Honor (brand) explained

Honor
Native Name:荣耀
Type:State-owned enterprise
Industry:Consumer electronics, mobile internet
Hq Location:Shenzhen, China
Area Served:Worldwide
Key People:George Zhao
Products:Smartphones, laptops, wearables, accessories
Parent:Huawei (2013–2020)
Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd. (–present)
T:榮耀
S:荣耀
P:Róngyào
J:wing4 jiu6
L:Glory
Order:st

Honor Device Co., Ltd., commonly known as HONOR, is a Chinese consumer electronics company majority-owned by Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd. It was formerly a subsidiary of Huawei, who sold the brand in November 2020.[1] Honor develops smartphones, tablet computers, wearables and mobile device softwares.

History

Honor was founded in 2013 as a Huawei sub-brand. Honor's line of smartphones allowed Huawei to compete with mid-range online smartphone brands in China and globally.[2] [3] [4] Honor primarily sells products online, but some Honor products are also available at stores in selected markets.[5] [6]

On 15 May 2019, the US government imposed a ban on Huawei and its subsidiary Honor. In particular, this prevented the availability of rapid security updates and apps such as the Play Store, Google Maps and Gmail on Honor smartphones.[7]

In order to establish independence from Huawei and thus "ensure" Honor's continued existence, the brand and the associated business areas were sold to the company Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd.,[8] a newly founded conglomerate of 30 Chinese companies, some of which have close ties to the government.[9] [10] The founder and main shareholder of the conglomerate is Shenzhen Smart City Technology Development Group Co, a Shenzhen state-controlled company.[11] On 17 November 2020, Huawei announced that it had sold Honor entirely.[12]

Timeline of international expansion

Honor began to offer its products internationally in 2014,[13] launching the Honor 3C in April in Malaysia,[14] followed by the Honor 6 in Europe in October.[15] By June 2015, the brand was available in 74 countries. In October that year, announced to increase revenue to $5 billion with plans to focus on India.[16] [17]

In 2015, Honor's Vmall online store, previously available only in China, launched in Europe and the United Kingdom, enabling direct purchases from the manufacturer.[18] [19] [20]

Honor made its debut in the United States with the release of the Huawei Honor 5X at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2016.[21] Initially available for online purchase only, the Huawei Honor 5X was later made available at select brick and mortar stores. Also this year Honor started to sell the first fitness-trackers.

In August 2016, Recode reported that Honor had sold over 60 million products, generating over $8.4 billion in revenue.[22]

In January 2017 at CES, Honor announced that the Honor 6X, previously available only in China, would be available in thirteen new markets, including the United States.[23] [24] The phone earned "best of CES 2017" accolades from several technology publications, including Android Authority,[25] [26] Digital Trends,[27] Slash Gear,[28] and Talk Android.[29]

In 2018 Honor started to sell laptops and smartwatches, in 2019 earbuds and TVs.

Since the US sanctions and the brand sale to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology in 2020 Honor has maintained its presence in the Indian market and launched laptops and wearables through e-commerce platforms.[30] The first non-Huawei phone, the V40, was released in January 2021[31] and with the Honor 50 release in December 2021 they provided the first smartphone that supported Google Play Services again.[32] Globally, the brand has decided to focus aggressively on the foldable smartphone, with the intent to provide high-end foldables at affordable prices.

Products

The company offers smartphones and tablets with Android and the EMUI and Magic UI user interfaces, Windows laptops, wearables, earbuds, TVs, and smart home devices.

Smartphones

Honor's main smartphone series progresses numerically in increments of 10 over the generations. The current device (as of November 2023) is the Honor 90. Sometimes, "Lite" and "Pro" sibling models are also released.

Honor's second line of smartphones has different names depending on where they are marketed. In China, this line is known as the V series, while internationally, the phones are marketed under the name "View." For example, while the Honor V30 was released in China, it was known as the Honor View 30 elsewhere. This series is typically used to test features that eventually make their way into the flagship line.

Another key series in Honor's smartphone lineup is the X series, a budget-friendly series with large screens and long-lasting batteries. The latest generations of X phones featured popup cameras and were sometimes available in Pro and Lite variants.

Finally, Honor has revived its Magic line with the premium devices Honor Magic 3 and the foldable Magic V. It appears that Honor will use this model designation more frequently in the future. In 2023, Honor brought its first foldable smartphone, the Honor Magic VS, to the European market.

In addition to the main series mentioned above, Honor also has less widely known series at generally lower prices, such as the S, A, I, and C series, which also follow the generation numbering scheme.

Notebooks

In April 2018,[33] the first notebook of the brand, the MagicBook, was released.[34] The series has been continued regularly as Honor's only laptop series.

TVs

In 2019, Honor launched its first two TVs, the Vision and Vision Pro. So far, no successors have been released.

Wearables

Since 2016, Honor has been offering fitness trackers and, since 2018, smartwatches. These products are marketed under the names Honor Watch (smartwatches) and Honor Band (fitness trackers).

Audio

Since 2019, Honor has released wireless earbuds under various model series.

MagicOS

MagicOS
MagicOS
Developer:Honor, previously Huawei before the split
Family:Android, Linux, Unix-like
Working State:Current
Source Model:Free software with proprietary components
Latest Release Version:MagicOS 8.0
Update Model:Firmware over-the-air
Package Manager:HONOR App Market and APK files
Supported Platforms:32 and 64-bit ARM
Kernel Type:Multi-kernel (with Linux kernel base on Android and microkernel for animations)
License:GNU General Public License v3,
Apache License 2.0,
Proprietary
Website:www.hihonor.com/global/magic-os

MagicOS (formerly known as Magic UI, and Magic Live UI), is an Android-derived mobile operating system developed by Chinese technology company Honor. It is used on the company's smartphones and tablets.[35]

History

MagicOS was originally developed by Huawei before the split in November 2020, it was rebranded EMUI with minor aesthetic difference for HONOR devices. Before the split, high-end HONOR devices were running on Magic UI while medium to low-end devices continued to run on EMUI.

It has gone through several name changes throughout it introduction, which initially known as Magic Live when it was introduced on the first HONOR Magic phone, and again renamed to Magic UI [36] with the introduction of HONOR Magic 2, which they renamed it again on 2022 to MagicOS.

Version history

VersionAndroid version historyYear of releaseLast stable release
Magic LiveAndroid Marshmallow (6.x)20161.1
Magic UI 2.xAndroid Pie (9)20182.1
Magic UI 3.xAndroid 1020193.1
Magic UI 4.xAndroid 1120204.2
Magic UI 5.x Android 10 and Android 1120215.1
Magic UI 6.xAndroid 1220226.1
MagicOS 7.x Android 1320237.2
MagicOS 8.x Android 1420248.0

Notes and References

  1. News: 17 November 2020 . Huawei selling Honor phone brand in face of US sanctions . . 19 September 2021.
  2. Web site: Lai . Richard . 16 December 2013 . Huawei's Honor brand challenges Xiaomi with 3X and 3C low-cost phones . 8 August 2016 . Engadget.
  3. Web site: Huawei Honor 3C review. Stinson. Ben. 22 January 2015. TechRadar. Future plc. 8 August 2016.
  4. News: Huawei's Honor brand strives to become global. Kan. Michael. 30 June 2015. CIO magazine. 9 August 2016. International Data Group. 1 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170601104106/http://www.cio.com/article/2942513/huaweis-honor-brand-strives-to-become-global.html. dead.
  5. Web site: Boxall. Andy. 13 January 2016. Huawei Honor 7 Review. 8 August 2016. Digital Trends.
  6. Web site: Ellis. Tomos. 4 June 2015. Honor 4X review. 8 August 2016. TechRadar.
  7. News: Nakashima . Ellen . Whalen . Jeanne . 19 September 2021 . Key security agencies split over whether to blacklist former Huawei smartphone unit. . 19 September 2021.
  8. Livingston . Scott . 2020-12-11 . Huawei, HONOR, and China's Evolving State Capitalist Tool Kit . en.
  9. Web site: 2020-11-17 . Honor: Huawei hat wohl einen Käufer gefunden . 2023-11-07 . computerbild.de . de.
  10. Web site: 2020-11-18 . Huawei verkauft Honor an die chinesische Regierung . 2023-11-07 . Galaxus . de.
  11. Web site: 2020-11-17 . Huawei verkauft Smartphone-Tochtermarke Honor . 2023-11-07 . heise online . de.
  12. Web site: Statement . 2023-11-07 . huawei . en.
  13. Web site: Tom Bedford . 2022-01-20 . What are Honor phones? A guide to the company and its smartphones . 2022-06-25 . TechRadar . en.
  14. Web site: 2014-04-21 . Quad-Core Huawei Honor 3C To Be Available In Malaysia On 29 April, Might Costs Under RM 600 . 2022-06-25 . Lowyat.NET . en-US.
  15. Web site: Huawei tries something new, relaunches the Honor 6 smartphone without the Huawei name. Boxall. Andy. 29 October 2014. Digital Trends. 810203593. 9 August 2016.
  16. News: 7 October 2015 . Aiming to double profit, Huawei's Honor brand eyes India . . . dead . 9 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190404130041/https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/devices/aiming-to-double-profit-huaweis-honor-brand-eyes-india/49259749 . 4 April 2019.
  17. News: Huawei planning to make smartphones in India . Khan . Danish . 10 October 2015. The Economic Times. 9 August 2016.
  18. Web site: Huawei P8 Sells Out in One Day. 24 April 2015. PhoneArena. 23 April 2015.
  19. Web site: Huawei Honor 7 to launch in the UK for less than £200. GSM Arena. 31 October 2016.
  20. Web site: Hanson. Matt. July 2016. Honor 7 review. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160813183136/http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/honor-7-1302807/review. 13 August 2016. 8 August 2016. TechRadar.
  21. Palenchar . Joseph . 15 June 2016 . Huawei's Honor Brand Adds Brick-and-Mortar Sales . . . 0892-7278 . 9 August 2016.
  22. Web site: Despite its tiny U.S. market share, China's Huawei is launching a second brand here . Fried . Ina . 16 August 2016. Recode. Vox Media. 30 August 2016.
  23. News: CES 2017: Huawei announces global launch of Honor 6x, priced at $249. 5 January 2017. 10 May 2017. Firstpost. 2 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170602131116/http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/ces-2017-huawei-announces-global-launch-of-honor-6x-priced-at-249-356233.html. dead.
  24. Woollaston. Victoria. 3 January 2017. CES 2017: Honor unveils a £225 handset with a two-day battery life. Wired. 10 May 2017.
  25. Web site: Best of CES 2017: the most impressive products from the show. Grush. Andrew. 10 January 2017. Android Authority. 10 May 2017.
  26. Web site: Interview with Honor VP Zack Zhang at CES 2017. Banerjee. Ankit. Android Authority. 10 January 2017. 10 May 2017.
  27. News: Digital Trends Top Tech of CES 2017 Award Winners. Digital Trends. 10 May 2017. 2 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201102195026/https://www.digitaltrends.com/top-tech-of-ces-2017-awards/. dead.
  28. Web site: The Best of CES 2017 . Davies . Chris . 8 January 2017. Slash Gear. 10 May 2017.
  29. Web site: Talk Android Best of CES 2017 Awards . Herrick . Justin . 9 January 2017 . Talk Android . 10 May 2017.
  30. News: Khan . Danish . 2023-09-05 . How Honor plans to make its comeback into Indian market . The Economic Times . 2023-11-07 . 0013-0389.
  31. Web site: Kharpal . Arjun . 22 January 2021 . Honor launches first phone since being sold by Huawei after U.S. sanctions . 23 January 2021 . CNBC . en.
  32. Web site: Conway . Adam . 2021-10-31 . Honor 50 Review: Google Services were sorely missed . 2023-11-07 . XDA Developers . en.
  33. Web site: Huawei Honor MagicBooK Laptop Full Specification . 2024-06-04 . Gizmochina.
  34. News: Here is Honor's First Laptop, The Honor MagicBook in Pictures . 2024-06-05 . Gizmochina.
  35. News: Roy . Richard . Tactile Brand . 16 March 2022.
  36. Web site: Wright. Arol. 18 November 2019. Android 10-based Magic UI 3.0 update rolls out for the Honor View 20 and Honor 20. 6 December 2019. XDA Developers.