Honor launched its first model after spinning out from Huawei. The new 5G model - Honor V40 - is powered by MTK Dimensity 1000+ chipset and is equipped with a 6.7-inch flexible AMOLED display. Priced over RMB 3599 at the retail, V40 is clearly eyeing the premium online segment, competing head-to-head with Xiaomi and OnePlus in the following months.

In the launch event, Honor also highlighted the R&D expertise that it inherited from Huawei, as well as its commitment on product quality and overall service. This means over 4000 R&D staffs transferred directly from Huawei, over 3000 service centres in over 80 countries, as well as high quality control standards. Honor said it will continue the 1+8+N product strategy, which is coined first by Huawei. In China, the new model is preloaded with Honor mobile services, including Honor Appstore, Honor Music, Honor Video, etc. In overseas markets, it remains open whether V40 will come with Google Mobile services.

The launch of V40 is a significant move for the new Honor from the product side. As a new independent vendor in hyper competitive smartphone market, Honor needs to prove itself quickly and overcome the challenges in channel, in supply chain, and in brand side, step by step. We expect will Honor will grow to be an important player in global smartphone market in 2021, if the new vendor can manage the risks and challenges well.