Vow of Honor: Expo to be showcase of innovation

Smart devices will continue to be an integral part of the new generation of tech users, and Expo 2020 Dubai will be a chance to let these innovations shine.

"This is to fulfill the demand of the young generation, their dynamic lives' needs," Chris Sun Baigong, president of Honor Middle East and Africa, told Khaleej Times.

"The slogan of Expo 2020 Dubai is about the future; to be aligned with this strategy means more innovative products to be brought to the UAE market and will reach consumers' lives and help them enjoy their life in the country."

Sun Baigong was speaking at the UAE launch of the new Honor 9X smartphone in Dubai on Monday.

Honor, a sub-brand of Chinese giant Huawei Technologies, has made catering to the youth a central part of its strategy.

The company has been successful: Since its launch in 2013, it has achieved a compound annual growth rate of 47 per cent through 2018, thanks to over 20 million Honor 'fans' worldwide.

In the UAE, Honor says that it is among the top five brands in key GCC markets, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt; in the UAE, it is fourth.

"The Honor 9X fulfills our constant desires to keep bringing flagship product experiences accessible to everyone," George Zhao, global president of Honor, said in a video message.

The Honor 9X is the company's first smartphone to feature a pop-up front camera, allowing it to feature a 6.59-inch screen that is edge-to-edge and almost bezel-less.

Honor had already launched other camera systems to maximise the display in some of its previous devices, including the punch-hole on the View20 and the sliding mechanism on the Magic 2.

Sun Baigong says new form factors are carefully thought out before being released - though this may tend to lead consumers to adjusting to these new designs.

"In terms of new innovations, we have a whole pool," he says, adding that these should be used "when the right time comes".

The Honor 9X still runs on Google's Android 9 platform. While Huawei - and with it, Honor - has been subject to sanctions from the United States government, the device was already in development before these were enforced, thus sparing it from the curbs.

"The growth of Huawei as a group is very healthy. The growth for the Consumer Business Group is better than forecasted," Sun Baigong stressed.

"As such, the advocacy from end-users is still very high for our products. Similarly for us at Honor, we are very confident about the future."

The Honor 9X has a triple-lens camera with a 48MP main sensor. It also comes with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage and a price tag of Dh999.

Also at the event, Honor launched new wearables, including the Honor Band 5 fitness watch and Sport Pro earphones.

alvin@khaleejtimes.com