Given the sheer variety of headlines regarding ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Galaxy AI, and different astronaut-adjacent phrases in current months, you’d be forgiven for believing that synthetic intelligence (AI) is the very best factor since sliced bread. In fact, these headlines have typically see-sawed between slack-jawed marvel (see OpenAI) and brutal skepticism (see the Humane AI Pin), but it surely’s abundantly clear {that a} main shift is underway within the smartphone panorama.
Honor is the most recent cellular model to commit its future to the AI revolution. The corporate unveiled its formidable “four-layer AI structure” at VivaTech 2024. What does that imply, precisely? We’ll spare you the yawn-inducing complexity, however the firm behind the world’s thinnest foldable telephone has primarily outlined its plans to tackle the likes of Samsung and Apple with a collection of “cutting-edge” generative AI options powered by Google Cloud.
Honor is protecting the total extent of these options below wraps for now, however the model has teased an revolutionary new AI-powered portrait taking pictures mode for its upcoming Honor 200 collection smartphones. The mode goals to recreate the long-lasting Studio Harcourt technique of images.
If you happen to’re unfamiliar with Studio Harcourt, the 91-year-old French images studio is legendary for its black-and-white portraits of film stars and celebrities. Ingrid Bergman, Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf, Salvador Dalí, Roger Federer, and Monica Bellucci have all handed by the doorways of the Parisian studio at numerous factors since 1934. Now, by a brand new artistic partnership, Honor plans to leverage Studio Harcourt’s photographic experience in its upcoming cellular merchandise, starting with the Honor 200 collection in June.
The ‘Harcourt technique’ of portrait images is characterised by darkish, smoky glamor and punctiliously orchestrated shadows, and Honor says its AI-based software program has “discovered from an enormous dataset” of Studio Harcourt portraits to duplicate this course of on a smartphone digicam.
TechRadar was given a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glimpse at this supposedly “revolutionary” portrait mode throughout Honor’s VivaTech presentation, and it appears sure to assist the Honor 200 problem for a spot on our listing of the very best digicam telephones. However as with the remainder of Honor’s upcoming AI options, additional particulars on the model’s Studio Harcourt partnership are being saved behind closed doorways till later this 12 months.
Taking the combat to Samsung
As for a way Honor’s method to AI differs from, say, Samsung’s method, Honor CEO George Zhao informed TechRadar that his firm’s four-layer AI structure – which contains cross-device AI, platform-level AI, app-level AI, and Interface to Cloud-based AI – goals to ship a extra intent-based person expertise than is at present supplied by Galaxy AI.
In fact, we’ll have to attend till Honor really unveils its new generative AI options to know whether or not the corporate’s mobile-based AI answer can maintain a candle to Samsung’s more and more standard Galaxy AI suite, however the current growth of the previous’s Magic Portal shortcut characteristic hints at promising progress.
In essence, Magic Portal is an Honor-exclusive shortcut characteristic that permits you to change between apps and companies with a single swipe. For example, if a good friend sends you some location data and also you wish to get there in a rush, Magic Portal allows you to drag these particulars – in a single fell swoop – from the messages app throughout right into a appropriate ride-hailing or navigation app, saving you many clicks within the course of.
Honor confirmed at VivaTech that Magic Portal now helps over 100 apps throughout a variety of classes, together with journey, leisure, purchasing, and social media. So house owners of appropriate gadgets just like the Honor Magic 6 Professional can relaxation assured that Galaxy AI customers aren’t having all the AI enjoyable.