Honor officially sets the launch date for its next flagship Android phone
The Honor Magic 7 is rumored to pack a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset under the hood.
What you need to know
- Honor’s Magic 7 series will launch in China on October 30, just a week after the Magic OS 9.0 debut on October 23.
- The Magic 7 series is likely exclusive to China at launch, with a global release expected in early 2024.
- The Magic 7 series will likely feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite or Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, making it one of the first phones to use this chipset.
Honor's next-generation flagship lineup is landing in China later this October, a week after the launch of the next iteration of Magic OS.
Honor's CEO, George Zhao, confirmed the news on Weibo today, announcing that the Honor Magic 7 series will be unveiled on October 30 (via 91mobiles). To amp up the excitement, he shared a poster for the launch event, highlighting the AI features of Magic OS 9.0, which is set to launch on October 23.
Built on Android 15, Honor's next Android skin promises a bunch of AI features in keeping with the growing smartphone market trend.
It is highly likely that the upcoming Magic 7 series launch will be exclusive to China. Honor usually rolls out its flagship devices to international markets in the first quarter of the year, so anyone outside China will have to hang tight for the global release in the months ahead.
It’s interesting to note that both Magic OS 8.0 and the Honor Magic 6 series were launched last January. So, the upcoming releases of Magic OS 9.0 and the Magic 7 series are quite a shift for Honor, as they’re coming out much earlier than usual.
The upcoming Honor lineup is expected to pack the latest Qualcomm flagship chipset, likely called Snapdragon 8 Elite or Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. This move positions the Magic 7 as one of the first phones to rock this new processor. Unless other OEMs can sneak in a launch before Honor does, Honor is ahead of the pack, leaving rivals like the Xiaomi 15 and OnePlus 13 in the dust.
Qualcomm has locked in October 21 for the unveiling of the Snapdragon 8 Elite/Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. According to a recent report, flagship launches featuring this chip are expected to kick off starting October 28. This opens the door for Xiaomi and other brands to possibly snag the title of the first smartphone powered by the new SoC.
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The Magic 7 series is expected to include two models: the standard and a high-end Pro version. According to reliable leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo, the Honor Magic 7 Pro will come with advanced security features like an ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor. On the charging front, it’s tipped to support 100W wired fast charging and 80W wireless charging options.
Recent rumors suggest the Magic 7 Pro could sport a 6.82-inch 2K OLED display with curves on all four sides. This screen is expected to deliver a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and be reinforced with Kunlun Glass.
Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.