Following the launch of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite platform, we’ve seen the first official Honor Magic7 series teasers, with the upcoming Android flagship devices utilizing the newly announced silicon. As is very much the trend in 2024, there’s a heavy focus on AI, but this time around, there’s a surprise addition that could dramatically improve gaming performance.
Details are sparse at the moment, but Honor has begun teasing real-time AI graphics rendering for mobile gaming powered by its on-device NPU. It’s an industry first, and the brand says it’ll reduce GPU load, lower temperatures, and deliver a higher overall image quality. That could make it real competition for some of the devices on our list of the best gaming phones, such as the RedMagic 9S Pro, though there are more Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered rivals on the way in the form of the newly announced Asus ROG Phone 9.
It sounds like it’ll be a similar technology to Nvidia’s DLSS or AMD’s FSR, only developed for the mobile platform. These solutions use AI to upscale your gameplay to higher resolutions and can even generate extra frames for smoother gameplay, all while putting less strain on the GPU. Of course, this is speculation, but the teaser certainly gives that impression.
It’s also worth noting that even without Honor’s AI buff, the Snapdragon 8 Elite promises big gains in the gaming department. Qualcomm is claiming up to 40% performance improvements in gaming, with up to 40% lower power consumption on the GPU. These phones are going to be seriously powerful, and we can’t wait to put them to the test ourselves.
Outside of gaming, Honor is also teasing the world’s first AI Agent for an open ecosystem. This essentially means you’ll be able to use a text or voice prompt and the on-device AI will be able to act on your behalf. Honor’s examples included ordering a takeout, booking train tickets, and canceling unwanted subscriptions. That last one is particularly useful for anyone who constantly finds themselves forgetting to cancel free trials.
If it all works (that’s a big “if”) it could be an absolute game-changer. We’re sure to find a lot more when the Honor Magic 7 series goes official in China on October 30, with a global launch expected in early 2025. If that’s too long to wait for a new device, be sure to check out our guides to the best Android phones and the best mid-range phones to find options across a range of budgets.