When HONOR chose Riyadh to launch its Magic V6 foldable, it used the occasion to signal something bigger. Alongside the device reveal, the company unveiled an ambitious B2B strategy aimed squarely at Saudi Arabia’s fast-evolving enterprise market. For Nicky Nahar, Global Product Marketing Director at HONOR, the timing is deliberate.
“What we really want to do within the B2B space is drive a very connected world and power businesses to reach limitless potential,” Nahar told Saudi Gazette on the sidelines of the launch event.
The strategy is rooted in what HONOR calls its Alpha Plan, announced at MWC alongside a new CEO and backed by $10 billion in investment from the company’s Shenzhen headquarters. The plan outlines a three-stage ambition: build the world’s most intelligent smartphone, then the most intelligent ecosystem, and ultimately an intelligent world. B2B is now central to that journey.
It is a significant pivot for a brand built on consumer devices. HONOR has spent years cultivating recognition in the personal smartphone market, and Nahar acknowledges the challenge of translating that equity into enterprise credibility.
“What you’ll see from us is how we’re going to transfer all of the B2C equity that we’ve built in Saudi
Arabia and actually transfer that over to the B2B side,” he said.
Security sits at the heart of the offer. Businesses considering HONOR’s enterprise solutions will find the company leaning hard on credentials: ISO accreditation, information security white papers and government framework compliance. Its AI Deepfake Detection technology, which allows users to verify whether a video caller is real or AI-generated, is positioned as a practical trust mechanism for enterprise clients.
Partnerships with Google and Microsoft are cited as further reassurance for organisations making significant technology investments.
The verticals HONOR is targeting in the Kingdom reflect where the construction and development boom is most visible. The company already has traction in education, construction and logistics through its tablet devices, but it is the AI helmet and AI Tower products that Nahar describes with the most enthusiasm.
The AI helmet, designed for industrial environments, is a natural fit for a country mid-way through one of the largest construction programmes in history.
“With everything Vision 2030 is delivering, we see a huge amount of opportunity there,” Nahar said.
AI Tower, meanwhile, is aimed at small and medium enterprises. The device functions as a business intelligence hub and is designed to help SMEs access AI-powered tools without the infrastructure overhead that typically comes with enterprise technology adoption.
The question of when HONOR’s most talked-about product will reach Saudi consumers remains open. The robot phone, which generated significant attention at MWC, is currently in its final testing phase ahead of a commercial launch in China in the second half of this year. A MENA release will follow once the company has learned from the domestic rollout.
“What that will allow us to do is learn on the fly, test, and make sure that we can improve the experiences for users worldwide,” Nahar said.
It is a measured approach for a product that drew an outsized response. HONOR describes the robot phone as a new species of smartphone, and the company is clearly aware that getting the commercial experience right matters as much as the technology itself.
For now, HONOR’s focus in Saudi Arabia is on building the B2B foundations: relationships, accreditations, vertical expertise and a service model built around business outcomes rather than device sales.
Whether the company can make the same ground in enterprise that it has made in consumer will be tested in one of the region’s most competitive and fast-moving technology markets. Nahar is unequivocal about where the company stands.
“HONOR is ready to deliver these AI experiences and drive limitless potential for businesses,” he said.
Source: Saudi Gazette