Honor’s First Flip Phone Reportedly in Development, May Launch This Year

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-styled flip phone that will be launched later this year, and that it was looking to further expand its portfolio via a smart ring which was also in works.

In an interview with CNBC at the event, Honor CEO George Zhao was asked if a flip phone is also in works, after the smartphone maker held the global debut of the folding Honor Magic V2 series. In response, Zhao said, “This year we are preparing for the flip phone launch — now that we are internally in the final stage.” He also emphasised that the company felt confident about the future of foldable handsets and wanted to invest in it. “I believe this will create some market gap for newer vendors to enter or expand in the flip segment and test out the market,” he added.

Details about an Honor smartphone with a horizontal hinge and clamshell design have been circulating since August last year. A report highlighted that the phone could be called Honor Magic V Flip but not much in terms of specification has surfaced. Tipster Digital Chat Station (via GSMArena) claimed that the smartphone could be backed by a 4,500mAh battery, which could make it the largest battery capacity on a flip phone. At present, the Oppo Find N3 Flip with 4,300mAh battery takes the crown.

Zhao also teased that the company was working on a smart ring in the interview. He said, “Internally, we have this kind of solution, now we are working on that part, so in the future you can have the Honor ring.” Honor Ring could just be what the wearable is called. The timing of the information was also interesting as it came just days after the Samsung Galaxy Ring was officially showcased for the first time at MWC.

However, Honor is looking at an AI-enabled health focused device with the Honor Ring. Explaining the company’s vision with the smart ring, the CEO said that 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 this kind of applications,” he added.