Honor does not want to be a supporting actor in Brazil but has not yet been approved to enter the country

Honor introduced this Wednesday (24) in Brazil the X8b, an entry-level mobile phone that promises to attract users through experience. But there is one detail: This is not the official launch of the brand here as the brand has no plans to start sales in the country or set prices for the local market yet..

The X8b has good features like a durable 6.7-inch AMOLED display, a 108 MP camera, and a Magic Capsule, a display solution reminiscent of the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. It also has configurations with 8GB of RAM (with an additional 8GB of virtual memory) and up to 512GB of storage, as well as a 4,500mAh battery and 33W fast charging.

Introduced in December 2023, the Honor X8b is priced at around US$210 or R$1,100 in direct conversion. Although there is no estimate yet of the actual arrival in Brazil, the company explains that it wants to “come with everything”.

In an interview with TecMundoCaio Parente, public relations manager for Honor in Brazil, says: The company is still in the process of starting operations in Brazilbut it reveals high expectations.

“X line [de smartphones] It will not be officially released in Brazil. At least not right now,” he said. Regarding the presentation of the device, Parente says that it is about “really feeling the perception of the market and the Brazilian public.”However, for now, the brand has no official arrival or official device in the country yet.” he reinforces.

According to Parente, Honor is laying the groundwork to launch other smartphone models in Brazil in the future, but no date has been set yet. He reveals that the expectation is also to bring more advanced mobile phones to the country.

“We need to understand that everything right now is a learning experience for Honor. The brand has never had any operations here in Brazil,” says Bernardo Chianca, Honor’s marketing manager.

Honor does not want to be a supporting actor in Brazil

According to Parente, there is an expectation that the Honor X8b will be released in Brazil as one of the first mobile phones. But he notes that at this stage of market research, the company is now doing “a formal presentation of the devices to fully understand what Brazilians will want.”

He emphasized that the company’s arrival in the country is still possible, and that the Chinese company is trying to be attractive to consumers. Parente states that the work phase is “to have a fully solid and effective start and launch.”

During the interview, I asked about other companies that had come to the country and had to leave for marketing reasons. This is the case of Xiaomi, which launched direct operations in 2015 and announced its exit in 2018. He assures that the “solid” arrival will enable the company to have a “stable” foothold in the Brazilian market.

“So we can be sure that if entry into Brazil is approved, the brand is actually one of the first on the market and will not want to be a supporting player. And this includes several points, including not only the structure but also the brand’s work in the country. All this takes time. All this work we have done is to find this best way,” says Bernardo.

Executives state that they are working on the official and direct launch of Honor in Brazil, but do not emphasize partnerships with distributors and telephone carriers. “We do not have a definitive arrival of the brand, an official launch in Brazil or devices to be introduced at this time. But the intention of the brand is to come with an official launch and bring Honor to Brazil,” says Parente.

Regarding the details of this arrival, the company assures consumers that local production is possible, which must offer warranty and technical assistance in the country, as well as local support, respecting local market laws.

What is the benefit of Honor X8b?

In terms of design, the Honor X8b is reminiscent of some recent mobile phones. The device has straighter edges and curved corners; It is available in green, cyan, gray and black and has mid-range features.

The chipset used is Snapdragon 680, which is the same as the Galaxy A05s and Moto G32. There’s still MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13, compatibility with 4G networks and Bluetooth 5.0, but no NFC.

As for the cameras, the main sensor has 108 MP, 5 MP (depth and wide angle) and 2 MP for macro photography. On the front, the company invests in a 50 MP resolution camera, and the mobile phone can generally shoot in Full HD (1080p).