What you need to know
- Honor is set to launch its own smart ring, following in the footsteps of Samsung's Galaxy Ring showcased at MWC 2024.
- Zhao hinted at the imminent release of Honor's smart ring, which will apparently hit store shelves before the end of this year.
- Honor is also entering the Flip-style foldable phone market with a clamshell-style device.
Samsung turned heads with the Galaxy Ring showcase at MWC 2024, and now, Honor is jumping on the smart ring bandwagon too.
Honor's CEO, George Zhao, spilled the beans about the company's venture into smart rings during an interview with CNBC at the mobile trade show in Barcelona.
"Internally, we have this kind of solution, now we are working on that part, so in the future, you can have the Honor ring," Zhao told the publication.
The future that George Zhao hinted at might just be around the corner. According to CNET, Honor's smart ring is hitting the shelves before 2024 ends. This move by the Chinese phone maker is set to shake up the wearables market, providing consumers with more options in a category largely ruled by a handful of major players like Oura.
While Zhao didn't reveal all the details about Honor's ring features, he hinted that it aligns with the company's bigger health-oriented strategy. Emphasizing the importance of AI, Zhao envisions it playing a crucial role in delivering extensive health insights to users.
"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," Zhao was quoted as saying. "I think AI will transform this kind of applications."
Smart rings cater to health-focused individuals who prefer a low-key alternative to wearing a smartwatch for tracking exercises and vital stats. For companies like Samsung and Honor, it serves as a means to introduce devices that sync with their phones while tapping into the health-monitoring capabilities developed for mobile devices.
Honor is joining the Flip-style phone craze
Zhao also shared with CNBC that Honor is diving into the foldable phone trend, working on its inaugural clamshell-style device. This move aligns with the trend set by brands like Samsung and Motorola.
"This year we are preparing for the flip phone launch—now that we are internally in the final stage," Zhao told CNBC.
This comes after the global unveiling of the Magic 6 Pro and the Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 RSR during the event.
By delving into flip foldables, Honor is exploring fresh market possibilities, aiming for a potentially distinct price range compared to conventional horizontal-folding devices.
