Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission.Learn more.
HONOR planning a 5G smartphone for the second half of 2019
August 02, 2025
With parent companyHuaweigoing full-steam ahead with5G, sub-brandHonorannounced its own 5G plans during a group interview withAndroid Authorityin Paris. More specifically, HONOR president George Zhao confirmed that the company is working on a 5G smartphone.
In the interview, Zhao suggested HONOR’s 5G smartphone would arrive in the “second half of the year.” However, exactly “when and which model depends on the operators’ infrastructure and progress.”
This is the first time sinceSeptember 2018that Zhao talked about HONOR’s 5G plans. Back then, Zhao claimed that HONOR’s 5G smartphone would be the first and that the phone will launch sometime in 2019. Since then, however,Samsung,LG, andOnePlusalso announced plans to release 5G smartphones in 2019.
The “where” part of that equation is an important one for HONOR. Parent company HUAWEI currently has a frosty relationship with the U.S. government and faces a13-count indictmentin the country. The U.S. was already reportedly mulling over whether toban HUAWEI telecommunications equipmentfrom the country over security concerns.
Compounding matters wasCanada’s arrestof HUAWEI CFO Meng Wanzhou. The U.S. government confirmedit will pursue Meng’s extraditionand had until yesterday to submit an extradition request.
Across the ocean, Australia and New Zealandalready bannedHUAWEI’s telecommunications equipment for their 5G networks, with Japanreportedly announcinga similar move soon.
These moves against HUAWEI could trickle down to HONOR and affect the latter’s ability to deliver a 5G smartphone in certain regions. That said, HUAWEI’s business seems unaffected in the regions that really matter: Europe, India, and China. As such, HONOR’s 5G aspirations would remain similarly unaffected if it sticks to those regions.
Thank you for being part of our community. Read ourComment Policybefore posting.
