Honor Magic7 Pro
Taking to the stage at Mobile World Congress, Honor CEO James Li announced Honor’s Alpha Plan, intending to transform the company into an AI Device Ecosystem.
That plan starts with “an intelligent phone”, and while that wasn’t on show at MWC, the four building blocks were a mobile AI agent, an all-ecosystem file transfer, deepfake AI detection and a new suite of photography tools in the AIMAGE suite.
I talked with Honor’s Luo Wei, Chief Imaging Architect at Honor, to learn more about the modern-day challenges of imaging, where imaging data is processed, and how Honor’s AI software can impact consumers and professional photographers.
Honor’s Imaging History
Going back to the likes of Honor 6 Plus, Honor has been leaning heavily into photography as both a differentiator and an illustration of technical ability. The 6 Plus was in the first wave of smartphones featuring a dual-lens main camera, something de rigueur today but brand new and seen as experimental a decade ago.
CNet’s Andrew Laxon in 2014: ” Although the three images are all taken from the same single picture, I’ve been able to change the focus to feature either Lego Milhouse in the background, the robot at the front, or keep all parts of the scene in focus. It’s only a digital effect, but it’s done well and will help lend some creative background blur for closeup shots of flowers or food.”
Then, the push was into hardware. With the launch of the AIMAGE suite, today’s push is into software
Before we get on to AIMAGE, I wanted to ask why Honor leans into photography. It must be more than demonstrating cutting-edge technology that consumers can easily see as “better than last year’s model”?
“I believe recording is crucial for everyone,” Wei explains. “What we leave behind in life are these memories, whether joyful or sad. They’re evidence of our existence on this insignificant blue planet in our vast universe.”
Honor Turns To Imaging Software
There comes a time when hardware improvements alone cannot offer a significant advantage in a smartphone camera. This is where software comes in, and one of the unsung heroes of this approach is the ability to innovate rapidly. AIMAGE addresses “the mismatch between the rapid pace of new algorithm development and the relatively slower product cycles of chip platforms.”
AI smartphones were introduced as a concept by Google with the Pixel 8 series and Android 14. Launched in late 2023, manufacturers visibly moved into generative AI in 2024. MWC 2025 heralds a rush of second-generation AI-enabled smartphones. Honor is following its belief in the power of mobile photography by leveraging AI to offer more access to photography.
How exactly can AI routines on a smartphone increase access?
“While smartphones have made photography accessible to everyone in recent years, some users still hesitate to take photos or take their own photos. I believe this is mainly due to concerns about their photography skills, and we hope AI can address this issue.”
Honor Imaging On-Device Or In The Cloud
Of course, image processing on smartphones is not a new feature. The recent addition of machine learning and neural interfacing has been harnessed by the likes of Nvidia, ARM and Apple as software “specifically designed for the platforms of the respective makers.” (Morikawa, C., Kobayashi, M., Satoh, M. et al. Image and video processing on mobile devices.”). AI is another tool, a powerful tool, that sits in conjunction with the current code.
One of the key differences is that AI image processing can happen in the cloud and on the device; the former leverages more processing power, allowing for data security and speed. How does Honor split those two approaches with AIMAGE?
“Our local model is 3B, and it’s not simply a distilled and quantized version of the cloud model. At least, it’s not a subset of our current commercial cloud model. It has been specifically trained for portrait processing and has been specially optimized to accommodate the AI framework of the SOC platform.”
The cloud-based component is, broadly speaking, split into two, as Wei explains: “The first method involves processing the image using on-device models first, then uploading the JPG to the cloud for processing with cloud-based generative models; the other is a complete end-to-end workflow that matches Honor cameras’ capability to upload multiple RAW images.”
Honor’s Imaging Approach To Professionals And Consumers
The inclusion of RAW points to Honor looking to attract professionals to its smartphones, perhaps as the second camera many carry instead of an advanced compact camera. The image of a professional photographer remains one of an SLR camera with various lenses getting switched out until the photographer stops and sits motionless for a minute. What does AIMAGE offer them?
“We want to provide them with the highest-performing camera that’s also the most convenient to operate and offers full control. Professional photographers need to find shooting positions, and after shooting, they need to work on color grading and special effects. AImage has the potential to enhance these aspects – suggesting shooting positions, simulating effects, and handling the more tedious post-processing work. This doesn’t mean we’ll do everything ourselves – we’ll definitely collaborate with the industry ecosystem.”
How about the other end of the spectrum?
There’s a lot of technical talk behind AI and imaging. You have discussions around editing, object removal, generative AI fill when you crop an image, and RAW file support… yet there’s a majority of consumers that just want ‘a really nice camera’ they can point at something and press a single button.
Research backs this up, as detailed in a study of smartphone camera use in the over 50s. ‘People over 50 years old don’t have many requirements for the functions in the smartphone camera application. What they need is to take photos, record videos and view albums. What they want is the simplicity, easy and safe-operation of the interface.’ (Jiang, J., Zhang, W., Jeung, J. (2020). Preliminary Exploration of Interface Design for Senior Citizens).
How much of AIMAGE can be hidden away so my Nan can use an Honor phone and still see a difference in her pictures??
“When she aims and shoots, she’ll get a photo that has been processed through a professional photography “brain,” with composition, lighting, and colors that better match her aesthetic preferences.
Honor And The Future
It’s impossible to discuss AI without discussing the impact of generative AI on the creative industries, of which photography and illustration are on the front line. Where does Wei think Honor belongs in that debate?
“Any tool that can enhance creative efficiency and make capabilities more accessible to everyone will certainly have vitality. Of course, we need to consider how AI’s strong intervention today impacts the ontology of photography, though this isn’t entirely the responsibility of manufacturers.
“I believe time will give us the answers.”
Last year saw generative AI heralded as “the next big thing” in smartphones. This year, consumers will be looking for tangible benefits. Honor has laid out a long-term path to that vision while making sure the first step—imaging—looks to exceed expectations.
You can find more out about Honor’s AIMAGE on its website, and AIMAGE will start rolling out in March, initially to the Magic7 Pro.