How the AI Honor Image Engine redefines AI-powered photography

With smartphone usage scenarios continuing to diversify — from portrait photography to telephoto imagery and quick snapshots — consumers expect versatile photography capabilities from a single device. Understanding this evolving demand, global technology brand Honor has dedicated efforts to fine-tune its smartphones’ hardware and software components to ensure unparalleled image quality.

Recognising the pivotal role of AI in enhancing photography capabilities on the software front, Honor has been evolving its AI-driven Image Engine to push smartphone photography boundaries.

First introduced in 2021, the original Honor Image Engine used AI to blend images from multiple lenses for sharper results.

Honor has transformed smartphone portrait photography with the AI Honor Image Engine

The second version added Millisecond Falcon Capture and Ultra-fusion Computational Optics, boosting speed and image quality. Now, with the AI-powered Honor Image Engine, integrated into the Magic7 Series, Honor introduces the industry’s first on-device plus cloud mobile imaging system, offering advanced features that master light and shadow for stunning photos.

The AI Honor Image Engine features three specialised large models: the Light and Shadow Portrait Model for static scenes, the Telephoto Enhancement Model for sharp, detailed images and the Capture Enhancement Model for better motion shots. Together, these models elevate the Magic7 Series, offering advanced AI-driven photography that covers action, portraits and telephoto shots for an immersive, cutting-edge experience.

Mastering light and shadow

Honor has transformed smartphone portrait photography with the AI Honor Image Engine, integrating the Light and Shadow Portrait and Telephoto Enhancement Models. This system powers advanced features such as AI-enhanced Portrait, All-scenario Harcourt Portrait, AI Super Zoom and Stage Mode, featured in the Honor Magic7 Series.

The AI-enhanced Portrait offers ultra-high-definition portraits across a 1x to 6x focal length, enhancing image quality with AI Resolution Enhancement, noise reduction and dynamic pixel adjustments. It optimises lighting for better clarity in both well-lit and low-light conditions, enhancing dynamic range and colour transitions for more natural, detailed portraits.

Stage Mode, powered by the Light and Shadow Portrait Model, captures high-quality performance moments with refined exposure and vivid colours, even in complex lighting like concerts and festivals. The AI-enabled bokeh effect replicates real optical systems, ensuring sharp subjects with smooth background transitions.

The All-Scenario Harcourt Portrait feature provides studio-like image quality at any distance, now with a 6x focal length for greater flexibility. It refines skin tones and facial details while preserving natural characteristics, making it ideal for stunning, professional-looking portraits.

Enhancing versatility with AI Super Zoom for scenery capture

The Honor Magic7 Pro boasts the Honor AI Falcon camera system featuring a pioneering 200-megapixel telephoto camera with the advanced 1/1.4-inch telephoto sensor and a large f/2.6 aperture. To achieve professional telephoto lens standards, Honor has crafted a proprietary structure that includes a dual lens group with an aspherical lens that aids in reducing stray light, minimising dispersion and enhancing overall optical performance.

By merging cutting-edge hardware with the Telephoto Enhancement Large Model on cloud, Honor introduces the ground-breaking AI Super Zoom feature, designed for framing the breathtaking beauty of sceneries including natural landscape. This feature enables remarkable focal lengths ranging from 30x to 100x along with AI-enhanced resolution, allowing users to capture detailed, sharp images even at significant distances.

The Telephoto Enhancement Large Model on the cloud is capable of driving 12.4 billion parameters of data to enhance image quality and generate vivid details at high speed. To achieve this, the cloud large model processes 1 270 billion data points for each shot.

Honor has consistently advanced its hardware and software to improve capture speed and image clarity

Tailored for diverse motion scenarios, the AI Honor Image Engine seamlessly integrates the Capture Enhancement Large Model, enhancing the image quality of moving scenes through AI Motion Sensing Capture and HD Super Burst. The AI Motion Sensing Capture, powered by an AI-driven intent recognition engine, excels at capturing precise motion shots by analysing and identifying subject movements.

Through capabilities like subject detection and facial evaluation, this engine swiftly recognises various shooting subjects, from humans to beloved pets like cats and dogs while discerning subtle facial expressions and body gestures, allowing users to effortlessly capture cherished moments with their companions using AI Motion Sensing Capture.

Acknowledging the increasing popularity of sports photography, Honor has consistently advanced its hardware and software to improve capture speed and image clarity, empowering users to capture professional sports image.

Additionally, the new HD Super Burst feature allows users to capture rapid sequences at 10 frames per second, expanding opportunities for snapshot photography on smartphones. Whether it’s capturing a leisurely jog or thrilling sports events such as a swimming competition, the feature allows the camera swiftly to detect and predict the movement of shooting subjects, empowering users to capture moments with unparalleled clarity and precision on every shot, regardless of the setting or intensity of the action.

Honor sets new AI standards in smartphone photography

Honor is steadfast in its mission to redefine the standards of AI excellence within smartphone photography, striving to provide users with the utmost intelligent capturing experience. Powered by the potent AI Honor Image Engine, the Honor Magic7 Series empowers users to embark on an holistic AI-centric photography journey, catering to the varied and evolving photography needs of users.

Pioneering ground-breaking advancements in smartphone photography, Honor stands out as the first smartphone manufacturer seamlessly to fuse the capabilities of cloud AI and on-device AI within mobile imaging, underscoring its unwavering dedication to establishing new benchmarks within the industry.