Honor (brand)
Honor (stylized and marketed as HONOR) is a smartphone brand majority owned by a state-owned enterprise controlled by the municipal government of Shenzhen. It was formerly owned by Huawei Technologies. As part of the former owner Huawei Consumer Business Group's dual-brand strategy, Honor provides smartphone handsets targeting young consumers but has released tablet computers and wearable technology as well. As of 2016, George Zhao served as global president of Honor. In November 2020, Honor was acquired by Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co., Ltd. History and business model. Founded in 2013, Honor's line of  smartphones allowed Huawei to compete with mid-range online smartphone brands in China and globally. Honor sells its products mainly online through its own sites as well as via third-party online retailers. Some Honor products are available to purchase at stores in select markets. In November 2020, the Honor brand was sold to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology, a majority state-owned company controlled by the Shenzhen municipal government, to "ensure" its then-parent company, Huawei's survival, due to US sanctions against them. U.S. sanctions restricted the sale of hardware components to Huawei by American firms. Timeline of  international expansion. Honor began its international expansion in April 2014, launching the Honor 3C in Malaysia, followed by the release of the Honor 6 in Europe in October. By June 2015, the brand had expanded into 74 countries, including in Europe, India, and Japan. Honor released the Honor 7 in July 2015, and in October that year, announced its goal to increase revenue to $5 billion (double the previous year) with plans to focus on India. In 2015, Honor's Vmall online store, previously available only in China, launched in Europe and the United Kingdom, enabling direct purchases from  the manufacturer. In late 2015, Honor confirmed plans to bring its smartphone range and wearable technology to the United States. Honor made its debut in the United States with the release of the Huawei Honor 5X at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2016. Initially available for online purchase only, the Huawei Honor 5X was later made available at select brick-and-mortar stores. In August 2016, "Recode" reported that Honor had sold over 60 million products, generating over $8.4 billion in revenue. In January 2017 at CES, Honor announced that the Honor 6X, previously available only in  China, would expand into thirteen new markets, including the United States. The phone earned "best of CES 2017" accolades from several technology publications, including Android Authority, "Digital Trends", "Slash Gear", and "Talk Android". On 21 January 2021, Honor launched their first non-Huawei phone, the V40, after the notable blow to the production of Honor devices through the forced removal of Google's Android mobile operating system and lack of support from Huawei's R&D division.