The Chinese company Smartphone Company Honor has published devices that fold in to be almost as thin as an iPhone.
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty images
Barcelona – Honor Sunday, on Sunday, promised $ 10 billion in artificial intelligence investments over the next five years and announced a deepening partnership with Google, while the Chinese smartphones manufacturer seeks to strengthen its market share abroad.
The investment plan, revealed to the mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is designed to reposition the company of a smartphone reader in an “ecosystem company of the AI device”, according to Honor.
The Chinese company has arrived in the world of smartphones, after having ruined Huawei in 2020 when the technology giant was struck by American sanctions. Since then, Honor has sought to develop outside of China and to enter the high -end part of the market where Apple And Samsung play.
The company has made progress by publishing innovative devices, including foldable phones, but it remains a small player on a global scale. Its market share of smartphones outside of China was 2.3% in 2024 against 1.7% in 2023, according to IDC data.
An honorary spokesperson told CNBC that the money would be used to put AI in the equipment as well as the next generation AI agents, who are often described as more advanced virtual assistants.
Another part of the investment will create a “platform for a wide range of AI devices”.
“This is not limited to our own devices, but also to AI devices of different partners, so that the different types of AI devices can talk to each other, and consumers can have more choice and transparent experiences,” said the spokesperson for honor.
A small part of the investment will also be used to “prepare for the AG era (artificial general intelligence)”.
AGE generally refers to AI which is more intelligent than humans.
Closer Google clats
Honor demonstrated proof of “AI” concept on Sunday. An example involved a user asking the agent to book a restaurant with specific requirements, such as the type of favorite kitchen and the user’s distance. The agent went forward and made a reservation. Honor said he was working with Google and the Qualcomm flea designer on the development of his AI agent, but did not give a calendar for its release.
Meanwhile, Honor also uses technology behind Google Gemini, the AI system of the American company, for AI’s features on its latest devices.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Honor announced that it would be committed to seven years to use the Android operating system and security updates for its magic series of flagship smartphones – becoming only one of the few suppliers to engage. Google’s own pixel devices and Samsung’s flagship smartphones are the only other devices to offer similar support.
Android is the operating system created by Google. Although seven -year support is not directly linked to Google, it highlights Honor’s commitment to the operating system.
Although there are many Android smartphones readers, they don’t all have such a narrow link with Google as Samsung, the largest Android user in the world, and Xiaomi, the second largest. Honor now joins this list.
“Honor’s deeper partnership with Google is very important,” said Ben Wood, chief analyst of CCS Insight, at CNBC. “To date, he had the impression that Google was keeping manufacturers of Chinese smartphones at a distance with regard to the most advanced aspects of Gemini AI, but that seems to put the honor equally with Samsung Galaxy and the own Pixel products from Google which is quite a hit.”
