU Turbo was introduced for better graphics when gaming; Link Turbo improved connectivity by intelligently switching between LTE and WiFi or even combining both if the need arises; and the Falcon Camera System working in conjunction with the Honor Image Engine technology made capturing high-quality images easy.
“In 2022, we debuted platform-level AI,” says House. “It made GPU Turbo, Link Turbo and our Falcon Camera System possible. We also introduced AI Motion sensing and AI Vlog master, which revolutionised photography and videography on a smartphone.”
Along with featuring latest technologies that improve the performance of devices, Honor has been focusing on improving the customer experience, putting their health first. For example, Honor 90’s 6.7-inch AMOLED quad-curved floating display is equipped with industry-leading Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Dimming technology, Dynamic Dimming and circadian rhythm. These three are game-changing features especially because of the amount of time we spend in front of our smartphone screens these days. PWM lets you experience a more comfortable, flicker-free viewing experience even at lower display brightness levels and Dynamic Dimming subtly adjusts display brightness for less strain on the eyes. Couple that with circadian rhythm, which reduces the amount of blue light emitted from the panel and you find a package of features that is hard to beat.
What does the future hold?
On the back of a strong first and second quarter, Honor plans to launch the Honor X9b smartphone and Honor Watch 4 in the months leading up to the end of the year. In parallel, its pursuit to further leverage AI on smartphones will continue. “Today, we can see the new opportunities and challenges that the development of AI presents,” House says. “We also pay close attention to the relationship between people and technology. As for our next step, Honor will be the first in the industry to bring large AI language models to devices.”
