Honor CEO George Zhao has confirmed that his company is working on its first foldable flip phone, as well as a smart ring product.
Talking to CNBC, Zhao announced that Honor would launch a flip phone later this year.
The company has launched a couple of full-sized foldables in the past, most recently the Honor Magic V2 (pictured), but it hasn’t to this point launched a more compact (not to mention reasonably priced) alternative.
With foldables the only section of the smartphone market still experiencing major growth, it’s no surprise that more companies are looking to contribute to a market pioneered by Samsung. There’s particular scope for companies like Honor, which will often undercut their mainstream rivals on price – something that’s badly needed on the pricey foldable scene.
Where the Honor Magic V2 excited us was with its thin-and-light design, which make it the thinnest and lightest full-sized foldable on the market. We’d love to see similar design innovation coming to the flip phone market.
Zhao also told CNBC that Honor was working on a new health-focused smart ring, following hot on the heels of a similar announcement from Samsung. While he didn’t reveal too much in the way of specifics, Zhao did say that there will be a big AI focus with the company’s new ‘Honor Ring’.
“This hardware capability will work together with AI-enabled apps (and) can help you make the professional training course tailored for you because they studied your habits and health data to give you professional suggestions,” he said.
