Quick Summary
If you want an iPhone experience without the iPhone hardware, Honor might have the solution.
It's new software looks mighty familiar.
If you've ever wanted an iPhone but didn't fancy buying one from Apple, there may well be a solution for you. That's because Honor has just shown off it's Android 17 update – and it looks very familiar.
Blink and you'd be forgiven for mistaking this for Apple's Liquid Glass operating system. In fact, even if you stared at it longingly, I'd give you a pass – this is practically a clone of Apple's design language.
It's not uncommon for brands – especially those based in China – to take some fairly blatant inspiration from Apple when designing their hardware and software. However, it's fair to say this one goes further than most.
Those glass-like halos surround apps and buttons, control panels and notification all in broadly the same manner that you'd find them on iOS. Even the large clock display shown looks identical to the standard iPhone one, though I suspect that's customisable to a degree.
Check out videos of the design here: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
The MagicOS 11 update is currently being tested on devices in the Honor Magic 8 series. It's expected to launch later in the year for other models, meaning a full launch should only be weeks away.
Personally, I'm not a fan of this. While I understand why brands follow the lead of Apple so closely, I can't help but feel it narrows the pool of what's available.
I've said it time and time again here at T3, but there's a lot less innovation and differentiation between handsets these days, and it's something I'd love to see changed. Who wants to effectively choose between the same offering from Apple, Google, Samsung, Honor, Oppo and more, when we could have something different designed with ingenuity from each brand?
I'm sure the new software will prove popular when it launches, and that's almost certainly enough to justify it. I just hope that brands spring forward from here with a bit more of their own personality.
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