Honor's upcoming smartphones will include Google's generative AI features

Honor Magic 6 Pro review
(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Honor is stepping up its game by diving into generative AI technology with a unique on-device AI approach.
  • At the VivaTech event, Honor shared its plans to power future devices with AI from Google Cloud.
  • The Honor 200 series is also set to go global on June 12, after a debut in China on May 27.
  • Moreover, the MagicOS 8.0 update, which is all about AI, is coming soon to the foldable Magic V2 and the Honor 90.

Over the past year, Honor has emerged as a key player in the smartphone market by focusing on innovative hardware and is now stepping into generative AI technology. The company today introduced its unique on-device AI approach.

At VivaTech, a European technology showcase, Honor revealed plans to equip its future devices with generative AI powered by Google Cloud. The company is keen on harnessing AI to boost user privacy and personalize experiences. As part of this effort, Honor unveiled its new "4-Layer AI Architecture" to incorporate AI thoroughly across all user interactions.

Honor also revealed that the Honor 200 series will make its global debut on June 12. Initially previewed in China earlier this month, the series will be fully introduced there on May 27.

Additionally, the company announced that its MagicOS 8.0 update, based on Android 14 and packed with AI features, will soon be rolling out to the foldable Magic V2 and the Honor 90.

Honor emphasized that Magic OS 8.0 is the industry's first intent-based UI, designed to predict what users might need next and make things smoother. A cool example of this is the Magic Portal feature, which turns complicated tasks into easy, one-step actions and adjusts to how individual users like to do things.

Smartphone companies are packing AI features into their new models, hoping to convince consumers to switch to their latest and greatest phones.

Honor's use of Google's AI features is a natural step since its smartphones already run on Google's Android operating system. Developing complex AI features can be a big challenge for phone companies on their own, so working with Google is like a fast track to getting the latest AI apps and tools on their devices.

Honor is one of the few brands to embrace Google's AI tools. Earlier this year, Samsung got into the mix too, announcing a deal with Google to add Gemini Pro and Imagen 2 to its lineup.

Jay Bonggolto
News Writer & Reviewer

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.