Honor Announces $10 Billion Investment into AI Expansion

Honor announced a strategic $10 billion investment towards transitioning into an AI-first device ecosystem company. This marks a shift from the vendor’s existing focus on smartphone hardware manufacturing.

The strategy is spearheaded by the company’s newly appointed CEO James Li, who outlined a three-step roadmap for the transition highlighting collaboration as a key priority. The vendor announced partnerships with Google Cloud and Qualcomm to develop AI-driven offerings, including its first intelligent smartphone, which will launch later this year. The device will introduce agentic AI capabilities with a GUI-based personal AI agent capable of managing schedules, making reservations, and optimizing daily tasks by using contextual awareness and adapting to user behavior.

According to Li, the investment is a reflection of the company's confidence in the potential of AI device technology, highlighting the mutual trust with industry collaborators in pushing AI innovation. As part of its AI push, Honor launched a file-sharing system dubbed AI Connect to join its AI-driven ecosystem. Claiming it as the world’s first cross-platform file-sharing system, the vendor touted the technology’s capability to enable file transfers between iOS and Android operating systems.

Other AI innovations introduced include an AI-powered image restoration tool launching on the Magic7 Pro, and an AI deepfake detection feature for video calls to enhance digital security. In a bid for longevity and sustainability, Honor also confirmed it will provide seven years of Android OS and security updates for its flagship Magic series devices, in what Li touted was a consumer-centric approach to future products. The company also expanded its hardware lineup with new AI-powered devices including a laptop, tablet, smartwatch, and earbuds.