Honor releases first products since Huawei spinoff

Honor debuted its smartphone model V40 today, as well as new laptops and smart watches, the company’s first product releases since its spinoff from Huawei.

As an independent company, Honor now has 200 million smart device users and 8,000 employees worldwide, half of whom are research engineers, according to President Zhao Ming.

“The past few months have been tough, but Honor is now on a new journey to become a global tech brand,” Zhao said.

Huawei sold Honor business assets to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology, a decision made in light of a “difficult time,” Huawei officials said in November. Officials from Shenzhen Zhixin, owned by more than 30 Honor dealers and partners, called it a “market-driven” move to ensure the survival of Honor's industry chain.

Founded in 2013, Honor has focused on the youth market with products like smartphones, laptops and smart watches.

The new V40 model features an improved screen and camera, as well as a graphic accelerator engine, with a starting price of 3,599 yuan (US$571).

Huawei is facing strict American tech export controls that make it difficult to obtain key components and technologies. Honor’s independence from Huawei is expected to help sustain the brand’s upstream and downstream suppliers, according to analysts.