HONOR has officially unveiled its latest Android UI update, MagicOS 8.0, which is being hailed as the industry’s first “intent-based UI.” While the initial announcement was made in China, the company has provided English information regarding MagicOS 8.0, indicating that the features discussed are likely applicable and similar to the global version.
MagicOS 8.0 is described as having a “fully integrated platform-level AI” and being the first UI to showcase a groundbreaking intent-based user interface (IUI). HONOR claims that MagicOS 8.0 brings comprehensive enhancements in four key areas: performance, smart connectivity, visual design, as well as security and privacy.
Aside from the new operating system, HONOR also introduced MagicLM, a proprietary on-device large language model that comes with seven billion parameters. MagicLM functions within MagicOS, enhancing the platform-level AI’s capability to understand user intentions and provide an optimized experience. HONOR’s CEO, George Zhao, expressed excitement about the company’s AI advancements, stating that MagicOS 8.0 and MagicLM mark a noteworthy milestone in HONOR’s on-device AI efforts, taking them closer to a next-generation human-device interaction and ecosystem.
HONOR also unveiled Magic Portal, an intent-based shortcut recommendation feature that enables seamless switching and access to services across apps and devices with a single swipe. Upon launch, Magic Portal will initially support more than 100 apps across various categories, while global support details remain undisclosed. HONOR also mentioned that the newly unveiled MagicLM is optimized in collaboration with Qualcomm, ensuring smooth operation on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which powers HONOR’s flagship Android phone, the Magic6 Pro.
HONOR has also made improvements to its MagicRing feature with the introduction of MagicOS 8.0. MagicRing can now support connections from both point-to-point networks as well as fully connected networks, offering 25% better power efficiency and boasting a 500% increase in speed.
According to HONOR, MagicOS 8.0 is designed to deliver services based on user intentions rather than mere requests. Its IUI is said to be capable of interpreting language, gestures images, and even eye movements in order to fully understand a user’s intent and proactively offer services.
While HONOR primarily emphasized the AI capabilities and system-level enhancements of MagicOS 8.0, it remains to be seen if there will be any notable front-end features or UI modifications introduced with this latest version.