Honor gets new CEO and brings new phones to SA for Chinese New Year
Zhao's tenure saw Honor surpass Samsung to become the top foldable handset manufacturer in Western Europe in the second quarter of last year and rank as the fifth-largest smartphone vendor in China with a 15% market share.
In South Africa the brand also had major wins. Honor 200 Lite was the best-selling postpaid device in July 2024.
Having 46% of its sales tied to postpaid plans was enough to outperform Samsung’s popular Galaxy A25 and A35.
Jian Li, a veteran executive from Huawei Technologies, will succeed Zhao as the new CEO.
Li has been with Honor for four years and has an extensive background in leadership roles across various geographic markets, including Africa and Europe.
Honor's board of directors acknowledged Zhao's outstanding contributions and expressed confidence in Li's ability to lead the company forward.
New devices and IPO
As Honor prepares for its initial public offering, the company has recently transformed into a joint stock limited company, changing its shareholding structure and adopting the name Honor Device.
This move is part of Honor's broader strategy to expand its presence in the premium smartphone segment and international markets.
The company plans to launch more than 30 products in Indonesia this year and open over 10 "experience" stores.
The transition in leadership comes at a pivotal moment for Honor as it expands into the West.
South Africa gets its first taste of MagicOS 9 devices when the local operation launches the Honor X9c on the Chinese New Year.
