Honor makes big push into 5G smartphones

Honor, one of the two signature smartphone brands of Huawei Technologies Co, is making a big push into the 5G market, with its first 5G smartphone series unveiled to target consumers eager to embrace cutting-edge technology.

The move came after Honor outperformed its target for 2019 in China and posted growth in overseas markets despite the curbs from the US government.

Starting from 3,299 yuan in China ($470), Honor V30 is so far the lowest-priced 5G smartphone series in the country. It marks the ambition of Honor to establish a beachhead in the fiercely competitive 5G market.

Zhao Ming, president of Honor, said with good design and strong performance, V30 is going to set a benchmark for future 5G smartphones in China.

Honor V30 series include V30 and V30 Pro two models. Both the smartphones are 5G enabled and pack some quality hardware such as the HiSilicon Kirin 990 chipset, triple-rear cameras, and a dual-punch hole display panel.

They all support both non-standalone and standalone 5G networks. Non-standalone 5G deployment offers a way for companies to set up 5G base stations by partially relying on current 4G network infrastructure while standalone architecture means building completely new ones.

"Only smartphones that support both NSA and SA 5G network can become widely popular among China, for most 5G networks in the country will be constructed in SA architecture,"Zhao said.

Honor, created in 2013 to complement the Huawei brand, focuses primarily on its target audience of millennials and people pursuing young fashionable lifestyles. It is now the most popular smartphone brand on China's e-commerce channels and it has also been expanding presence in the offline retail landscape.

According to Zhao, the company has so far opened more than 2,000 offline stores to sell smartphones.