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

Smart showcases cloud gaming platform in partnership with Blacknut

Play over 1,000 titles straight on your smartphones

Published

August 14, 2026

GadgetMatch

Philippines mobile service provider Smart showcased the country’s first cloud gaming platform in partnership with Blacknut at the recent Philippine GameDev Expo (PGDX) 2026.

As the event’s main presenter, Smart highlighted its collaboration with the cloud gaming subscription service. Together with its value-packed Power All offers, the network provider is highlighting what the future of gaming can look like.

Smart and TNT subscribers can conveniently access Blacknut Cloud Gaming through a dedicated site. Here, they can play more than 1,000 premium console and PC-quality games on their smartphones.

That’s without the need for expensive gaming hardware or lengthy downloads. Weekly subscriptions start at just PhP 145 and can be conveniently charged to prepaid load following a simple OTP verification process.

To make the experience better, Smart also has Power All offers, which provide generous open-access data for today’s digital lifestyles. There’s a package for cloud and mobile gaming, streaming, content sharing, and productivity.

Gaming

Ghost of Yotei gets a story expansion in October

The Complete Edition comes with the expansion and a roguelike mode.

Published

August 13, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Ghost of Yotei is a classic RPG experience set in the same universe as its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. In my opinion, Atsu’s journey of revenge feels a lot more fun than Jin’s battle to save his homeland. If you’re in the same boat, Ghost of Yotei is coming back on October 1 with brand-new content.

Without delving too much into spoiler territory, Ghost of Yotei has a conclusive ending. Rather than shoehorning a forced epilogue, Echoes of Sekigahara, the title of the upcoming story expansion, explores Atsu’s past.

As with Tsushima’s expansion, Echoes of Sekigahara features a new map with new enemies, weapons, and collectibles. It will be set in two different time periods.

Besides the story expansion, the upcoming update also has a new mode called Most Wanted, which Sucker Punch Production describes as their “spin on a roguelike.” The mode explores Atsu’s experience as a headhunter, feeding her with bounties and earnable perks.

The two new content expansions will come with in the upcoming Ghost of Yotei Complete Edition. The new edition, coming on October 1, will also come with the co-op Legends mode. It also has a few perks and customization options. The edition will sell for US$ 70.

If you already have the base edition, you can grab an upgrade for only US$ 15. If you don’t want to pay for the upgrade, the game is still getting a few minor tweaks.

News

HONOR isn’t taking the Robot Phone global — yet

The hardware is ready. The AI isn’t.

Published

August 13, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

The HONOR Robot Phone may have officially launched, but don’t expect this version to immediately make its way to global markets.

HONOR told media in Shenzhen that it currently has no plans to bring the current Robot Phone outside China. The main hurdle isn’t the hardware. It’s the phone’s AI experience, which is currently optimized for the Chinese market.

HONOR believes a future generation of the Robot Phone would be better positioned for a true global rollout once its AI experience is ready for markets outside China.

That doesn’t mean HONOR is abandoning the idea. Quite the opposite.

More than a phone with a moving camera

The Robot Phone is HONOR’s attempt to introduce a new idea to the smartphone market. It combines a smartphone with a 4DoF mechanical gimbal, allowing its camera to physically move.

Its AI features take that concept further. YOYO Robot Mode can use voice commands, gestures, and AI tracking to control the camera. It can also automatically pan and tilt to keep a person in frame during vlogs, livestreams, and video calls.

The phone also brings selected elements of ARRI Image Science and professional cinema workflows to its camera system. Its 200MP gimbal main camera supports 10-bit ARRI LogC3 recording, while ARRI Wide Gamut 3 and ARRI Looks give creators more control over their footage.

But HONOR isn’t treating the Robot Phone primarily as a volume-driving product.

The company says its bigger goal is to introduce a new concept to the smartphone market and see what kind of effect it can have.

That makes the Robot Phone an interesting experiment for HONOR. The hardware is already here. The company now wants to learn what happens when a smartphone can physically move, respond to its surroundings, and use AI to help operate itself.

For now, though, China is where that experiment begins.