MWC 2025: Honor evolves into AI company

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, technology brand Honor announced an ambitious new corporate strategy called the Alpha Plan, to transform it from a smartphone maker into a global AI device ecosystem company. 

The three-step plan details bold steps Honor says it will take to help usher in “the new intelligent world”. It called on device manufacturers to co-create an open, value-sharing ecosystem that maximises human potential, ultimately benefiting all mankind.

“It is clear that the AI revolution will reshape the paradigm of the device industry – completely transforming our productivity, our society, and even our culture more than ever before,” said James Li, CEO of Honor. 

“I am calling on all of us to unite together to address the challenges – as well as the many opportunities – of AI technology. I also call on the industry to be truly open so that we can fully embrace this exciting AI future. Let’s do it together.”

The designation, Honor Alpha Plan, was chosen for its symbolic meaning, said the company: 

“Alpha, as the first letter in the Greek alphabet, symbolises Honor’s relentless pursuit of technological excellence. Additionally, the Chinese word for humans (人) can be found where the stroke connects in the lowercase letter “α,” echoing Honor’s commitment to human-centric innovation. The East-meets-West symbolism perfectly encapsulates Honor’s global vision and ambition to create value for consumers worldwide.”

_{James Li, CEO of Honor. Photo supplied.}

The Honor Alpha Plan comprises three steps: 

“The first step begins with the development of an intelligent phone. Honor will work with partners to open technology boundaries to co-create a new paradigm for AI devices in the agentic AI era. 

“Next, Honor will open industry boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for AI ecosystem in the physical AI era. 

“Finally, in the AGI (artificial general intelligence, when AI achieves human-like intelligence) era, Honor will open human potential boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for civilisation.” 

The envisioned intelligent phone that is central to the first step will embed human-centric AI that is purpose-built to maximise human potential, including AI technology Honor showcased during the keynote address.

AI for the Agentic AI era

These included (as supplied by Honor):

The world’s first GUI-based personal mobile AI agent developed by Honor, which redefines daily convenience with intelligent technology.

In a technology showcase in collaboration with Google Cloud and Qualcomm Technologies, Honor demonstrated how an AI agent can help make a table reservation through a third-party service while taking into consideration appointments saved in the Honor Calendar and traffic information. Honor plans to bring agentic experiences to its devices in international markets in the near future.

Honor is transforming mobile photography with AiMAGE, the new brand for Honor’s imaging technology. AiMAGE is powered by the AI Kernel, the industry’s first solution to support device-cloud AI models. Locally, the on-device model supports a 1.3-billion parameter model to generate a 50% uplift in image clarity. The cloud counterpart benefits from a larger scale of computing resources, running a 12.4-billion parameter model to massively enhance the quality of telephoto images. 

Equally important in AiMAGE is the AI ecosystem component. Through collaborating with partners, including Google Cloud, Honor will continue improving the versatility of its imaging offerings by integrating more intuitive AI features into its smartphones. The new AI Upscale feature for restoring old portraits will be rolled out gradually to the Honor Magic7 series, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, starting this March.

Honor introduced the world’s first all-ecosystem file-sharing technology. With it, users can enjoy ultra-fast speeds, whether transferring files to one or many iOS and Android devices. Additionally, the brand also announced that AI Deepfake detection will soon arrive in its latest flagship bar phones and foldable phones in international markets.

_{Honor stand at MWC 2025. Photo: ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK.}

Co-creating an open ecosystem

“As we move into the physical AI era, we need to open our industry boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for the AI ecosystem,” Li said. To reach the second step of its strategic plan, he said, Honor calls on the industry to open up its AI capabilities for a wider range of devices, enabling seamless collaboration as Honor co-creates a value-sharing ecosystem with global partners. 

As testament to its commitment, Honor has announced that it will invest more than US$10-billion over the next five years to fund this endeavour. 

“In the end, we will open human potential boundaries and co-create a new paradigm for civilisation in the AGI era,” said Li. “You will witness the co-existence between carbon-based life and silicon-based intelligence. This is why all of us need to work together to maximise human potential to embrace an intelligent world.”

Representatives from Google Cloud, Qualcomm Technologies, CKH Group, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone joined Li on stage to officiate a tree-lighting ceremony, illuminating a tree of light representing the AI ecosystem and AI devices. The ceremony symbolised the collaboration of industry partners to co-develop the AI device ecosystem that can serve every consumer worldwide.

“Today, Honor has presented a bold new vision for a future where AI will underpin every facet of the device user experience. We are excited to partner with Honor to integrate our technology and power the next generation of AI devices,” said Alex Katouzian, Group GM, Mobile, Compute, & XR, Wearables, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. 

“Collaboration is the fabric that weaves together the open ecosystem for AI. We’re thrilled to join hands with Honor and other industry partners to ride this disruptive wave. We are working closely to deeply integrate Google’s Gemini AI models into Honor solutions and create new possibilities for users around the world that were never before possible, while protecting their data security and user privacy,” said Matt Waldbusser, Managing Director, Global Solutions and Consumer AI, Google Cloud. 

To demonstrate the Honor Alpha Plan’s emphasis on a consumer-centric approach, Honor pledged to provide seven years of Android OS and security updates for its Honor Magic Series, starting in the EU market. 

In addition, Honor committed to accelerating its sustainability initiatives to reach operational carbon neutrality by 2040, five years ahead of its initial goal. Honor also announced its plan to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire supply chain and products by 2050.  

New Product Showcase

At MWC Barcelona 2025, Honor introduced multiple new products to bring more choices to consumers in international markets. With a beautiful Vine-leaf curved design and lightweight body, the AI PC Honor MagicBook Pro 14 integrates Honor Turbo X to deliver powerful performance and record-setting battery life. 

Honor Pad V9 provides an enduring, AI-powered learning and office experience with its ultra-thin body, industry-leading 2.8K Honor Eye Comfort Display, and one of the best performing batteries in the industry. 

Combining premium design and smart technology, Honor Watch 5 Ultra offers up to 15 days of battery life for active users to keep track of their fitness journey. 

Honor also introduced the Honor Earbuds Open, ergonomic earbuds that deliver powerful sounds while supporting AI-powered translation, real-time interpretation and more. 

Honor is at Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest mobile device exhibition, taking place in Barcelona from 3-6 March 2025.