This year, Honor appears to really want to compete with Samsung on multiple fronts, including foldable phones and wearables. The Chinese OEM confirmed at MWC that it is developing its first Flip-style foldable phone.
So far, Honor has released only Fold-style foldable devices but has yet to explore the more compact Flip-style form factor. However, at Mobile World Congress 2024 in Barcelona, the CEO of Honor told CNBC that “this year we are preparing for the flip phone launch.”
The CEO added that Honor is “very positive about foldables for the future” and confirmed that its first foldable flip phone is in the final stages of development. No specs were revealed, but this foldable flip phone from Honor will supposedly have AI features that should improve its chances of competing with Samsung and its upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 6.
In addition to this Flip-style foldable phone, Honor also said it is now developing its own smart ring.
Honor wants to grow in markets beyond China
Interestingly, Honor said (via Android Authority) that it wants 50% of its sales three years from now to come from the global market. In other words, Honor is trying to increase its influence globally, where Samsung and Apple dominate the mobile scene.
Honor's next target is Latin America, the company confirmed. Brazil is now one of Honor's most critical regions and calls it a “crucially important” market for its global expansion plans. “Honor is eager to enter Brazil, and we are preparing for that,” said the company's CEO.
Of course, the most popular smartphone brand in Brazil is Samsung, with a market share of a whopping 42% as of December 2023 (via Statista). Motorola comes second with 20% of the market, and Apple is third with 17%.
Whether Honor's upcoming foldable flip phone will put the company on the map in Latin America and Brazil remains to be seen. Either way, Honor's competition is fierce, but the company could soon start nibbling on the market shares of smaller OEMs in Brazil, like ASUS, Xiaomi, and Realme.
