Honor Phones Getting Liquid Glass Design and More AI

Honor has unveiled MagicOS 11, its Android 17-based operating system, during the company's Global Developer Conference. The update brings an iOS-inspired liquid glass design, enhanced system animations, an improved Yoyo AI assistant, better storage management, and wider cross-device connectivity. Compatible Honor phones will receive the update as it becomes available globally.

Honor created the new interface using its Luminous and Hummingbird base architectures, which aim to enhance user interface dynamics, AI processing, and hardware performance. Despite the more intricate visual design, the company claims MagicOS 11 offers up to 20% faster system animations than MagicOS 10. The update also features redesigned icons, menu items, and widgets, with customization options for the tint of home screen icons and the dock.

Yoyo AI has received a significant upgrade, with Honor stating that Yoyo can now handle over 1,000 scenarios and integrate with more than 10,000 third-party AI services across China. The assistant can also handle lengthy multi-step tasks involving up to 100 steps. MagicOS 11 also introduces Storage Space 2.0, which employs lossless compression for stored data and can potentially free up to 60GB of storage without compromising data integrity.

Additionally, the operating system expands file sharing and device connectivity, allowing users to connect and share files with Apple ecosystem devices, as well as Oppo, vivo, and Xiaomi devices.

MagicOS 11 will debut on the upcoming Honor Magic9 series and is currently available for public testing on more than 18 devices, including the Magic8 series, Magic V6, Honor 600 series, Magic6 series, Magic V3, Honor 400 series, and Honor 500 series. Further devices are expected to join the internal beta testing program between October and November.