Track Hyper | Honor Magic V series foldable screens reshape the European market

Author: Zhou Yuan / Wall Street News

On August 28, Honor's new generation foldable flagship Magic V5 was launched in London, while the overseas version of Honor Magic V5 is equipped with the world's first end-side voice large model, supporting a more efficient and accurate AI call translation experience.

This marks a new round of attack by Honor in the European high-end segment market with its "foldable strategy."

Honor is using foldable screen products as a breakthrough to establish competitiveness in the global high-end market.

According to a report released by Counterpoint on August 28, Honor achieved a year-on-year sales growth of 377% in the European foldable screen market in 2024, with its market share tripling to 34%, second only to Samsung.

In the European market, Honor has achieved remarkable results with foldable smartphones as its main attack method; in other regions around the world, Honor's battle strategy shows a "multi-point blossoming" characteristic.

Additionally, data released by Canalys on August 13 shows that in the second quarter of 2025, Honor's smartphone shipments in Southeast Asia increased by 121% year-on-year, with quarterly shipments surpassing 1 million units for the first time; during the same period, Honor's shipments in the Middle East (excluding Turkey) also exceeded 1 million units (1.3 million), with a year-on-year growth rate of 95%.

These achievements not only represent breakthroughs for Honor at the product level but also reflect the strategic logic and execution capabilities that Chinese brands are gradually forming in the global high-end technology market.

The overseas version of Honor Magic V5 launched in London combines foldable screen and AI technology, providing differentiated experiences for high-end users, and elevates Honor's brand narrative from "Made in China" to "Innovation from China."

Strategic Value of Breaking into the European Market

For a long time, the European high-end foldable screen market has been almost dominated by Samsung's Galaxy Z series.

Samsung's success is built on a solid foundation of mature consumer brand recognition, channel control, and service systems, which constitute Samsung's long-term competitive advantages.

Honor's strategy of entering the high-end foldable screen market does not rely on price competition but directly challenges the existing pattern through technological innovation and differentiated design.

The domestic version of Honor Magic V5 holds the global record for "lightweight" body, integrating full performance with AI intelligent ecology, and is praised by the outside world as "a PC that can fit in your pocket," bringing the concept of "AI terminal" into reality.

On this basis, the overseas version of Magic V5 launched in London also has a highlight: it is the first to be equipped with the world's first end-side voice large model (supporting offline AI call translation).

These innovative features meet the extreme demands of European high-end users for portability, durability, and operational experience.

The layout of Honor's foldable screens in the European high-end market did not begin today. The Honor Magic V series has achieved a market share of 34% in the European foldable screen market in 2024, compared to less than 10% in 2023, realizing a leap with a year-on-year sales growth of 377% (data source: Counterpoint Research).

The rapid growth in the European market not only reflects the product competitiveness of Honor's foldable screens but also shows that the acceptance of new brands and innovative technologies in the European market is increasing.

From a theoretical perspective, this change in market dynamics reflects the characteristics of "disruptive innovation" proposed by Clayton M. Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School.

Honor has not chosen to compete with Samsung through traditional iterative methods but has created new value spaces in segmented scenarios by combining foldable screens with AI functions.

This strategy redefines the competitive logic of the high-end foldable screen market, guiding high-end European users to focus more on innovation and experience when choosing products, rather than just brand history or price factors.

At the same time, Honor's strategic breakthrough in the European high-end market also indicates that Chinese brands can expand their market share in mature high-end markets through precise positioning and innovative capabilities.

Unlike the early overseas model that relied on low-price strategies, Honor has chosen to focus on technological innovation and user experience as core competitive advantages, demonstrating a sustainable development path for Chinese brands in the global high-end market.

The Honor Magic V5 overseas version is the first to launch the world's first edge-side voice large model—this is also the industry's first edge-side voice translation large model—which supports offline call translation, making cross-language communication more convenient.

It is worth mentioning that Honor has two AI voice technology research papers that have successfully been selected for the top international conference in the audio field, INTERSPEECH.

When academic validation combines with commercial implementation, it will be easier for overseas markets to perceive Honor as a "technology innovation brand," rather than just a hardware supplier.

INTERSPEECH, founded by the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA), is the largest comprehensive technology event in the field of speech signal processing globally and is an important promoter of academic development and industrial application in speech science and technology.

With the support of the edge-side voice large model, users of the Honor Magic V5 overseas version can achieve real-time translation in business meetings, international exhibitions, and travel without relying on the internet, which can improve communication efficiency and ensure privacy security.

Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once pointed out, "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." Honor breaks through language barriers by equipping the world's first edge-side voice large model, creating a broader communication space for users and establishing a perceivable innovative image for the brand in overseas markets In specific scenarios, the Honor Magic V5 demonstrates multiple values: business users can perform real-time translation and note-taking during multinational meetings; travelers can communicate with locals even offline; overseas students or educational institutions can achieve multilingual interaction and learning support.

Only by combining technology with specific scenarios, making it accessible to users, and helping them enhance their life experience and work efficiency can technology realize its actual value, and the brand's innovation capability can be perceived and recognized by the market.

Global Multi-Market Strategy and Its Functions

Honor's strategic breakthrough in the European market is not an isolated phenomenon but a pivotal point in its global strategic layout.

According to Canalys data, in the second quarter of 2025, Honor's smartphone shipments in the Southeast Asian market increased by 121% year-on-year, with quarterly shipments exceeding 1 million units; in the Middle East market (excluding Turkey), shipments nearly doubled year-on-year, also surpassing 1 million units.

It is worth mentioning that Honor's President of Sales and Service, Wang Ban, revealed in a Weibo post on June 29 that the Honor 400 series went on sale in the Philippines on June 28, with first-sale incremental growth of 1052% compared to the Honor 200 series.

The rapid growth in shipments or sales in multiple countries and regions globally demonstrates the effectiveness of Honor's global strategic layout.

From the differences in market strategies chosen by Honor in various global regions, each region has different strategic functions: the high-end market in Europe provides brand recognition and high-end reputation, while the Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets offer scale effects and reputation loops. Multi-regional layout diversifies market risks and enhances the brand's potential for sustained growth.

Honor's channel strategy is equally refined: online direct sales, carrier cooperation, and experience stores run in parallel, providing high-end users with a complete purchasing and after-sales experience.

Among them, overseas experience stores arrange technical explanations and on-site experiences, allowing users to fully perceive the advantages of the combination of foldable screens and AI functions, forming a reputation closed loop; social media and community operations further enhance brand recognition, combining technological advantages with user experience, thereby building a global brand asset system.

The strategy adopted by Honor shows that Chinese brands in overseas high-end markets can not only rely on products but also build long-term competitiveness through ecological services, experiences, and technological innovation; achieving growth in multiple markets simultaneously also provides a reference for other Chinese technology companies on internationalization paths.

In the early days, Chinese technology companies' internationalization often relied on exports or price advantages, while Honor has promoted "brand going global" with higher value content through technological innovation and high-end positioning.

The innovation of the Honor Magic V5 in foldable screens and edge-side voice large models provides a highly recognizable value identifier for the Honor high-end brand.

Peter Drucker, known as the "father of modern management," pointed out that "a business has two core competencies: creating differentiated product services and becoming the preferred choice in customers' minds through brand marketing."

By combining technology, products, and scenarios, Honor builds differentiated competitiveness. The result is that high-end users prioritize product innovation and value when purchasing Honor products, rather than placing price factors first Brand Communication: How Honor Does It?

Through European launch events, overseas social media, local KOL collaborations, and community operations, Honor conveys its brand story that combines technological innovation and user experience to the market.

Ultimately, Honor's brand image goes beyond the hardware level, conveying innovation capability and reliability through scenario-based experiences and academic validation.

At the same time, Honor focuses on establishing long-term user relationships in overseas markets: by integrating user experience and technological innovation through experience stores, online communities, and after-sales services, consumers can perceive specific brand value.

This strategy not only enhances short-term sales but also builds long-term brand assets.

Future: Ecosystem and Systematic Capability

With the maturity of foldable screen technology and the integration of AI technology, Honor still has room for expansion in the high-end markets of Europe and globally.

European consumers have a high acceptance of high-end smart devices and clear demands for innovative features. Honor is likely to further optimize the durability of foldable screens, the reliability and accuracy of edge-side voice large models, and the endurance and portability of AI applications through product iterations.

What will Honor do in the future?

Possible approaches—consolidating market position through the following strategies: deepening user scenarios, expanding experience store coverage; strengthening after-sales service networks; continuous technological innovation combined with academic endorsement; adjusting product and feature combinations in different regions to precisely match market demands.

Through these measures, Honor has the capability to maintain competitiveness in high-end markets in Europe and other overseas regions, forming long-term brand influence.

This strategic design layout shows that breaking into the market with a single product is not Honor's main approach. Honor's method is to form a complete global brand system through technological innovation, scenario-based applications, and multi-regional operations—after all, in today's market, the importance of system-level capabilities far exceeds that of a single explosive product strategy, and brand influence and market share complement each other, laying a foundation for Honor's future expansion in overseas markets.

Honor's advantage lies in integrating foldable screen hardware, edge-side AI capabilities, and service networks to form a systematic ecological closed loop, reducing competitive pressure from a single dimension.

The combination of foldable screens and AI not only changes user experience but also drives the integrated innovation of hardware, software, and services, which is the core path for Honor's continuous differentiated competition.

In a global context, Honor practices the disruptive innovation strategy described by Clayton M. Christensen, providing a model for Chinese brands to gain long-term recognition in overseas markets.

The innovation of Honor Magic V5 is reflected not only in hardware design but also in AI technology applications, software optimization, and user experience scenarios; by integrating edge-side voice large models, foldable screen large-screen interactions, and multi-language usage scenarios, Honor achieves a system-level commercial competitiveness closed loop of technology and usage value.

This innovative path aligns closely with Western management theory: a company's long-term competitiveness lies in its uniqueness, rather than merely in cost advantages.

Through technology, scenarios, academic validation, and market reputation, Honor has formed a unique brand asset based on the differentiated value that international high-end users can experience This narrative approach enhances the brand's international recognition and positions Honor as a representative of Chinese technology companies in the global high-end market.

Honor's strategic breakthrough in the European market lays the foundation for further expansion into the global market and provides a reference for international strategic paths for Chinese technology brands.

Since the launch of the Honor Magic V series, the performance of this series in the European market has showcased a new posture of Chinese brands in the global high-end technology market; the exceptional product strength of the Honor Magic V5, along with the perceptible innovations of the end-side voice large model, has elevated Honor's brand narrative from "Made in China" to "Innovation from China."

Through global market layout, high-end brand building, and technological innovation, Honor has thus formed a unique value positioning, providing a practical model for Chinese technology companies to gain long-term recognition in overseas markets.

Honor is proving that true internationalization is not merely about product exports, but about forming unique value through comprehensive means such as technology, user experience, and academic endorsement, which is also the key path for Chinese brands to enter the global high-end market.

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