Former Huawei subsidiary Honor has officially unveiled its Magic OS 8 update, and with it a suite of new AI-powered features that tease the potential road ahead for rival mobile operating systems.
Based on Android 14 and set to debut with the Honor Magic 6 series in the coming months, Magic OS 8 is built around what Honor describes as the “world’s first intent-based UI.” What does that mean, exactly? Well, instead of acting upon request, Magic OS 8 uses a feature called Magic Portal to render services according to user intentions.
In essence, it’s a shortcut feature that lets users switch between apps and services with a single swipe. For instance, if you’re sent some location information by a friend and want to get to that location in a hurry, Magic Portal will let you drag those details – in one fell swoop – from the messages app across into a compatible ride-hailing or navigation app, saving you clicks in the process. Still confused? Check out Magic Portal in action via the video below.
At the time of writing, Magic Portal supports over 100 apps in China across categories including travel, productivity, entertainment and shopping. When Honor’s new Magic 6 phones – and thus Magic OS 8 – launch in Europe (more on their potential release date below), this support will presumably expand to popular, app-owning Western brands like Uber and Starbucks.
Honor says its intent-based UI “can interpret language, images, gestures and eye movements to understand a user’s intent and offer services proactively.” This “innovative process,” according to the brand, “streamlines otherwise complex user operations for a more user-friendly, convenient experience.”
We’ve covered the eye-tracking functionality of the Honor Magic 6 already. In layman’s terms, you’ll be able to navigate certain parts of the Honor Magic 6 interface (specifically, a Dynamic Island-like digital cut-out at the top of the phone’s display) using only your eyes, in a similar manner to Apple Vision Pro.
At Snapdragon Summit 2023, Honor shared a render of this eye-tracking functionality in action. In the short clip (above), a woman can be seen opening the Uber app by changing the direction of her gaze, which is a slightly bonkers extension of the brand’s aforementioned swipe-based Magic Portal feature.
The Honor Magic 6 and its siblings, the Honor Magic 6 Lite and Honor Magic 6 Pro, are slated to debut in China tomorrow (January 12), but we could see at least two of those new phones released in Europe as soon as February.
Along with their Lite siblings, the Honor Magic 4 Pro and Honor Magic 5 Pro were unveiled outside of China at MWC 2022 and MWC 2023, respectively, so this year's MWC 2024 showcase – which is scheduled to kick off on February 26 – seems as likely stage as any for the Honor Magic 6 series launch.
