Highlights
Honor is all set to push its market share in the GCC, but more importantly, brand continues to push the boundaries of innovation and expand its ecosystem with a range of smart devices.
The recent unveiling of Honor 200 series in Dubai was a powerhouse performance of how the global technology company is shaping up for the future. This new lineup features Honor 200 and Honor 200 Pro and promises to redefine mobile technology with their cutting-edge AI-empowerment and sleek design.
The highlight of these devices is their advanced AI capabilities, which enhance everything from photography to battery management, providing unparalleled user experience, the reviews say. Powered by an R&D team, which Honor unabashedly touts as one of the best in the mobile world, the tech firm is not just waiting for the future to unfold, it is reaching out to it with steady steps.
11.5 per cent
of Honor’s annual budget is pumped into its R&D departmentWhat makes Honor’s approach to AI unique and commendable is that it doesn’t reserve the latest AI features for its high-end, flagship iterations alone. With the 200 series Honor has shown that it is more than willing to share its AI exploits with the medium segment also, something which Laurance Li, Country Manager, Honor-GCC would like to call ‘democratization’ of technology. In fact, AI is the buzzword in all the 200 Series campaigns, making the latest trend finally affordable and within the grasp of a larger audience.
The more the merrier
Honor is well aware of what they are up to and its market implications. The tech brand is all set to ride the AI wave to push its market share worldwide this year. In UAE alone, it is expecting a 3 per cent hike in its market share - to 10 per cent from the current 7 by the end of this year, Laurence Li said while talking to media on the sidelines of the Middle East launch of Honor 200 series smartphones in Dubai.
The company is also moving ahead with its plan to cater to whole segments of the UAE community with its bouquet of mobiles and other smart devices, Li said.
Honor 200 series is a step in that direction, he said.
We are currently competing with Samsung and iPhone, not just in the future but right now. We are ranked in the top 5 for shipments in Q4 2023 in the Middle East. In the UAE, we climbed to the top 4 in Q1 2024 with a growth rate of 105%. With our robust development and innovative product range, we forecast achieving a 10% market share in the UAE by the end of 2024
Tech for daily use
“We have different series of products for different price segments – including the number series, V series, Magic series, etc. The 200 series addresses the mid segment, which is between the high-end phones, and the entry-level phones. These are also for the young people, like Gen Z, who would like to have the latest technology in their hands for their daily use,” Li said.
Honor 200 Series smartphones were launched first in China in May this year, by Honor CEO George Zhao. One of the key features of the 200 series is its tie-up with Harcourt Studios, a studio known for taking photographs of celebrities, to perfect the art of taking portraits using a mobile phone. The triple rear camera unit delivers stunning studio-level portraits using three Harcourt portrait modes – vibrant, colour, and classic.
AI for all
It has been well over two decades that we have been using smartphones, during which period they have evolved into something close to an extension of ourselves. It is difficult to imagine a life without them. Throughout this process, what has been constantly updated is their 'smartness,' which is now on the verge of surpassing our own, thanks to quantum leaps in AI technology and computing power. We have seen access to the Internet being declared a fundamental right by a number of countries.
Currently, we are only beginning to see the impact of AI in our lives and the empowerment it brings but access to AI will also be treated as a basic human right very soon, I am positive. The relevance of Honor’s initiative in making AI power accessible to more people should be seen in this context. Will they extend this to their low-end phones too? Something we have to wait and see. But the market is moving in that direction.
Honor’s AI strategy has four layers, (such as the Cross device/Cross-OS AI, Platform level AI, App level AI and Interface to Cloud AI system), culminating in a seamless on-device AI experience for the user.
Honor stores: Strong presence in the UAE
In order to consolidate in presence in the region the company will be opening Honor Experience stores in Dubai soon, Li said. The first one could open by the end of August 2024, if everything goes according to the plan, he added. Plans are afoot for opening two other stores soon, both in Dubai. Currently, Honor phones are available throughout through 850 outlets in the region.
Flagship products: Honor vs top competition
While mainlining its ethos to provide affordable technology to all, Honor is also giving competition to the top contenders in the mobile world.
“There is a notable difference between us and other Chinese phone manufacturers,” Li said.
“We are currently competing with Samsung and iPhone, not just in the future but right now. We are ranked in the top 5 for shipments in Q4 2023 in the Middle East. In the UAE, we climbed to the top 4 in Q1 2024 with a growth rate of 105%. With our robust development and innovative product range, we forecast achieving a 10% market share in the UAE by the end of 2024,” Li said.
He cites the support they received from the customers for their foldable phone.
“When we launched our fold phone V2, we got more than 60 per cent in this market, within just the first few months. That was a clear signal of what Honor meant for the customers at the top end. That is a segment that we will continue to focus on. We have to enhance our top-end customer’s user experience with flagship products.,” he said.
Studied approach
Honor is adopting a structured approach with its product lineup and the 200 Series is part of the plan.
“Honor 200 Series not a shift of focus away from the top segment. It is a move to include all segments in our product range. The current low and medium price range customers and the young users are the ones who will be using flagship products in future. This has been Honor’s outlook and strategy all along, said Rajat Sharma, Data Analyst, Honor Innovations, said.
“If you look at our history, when we first launched a product we actually launched the number series Honor 50, the mid-range. Then we went on to the X series, which means we started focusing on the low end. After that, we released the flagship model Magic 4 Pro. After a few months, we proved that we can bring out the best foldable phone also – with the V2. Like this, we have always tried to target and expand our customer base,’ he said.
Honor is all set to ride the AI wave to push its market share worldwide this year. But more importantly, it is going to make more people happier across the world, by bringing cutting-edge technology within their reach. Because, technology at its best is all about helping people to make lives easier.
