The new Honor Magic 6 Pro comes with eye-tracking AI function that can move cars

• Honor Magic 6 Pro debuts with eye-tracking AI for car control.
• Honor’s Porsche Design V2 RSR: Luxury meets advanced tech.
• Honor leads in AI smartphone tech at MWC 2024.

Stepping into the future of smartphone technology, Honor has made a significant stride at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona with the announcement of the global release of its flagship Magic 6 Pro.

Approximately six weeks after introducing the Magic 6 Pro in China, Honor made an announcement at MWC regarding the worldwide release of this new flagship device. Additionally, the company unveiled the pricing for the exclusive Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 RSR. This special edition of the Magic V2 foldable phone boasts enhanced specifications and a design inspired by the renowned German automobile manufacturer.

Honor, a prominent Chinese tech firm, has marked its global presence with the launch of the Magic 6 Pro smartphone, which has an innovative eye-tracking AI feature. This cutting-edge technology lets users control and navigate their cars remotely by gazing at their phone screens.

Pricing and availability of the Honor Magic 6 Pro

Priced at around US$1,407, the Magic 6 Pro, featuring 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, will hit the markets from March 1st. In contrast, the Porsche Design Magic V2 RSR, equipped with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, is set to retail at around US$2,625 and will be available from March 18th. These products are expected to be accessible in European regions, although their availability in the US market remains uncertain.

Already available in China, Honor is actively working towards integrating this tool in international markets. In the lead-up to the annual MWC in Barcelona, starting February 26th, tech and telecom companies are eagerly releasing new products and features, anticipating that the current interest in generative AI will enhance their business prospects.

In the realm of smartphone manufacturing, there is hope that the growing fascination with AI technology will rejuvenate the somewhat stagnant smartphone market. But experts caution that the emergence of generative AI could raise legal and ethical issues. Competing with giants like Apple and Oppo in China’s smartphone arena, Honor wants to incorporate the advanced LlaMA 2 large language model (LLM), akin to ChatGPT, into its global phone offerings.

Given that it’s 2024, AI-powered capabilities form a significant part of Honor’s offering for the Magic 6 Pro. The company intends to support the AI-based eye-tracking feature initially previewed at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit last year. According to Honor, this feature will detect when users view notifications on the phone’s Dynamic Island-style interface (termed the “Magic Capsule” by Honor) and automatically open the corresponding app without needing physical interaction.

Other AI-driven functionalities include the “Magic Portal,” designed to identify mentions of events or addresses in messages, automatically linking them to suitable maps or calendar applications. Furthermore, Honor is developing an AI tool capable of creating videos from photos using text prompts, processed on the device through its MagicLM technology. This innovation underscores the company’s affinity for its “Magic” branding.

Beyond AI: Magic 6 Pro’s flagship specifications

Apart from its AI-focused attributes, the Magic 6 Pro stands as a conventional flagship phone. It is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and boasts a substantial 5,600mAh battery, supporting rapid charging of up to 80W wirelessly via cable and 66W. The phone features a 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED display, offering a resolution of 2800 x 1280 and a peak brightness of 5,000 nits, although typical usage will see brightness levels closer to 1,800 nits.

The rear of the phone houses a trio of cameras within a large circular bump. The primary 50-megapixel camera has a variable aperture, toggling between f/1.4 and f/2.0, allowing users to adjust the depth of field in their photos. Accompanying this are a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 180-megapixel periscope camera with a 2.5x optical zoom. The device also boasts an IP68 rating, offering the highest dust and water resistance level in mainstream phones.

The “Porsche Design” version of the Honor 6 Pro features a camera bump reminiscent of the German sports car, offers 1TB of storage, enhanced durability for its external display, and includes a stylus. Another Porsche-themed edition of the Magic 6 is slated for release in March, though its design details have yet to be shared.

The Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 RSR mirrors the original Magic V2 in many aspects, maintaining its slim and lightweight design, measuring just 9.9mm thick when folded and weighing 234 grams, partly due to its titanium hinge. Both versions share the same camera setup, including a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 20-megapixel telephoto camera.

But the Porsche edition still operates on last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a consequence of the Magic V2’s initial launch in China back in July 2023.

As per 2023 data from the International Data Corporation, Apple held a 17.3% market share in China, closely followed by Honor with 17.1%.

Honor is also launching the new MagicBook Pro 16 laptop, featuring an AI tool that allows users to seamlessly transfer applications, such as messaging apps, between devices, such as from an Android smartphone to a Windows PC, with a simple drag-and-drop action.

In a recent statement, George Zhao, the CEO of Honor, expressed a firm belief in the transformative impact of collaborative synergy, particularly in the age of AI.

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