Honor (brand)
Honor is a smartphone brand majority owned by a state-owned enterprise controlled by the municipal government of Shenzhen. It was formerly owned by Huawei Technologies. Honor provides smartphones, but has also released tablet computers and wearable technology.
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Native name | 荣耀 |
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Type | State-owned enterprise |
Industry | Consumer electronics, mobile internet |
Founded | 2013 |
Founder | Ren Zhengfei |
Headquarters | Shenzhen, China |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Smartphones, laptops, wearables, accessories |
Revenue | US$50+ billion (including Huawei) (2018) |
Parent | Huawei (2013–2020) Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd. (2020 –present) |
Website | www |
In 2016, George Zhao was global president of Honor.[1] In November 2020, Honor was acquired by Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd.[2]
History

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Honor was founded in 2013 as a Huawei sub-brand.[3] Honor's line of smartphones allowed Huawei to compete with mid-range online smartphone brands in China and globally.[4][5][6] Honor primarily sells products online, but some Honor products are also available at stores in selected markets.[7][8]
In November 2020, the Honor brand was sold to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology, a majority state-owned company controlled by the Shenzhen municipal government, to "ensure" its then-parent company, Huawei's survival, due to US sanctions against them.[9][2] U.S. sanctions restricted the sale of hardware components to Huawei by American firms.[10]
Timeline of international expansion
Honor began to offer its products internationally in 2014,[3] launching the Honor 3C in April in Malaysia,[11] followed by the Honor 6 in Europe in October.[12] By June 2015, the brand was available in 74 countries.[6] In October that year, announced to increase revenue to $5 billion with plans to focus on India.[13][14]
In 2015, Honor's Vmall online store, previously available only in China, launched in Europe and the United Kingdom, enabling direct purchases from the manufacturer.[15][16][17]
Honor made its debut in the United States with the release of the Huawei Honor 5X at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2016.[1][7][18] Initially available for online purchase only, the Huawei Honor 5X was later made available at select brick and mortar stores.[1] Also this year Honor started to sell the first fitness-trackers.[3]
In August 2016, Recode reported that Honor had sold over 60 million products, generating over $8.4 billion in revenue.[19]
In January 2017 at CES, Honor announced that the Honor 6X, previously available only in China, would be available in thirteen new markets, including the United States.[20][21] The phone earned "best of CES 2017" accolades from several technology publications, including Android Authority,[22][23] Digital Trends,[24] Slash Gear,[25] and Talk Android.[26]
In 2018 Honor started to sell laptops and smartwatches, in 2019 earbuds and TVs.[3]
On 21 January 2021, Honor launched their first non-Huawei phone, the V40, after the dip in production of Honor devices caused by the removal of Google's Android mobile operating system after US sanctions, and a lack of support from Huawei's R&D division.[27]
References
- Palenchar, Joseph (15 June 2016). "Huawei's Honor Brand Adds Brick-and-Mortar Sales". Twice. NewBay Media. ISSN 0892-7278. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- "Huawei selling Honor phone brand in face of US sanctions". Associated Press. 17 November 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- Tom Bedford (20 January 2022). "What are Honor phones? A guide to the company and its smartphones". TechRadar. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- Lai, Richard (16 December 2013). "Huawei's Honor brand challenges Xiaomi with 3X and 3C low-cost phones". Engadget. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- Stinson, Ben (22 January 2015). "Huawei Honor 3C review". TechRadar. Future plc. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- Kan, Michael (30 June 2015). "Huawei's Honor brand strives to become global". CIO magazine. International Data Group. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- Boxall, Andy (13 January 2016). "Huawei Honor 7 Review". Digital Trends. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- Ellis, Tomos (4 June 2015). "Honor 4X review". TechRadar. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- Livingston, Scott (11 December 2020). "Huawei, HONOR, and China's Evolving State Capitalist Tool Kit". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Nakashima, Ellen; Whalen, Jeanne (19 September 2021). "Key security agencies split over whether to blacklist former Huawei smartphone unit". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- "Quad-Core Huawei Honor 3C To Be Available In Malaysia On 29 April, Might Costs Under RM 600". Lowyat.NET. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- Boxall, Andy (29 October 2014). "Huawei tries something new, relaunches the Honor 6 smartphone without the Huawei name". Digital Trends. OCLC 810203593. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- "Aiming to double profit, Huawei's Honor brand eyes India". The Economic Times. The Times Group. 7 October 2015. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- Khan, Danish (10 October 2015). "Huawei planning to make smartphones in India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- "Huawei P8 Sells Out in One Day". PhoneArena. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- "Huawei Honor 7 to launch in the UK for less than £200". GSM Arena. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- Hanson, Matt (July 2016). "Honor 7 review". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- Nofuente, Kyle (18 December 2015). "Huawei Mate 8 and Honor 5X Debuting in US at CES 2016: Report". Tech Times. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- Fried, Ina (16 August 2016). "Despite its tiny U.S. market share, China's Huawei is launching a second brand here". Recode. Vox Media. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- "CES 2017: Huawei announces global launch of Honor 6x, priced at $249". Firstpost. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- Woollaston, Victoria (3 January 2017). "CES 2017: Honor unveils a £225 handset with a two-day battery life". Wired. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- Grush, Andrew (10 January 2017). "Best of CES 2017: the most impressive products from the show". Android Authority. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- Banerjee, Ankit (10 January 2017). "Interview with Honor VP Zack Zhang at CES 2017". Android Authority. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- "Digital Trends Top Tech of CES 2017 Award Winners". Digital Trends. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- Davies, Chris (8 January 2017). "The Best of CES 2017". Slash Gear. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- Herrick, Justin (9 January 2017). "Talk Android Best of CES 2017 Awards". Talk Android. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- Kharpal, Arjun (22 January 2021). "Honor launches first phone since being sold by Huawei after U.S. sanctions". CNBC. Retrieved 23 January 2021.