How honor evolving photography is with Aimage

The Honor CEO James Li, James Li, announced Honor’s Alpha Plan, and was planning to transform the company into an AI device ecosystem.

That plan starts with “an intelligent telephone”, and although that was not visible at MWC, the four building blocks were a mobile AI agent, an all-ecosystem file transfer, deepfake AI detection and a new series of photographic tools in the Aimage Suite.

I spoke with Luo Wei van Honor, Chief Imaging Architect at Honor, to learn more about the modern challenges of imaging, where image data is processed and how Honor’s AI software can influence consumers and professional photographers.

Honor’s Imaging History

Returning to Honor 6 Plus, Honor has bent heavily into photography and both a distinctive factor and an illustration of technical skills. The 6 Plus was in the first wave of smartphones with a main camera with double lenses, something the riguur today, but brand new and ten years ago as experimental.

Cnet’s Andrew Laxon in 2014: “Although the three images were all taken from the same single photo, I was able to change the focus to contain Lego Milhouse in the background, the robot on the front, or keeps all parts of the scene in focus. It is just a digital effect, but it will do well and they will do some creative background -reduring backgrounds.”

Then the push was in hardware. With the launch of the Aimage Suite, today’s push is in software

Before we go to Aimage, I wanted to ask why Honor leans in photography. It must be more than demonstrating advanced technology that consumers can easily see as “better than last year’s model”?

“I believe that recording is crucial for everyone,” Wei explains. “What we leave in life are these memories, either happy or sad. They are proof of our existence on this insignificant blue planet in our huge universe.”

BEF is about imaging software

There will be a time when only hardware improvements cannot offer a significant advantage in a smartphone camera. This is where software comes in, and one of the unfortunate heroes of this approach is the possibility to innovate quickly. AIMAGE focuses on “the mismatch between the rapid pace of the development of new algorithm and the relatively slower product cycles of chip platforms.”

AI smartphones were introduced as a concept of Google with the Pixel 8 series and Android 14. Launch at the end of 2023, manufacturers moved visibly to Generative AI in 2024. MWC 2025 heralds a stream of ai-enabled smartphones. Honor follows his belief in the power of mobile photography by using AI to offer more access to photography.

How can AI routines on a smartphone increase access?

“Although smartphones have made photography accessible to everyone in recent years, some users still hesitate to take photos or take their own photos. I believe that this is mainly due to their photography skills, and we hope that AI can tackle this problem.”

Honor image on the device or in the cloud

Of course, image processing on smartphones is not a new function. The recent addition of machine learning and neural interface has been used by people such as Nvidia, Arm and Apple as software “specially designed for the platforms of the respective makers.” ((Morikawa, C., Kobayashi, M., Satoh, M. et al. Image and video processing on mobile devices. “). AI is another tool, a powerful tool that is in combination with the current code.

One of the most important differences is that AI image processing can be done in the cloud and on the device; The first uses more processing power, which makes data security and speed possible. How does Honor split those two approaches with Aimage?

“Our local model is 3B, and it is not only a distilled and quantified version of the cloud model. At least it is not a subset of our current commercial cloud model. It is specifically trained for portrait processing and is specially optimized for the AI ​​-Framework of the SOC platform.”

The cloud-based component is generally split into two, as Wei explains: “The first method includes processing the image using on-device models first and then uploading the JPG to the cloud for processing with cloud-based generative models; the other is a complete end-to-end workfit upload. “

Honor’s imaging approach of professionals and consumers

The recording of RAW points to honor that professionals want to attract to his smartphones, perhaps as the second camera that many wear instead of an advanced compact camera. The image of a professional photographer remains one of a SLR camera with different lenses that are switched off until the photographer stops and is immobile for a minute. What does Aimage offer them?

“We want to offer them the best performing camera that is also the most convenient to operate and offers complete control. Professional photographers must find shooting positions and after photographing they have to work on color reduction and special effects. Aimage has the potential to improve these aspects – which suggests that shooting positions, simulating effects and dealing with more unpleasant work after processing. This does not mean that we do everything ourselves – we will certainly collaborate with the industrial ecosystem. ”

What about the other end of the spectrum?

There is a lot of technical talk behind AI and imaging. You have discussions about editing, object removal, generative AI filling when you cut an image and a raw file support … but there is a majority of consumers who just want ‘a really beautiful camera’, they can point something and press a single button.

Research supports this, as detailed in a study into the use of smartphone camera in the more than 50s. ‘People older than 50 do not have many requirements for the functions in the application of the smartphone camera. What they need is to take photos, record videos and watch albums. What they want is the simplicity, easy and safe operation of the interface. ((Jiang, J., Zhang, W., Jeung, J. (2020). Provisional exploration of interface design for seniors).

How much from Aimage can be hidden, so that my nan can use an honorary phone and still see a difference in her photos?

“If she focuses and shoots, she gets a photo that has been processed by a professional photography” Brain “, with composition, lighting and colors that better match her aesthetic preferences.

Honor and the future

It is impossible to discuss AI without discussing the impact of generative AI on the creative industry, of which photography and illustration are in the front line. Where does Wei think that Honor belongs in that debate?

“Every tool that can improve creative efficiency and make opportunities more accessible to everyone will certainly have vitality. Of course we have to consider how AI’s strong intervention today influences the ontology of photography, although this is not entirely the responsibility of manufacturers.

“I believe time will give us the answers.”

Last year, generative AI saw in smartphones in smartphones as ‘the next big thing’. This year, consumers will be looking for tangible benefits. Honor has set a long-term path to that vision and ensure that the first step-imaging is exceeding expectations.

You can know more about the aimage of Honor on its website, and Aimage starts to roll out in March, Initially to the Magic7 Pro.