Global technology brand Honor has made remarkable progress in South Africa in recent years. Focused on innovation within the smartphone market, the brand’s dedication has been rewarded with substantial results. Consumer, operator and retail partner trust has driven more than 600% sales growth by the end of 2023, establishing Honor as the fastest-growing smartphone brand in South Africa.
The significant growth underscores Honor’s rising prominence in the fiercely competitive cellphone market.
In line with the meteoric rise, Honor recently announced the upcoming launch of the Honor 200 Series, featuring the Honor 200 and for the first time in the country, the Honor 200 Pro. The latest models in the esteemed Honor N Series set a new benchmark in smartphone portrait photography with their studio-level AI Portrait Camera systems, encouraging users to transform everyday moments into timeless portraits.
Honor has leveraged industry-leading platform-level AI technologies and superior hardware to revolutionise smartphone portrait photography. The Honor 200 Series, with its Triple 50MP Studio-level AI Portrait Camera, Honor AI Portrait Engine and expertise from Studio Harcourt, allows users to capture stunning portraits, setting a new standard in the industry.
Emphasis on AI Innovation
Honor’s focus on AI technology was highlighted at the recent Mobile World Congress, where the brand outlined its AI-empowered all-scenario strategy. Honor identifies four layers of AI integration for device manufacturers:
The first layer encompasses AI-powered cross-OS and cross-device integration, the second is AI-driven single-device operating system reconstruction, the third refers to on-device AI applications and the fourth is Hybrid AI, combining on-device and cloud-based AI.
Collaborative Efforts with Studio Harcourt
The Honor 200 Series represents a collaboration between Honor’s product team and the iconic Parisian Studio Harcourt, resulting in the groundbreaking Honor AI Portrait Engine. Using Honor’s AI technology, the team replicates Studio Harcourt’s signature lighting and shadow effects, streamlining the two-hour photoshoot process into a few simple steps and enabling users to achieve studio-quality portraits effortlessly.
By analysing more than 1 000 lighting scenarios and millions of datasets over more than 400 days, the team has successfully encapsulated Studio Harcourt’s essence in smartphones via the Honor AI Portrait Engine. The achievement is based on three core concepts: AI Light and Shadow Enhancement, AI Optical Effect Enhancement and AI Artistic Style Enhancement.
Introducing Harcourt Portrait Modes
The Honor 200 Series also debuts three new Harcourt portrait modes: Harcourt Vibrant, Harcourt Color and Harcourt Classic.
Harcourt Vibrant mode caters to popular lighting, shadow and colour preferences, producing bright, lively portraits. Harcourt Color mode offers a vintage film look, with warm tones and lower saturation, delivering a textured, metallic finish. Harcourt Classic mode provides a timeless black-and-white portrait experience, evoking historical depth and nostalgia.
Advanced Portrait Photography Hardware
The Honor 200 Series features a robust 50MP Main Portrait Camera, enhancing the portrait photography experience. Additionally, the 50MP Telephoto Camera, equipped with a customised Sony sensor, offers superior light sensing capabilities and exceptional detail, especially with its 2.5X optical zoom, ideal for portrait shots.
The series also includes a 50MP Portrait Selfie Camera that captures subjects with precision, producing well-balanced portraits in various settings. The Automatic FOV Switching feature between 1X and 0.8X makes group selfies effortless.
The AI-enhanced Night Portrait Mode in the Honor 200 Series balances ambient lighting, ensuring clear, sharp facial details while maintaining the atmospheric glow.
Honor takes pride in leading the smartphone portrait photography revolution with the Honor 200 Series, combining advanced AI capabilities and powerful hardware to offer an unparalleled user experience for capturing and preserving life’s moments.
Availability
The Honor 200 Series, including the Honor 200 Pro and Honor 200, will soon be available in South Africa. Showcasing elegant designs inspired by nature, the Honor 200 Pro comes in Ocean Cyan and Black, while the Honor 200 is available in Moonlight White and Black.
For more information, please visit Honor at https://www.honor.com/za/phones/honor-200/
The Star