News

HONOR MagicOS 9.0 now official

With improved AI Agent, debut of MagicLM lineup

Published

October 24, 2024

GadgetMatch

HONOR has finally launched MagicOS 9.0 in China. The latest iteration of HONOR’s operating system brings users even deeper into the AI era the company calls “autopilot AI.”

MagicOS 9.0 introduces enhanced capabilities from the company’s AI Agent, YOYO, as well as a new proprietary MagicLM lineup.

AI that understands you better

HONOR is leveraging LLMs (large language models) even more with the new MagicOS 9.0. This is to provide AI capabilities like multi-modal natural interaction, accurate intention recognition, and closed-loop services for complex tasks.

And for the new OS, HONOR is introducing its own MagicLM lineup. This is a family of LLMs that aim to create a transformative experience when it comes to language, visual, audio, and multimodal interactions.

At its core, the MagicLM lineup dynamically allocates AI computing power based on the specific needs of varied user scenarios. By combining and allocating on-device and cloud resources, it strikes an optimal balance between efficiency and experience while meeting diverse user demands.

The new batch of LLMs also boasts of a reduction in power consumption and ROM and RAM usage, as well as an increase in loading speed and word output speed.

Enhanced AI Agent

Meanwhile, HONOR also announced enhanced capabilities for its AI Agent, YOYO. YOYO’s new functionalities enable it to handle complex tasks seamlessly, such as ordering coffee or managing schedules with just a simple command. As such, users can interact more intuitively and efficiently on HONOR devices.

YOYO currently possesses advanced human-centric scenario understanding capabilities. It can comprehend 600 types of user intents, remember 950 personal habits, and plan 270 complex tasks.

With a single command, YOYO can automatically execute 900 tasks, such as ordering coffee and tea, managing app auto-renewal, permission, notifications, converting documents, and even filling out forms.

The upcoming HONOR Magic7 series is among the first devices to enjoy these improvements.

Updates to Magic Portal, Capsule

Furthermore, HONOR is bringing updates to Magic Portal and Magic Capsule. In MagicOS 9.0, Magic Portal now offers a more intuitive and seamless experience. Users can simply circle objects to access text and image comprehension. That’s without the need to activate the device, allowing for direct access to the desired device.

Magic Portal can also understand contextual semantics and accurately interpret user intent, bringing more precise service recommendations. Moreover, it can now cover 10 major user scenarios and more than 100 applications.

On the other hand, Magic Capsule extends its application scenarios to cover frequently used ones. Covered are flights, ride-hailing, express delivery, takeaway, movie watching, gaming, system services, and more.

Better security

Lastly, HONOR is bringing an even more comprehensive security package to its devices with MagicOS 9.0.

For instance, the AI Deepfake Detection feature first discussed in MWC Shanghai earlier this year is now official under the new OS.

And for connectivity, MagicRing offers substantial upgrades in heterogenous networking, cross-device security collaboration, and self-organizing network capabilities.

This innovation ensures seamless service flow and allows flexible multi-device connections across various scenarios.

News

Honor is reportedly working on a 14000mAh battery

How much is too much?

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Nothing goes together more than a Chinese smartphone brand and the relentless pursuit for a bigger battery. For years, Chinese brands have engaged in a war for this particular component. Now, the latest salvo has been fired. Honor is reportedly working on a phone with a gigantic 14000mAh battery.

Today, the biggest battery capacity you can find on an Honor phone is 11000mAh. The Honor X80 Pro Max already offers a battery that can last you more than a single day. At this point, it’s certainly more than enough for our daily needs.

According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a smartphone brand is currently working on a 14000mAh battery. Though the leak does not explicitly pinpoint Honor, the emoji used (a wolf) is historically used to imply the Chinese brand in Weibo parlance.

A 14000mAh is just absurdly huge. With a battery larger than some powerbanks, battery anxiety becomes moot. It’s bordering on “can we bring this on a plane” territory.

As with all rumored features, the next question is when this battery will arrive on a consumer-ready device. Given how serious the battery wars are for the Chinese market, it’s only a matter of time.

News

Nothing Phone (4b) shows up online, spoils some specs

It’s a step below the Phone (4a) series.

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Yesterday, Nothing officially teased the Phone (4b), an all-new line positioned below the Phone (4a) series. At the time, the teaser revealed nothing but the design of the upcoming phone. However, ahead of its July 7 launch, the Phone (4b) suddenly appeared on Geekbench, spoiling a few of its mysterious specs.

According to the listing, the Phone (4b) will run the SM6650, more popularly known as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. It’s a modestly powered processor built for the budget to midrange segments of the performance spectrum. Having this processor does confirm that the phone belongs to the step below the Phone (4a), bringing affordability to a name other than CMF.

Besides the processor, the new phone will come with an Adreno 810 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Inside, it will ship with Android 16 out of the box, but this will likely be upgradeable to Android 17 later this year.

It’s already confirmed that the Phone (4b) will be quite the looker. The phone will slightly depart from the design philosophy of the Phone (4a) series. Though it will still have a sizable rear island, the camera setup will just be a small vertical strip on the top-left corner. Additionally, the lighting element typical of all Nothing phones will be a small horizontal strip on the bottom-right corner.

Thankfully, the wait for more specs won’t be long. Nothing has confirmed that the phone’s launch is set for July 7.

News

Polaroid says, enjoy the beach before AI ruins it

“We know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it.”

Published

June 25, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Tongue-in-cheek marketing is a soothing balm for a world where false promises are more often advertised. But, what happens when those tongue-in-cheek jokes strike a nerve and make you think, “maybe this isn’t a joke anymore”? Polaroid, a huge proponent of analog technology, has put up such a billboard to enjoy the beach “before the data centers drink it all up.”

Right in front of Coney Island (and right in time for summer), Polaroid has a simple message: “Go jump in the water before the data centers drink it all up.”

Though funny by itself, the message plays on an ongoing fear that today’s data centers, built for AI, have such a high water requirement that each query takes up gallons every time. This is, of course, slightly hyperbolic, but data centers are indeed exerting a lot of pressure on their area’s resources. They take a lot of water for cooling and electricity to keep open.

In a statement, Polaroid says that they’re not anti-digital. Rather, “we know we have to live alongside it, but we’re deeply pro-human and know what humanity gives us. And we know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it. That’s a fight worth fighting,” says Polaroid’s creative director Patricia Varella, via LBB.

Now, this isn’t a completely altruistic ad. It’s still advertising the new Go Generation 3. Still, if you’re looking for a product to go alongside today’s shifting sentiments against AI, a Polaroid might be it.