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Honor introduces Magic V3 smartphone to global customers as world's first phone with AI Defocus technology to help prevent nearsightedness

Honor introduces Magic V3 smartphone to global customers as world's first phone with AI Defocus technology to help prevent nearsightedness. (Image source: Honor)
Honor introduces Magic V3 smartphone to global customers as world's first phone with AI Defocus technology to help prevent nearsightedness. (Image source: Honor)
Honor will introduce the Magic V3 smartphone to global customers at an upcoming IFA 2024 event as the world's first phone with AI Defocus technology to help prevent nearsightedness. Myopia is a growing health problem that affects up to 80% of children worldwide. AI Defocus selectively blurs the screen image to help reduce myopia progression due to long hours of phone use.

Honor plans to introduce the Magic V3 smartphone to global customers at an upcoming IFA 2024 event as the world's first phone with AI Defocus technology to help prevent nearsightedness. Myopia is a growing health problem that affects up to 80% of children worldwide. Besides genetics, insufficient daylight exposure and long hours studying indoors also contribute to nearsightedness.

Myopia also increases the risk of developing long-term eye-health problems, such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and retinal detachment. Bright sunlight exposure for two hours or more a day slows the progression of myopia, but prolonged reading of books and smartphones up-close quickens it.

AI Defocus selectively blurs the screen image to help reduce myopia progression. The technology borrows from a unique lens design called the Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) lens. A DIMS lens has a properly focused center, while the surrounding area becomes increasingly defocused as the distance from the center increases. The partially blurry image apparently slows myopia progression in the short term (0-6 years), but the long-term effect (decades) is unknown.

Temporary nearsightedness after reading for 25 minutes is improved by 0.13D to 0.75D (13 to 75 degrees) when using AI Defocus based on an internal Honor study. When compared to defocusing glasses, AI Defocus provides a similar level of benefit across 50 minutes of use. 

Readers should note that defocusing of smartphone displays has not been well-researched, and the health benefits of such devices have not been validated. The Honor Magic V3 is not a medical device and is not marketed to have any therapeutic functions. Unexpected side-effects might also occur from prolonged usage.

Readers who use smartphones constantly should consider buying a larger phone, setting a large font size, and holding the phone about 20 inches (~50 cm) away or greater. Also, try to spend several hours outdoors each day, perhaps doing some healthy walking in good shoes (like these on Amazon). Those already suffering from macular degeneration due to myopia can try vision supplements (like this one on Amazon).

Readers can watch a YouTube video by PhoneBuff for more sample images of Honor AI Defocus in action. Readers who understand Chinese can watch BiliBili videos of 胜利文绉绉 and 先看评测 visiting the Honor R&D lab in China for behind-the-scenes coverage.

AI Defocus simulates the defocusing effect of a DIMS lens in software. (Image source: 先看评测 on BiliBili)
AI Defocus simulates the defocusing effect of a DIMS lens in software. (Image source: 先看评测 on BiliBili)
The defocused image is sharp in the center, blurry around it. (Image source: 先看评测 on BiliBili)
The defocused image is sharp in the center, blurry around it. (Image source: 先看评测 on BiliBili)
The effect of AI Defocus is subtle and often only noticed when looking very closely. (Image source: PhoneBuff on YouTube)
The effect of AI Defocus is subtle and often only noticed when looking very closely. (Image source: PhoneBuff on YouTube)
Honor brought participants to their R&D lab in China to test the performance of AI Defocus on transient myopia. (Image source: 胜利文绉绉)
Honor brought participants to their R&D lab in China to test the performance of AI Defocus on transient myopia. (Image source: 胜利文绉绉)
Based on an internal Honor study, there was a positive effect on temporary myopia as measured by chorodial thickness in the back of the eye for most participants. (Image source: 胜利文绉绉 on BiliBili)
Based on an internal Honor study, there was a positive effect on temporary myopia as measured by chorodial thickness in the back of the eye for most participants. (Image source: 胜利文绉绉 on BiliBili)
Honor finds their AI Defocus technology to work similar well to an actual pair of defocusing glasses across 50 minutes of smartphone use. (Image source: Honor)
Honor finds their AI Defocus technology to work similar well to an actual pair of defocusing glasses across 50 minutes of smartphone use. (Image source: Honor)

June 26, 2024

HONOR Unveils Industry's First AI Defocus Eye Protection and AI Deepfake Detection

Debuted at MWC 2024, the latest HONOR features leverage hardware-level AI to relieve myopia and circumvent scams

www.honor.com/global/news/honor-shanghai-mwc-2024/

[SHANGHAI, CHINA– June 26, 2024] Global technology brand HONOR today revealed two industry-leading on-device AI innovations created to empower individuals and introduce a new level of user safety. During its keynote at MWC Shanghai 2024, titled “The Human-AI Synergy: Intelligent Devices Will Empower People Better,” HONOR showcased its latest advancements in human-centric AI, AI Defocus Eye Protection1 and AI Deepfake Detection. During the keynote session, the brand also reiterated its focus on human-centric on-device AI and its belief in the potential for AI-enabled hardware to empower users by delivering tailored services while protecting user privacy.

“AI is revolutionizing our lives and driving the smartphone industry forward, but much of the industry has focused on cloud-based AI, which is just a part of the puzzle. On-device AI, which is run on smartphones that understand us better than any other devices, is uniquely positioned to deliver services that are tailored to us and our preferences,” said George Zhao, CEO of HONOR Device Co., Ltd. “At HONOR, we believe on-device AI has the potential to empower users and become more capable in everything they do. We invite all industry players to join us as we explore the untapped potential of on-device AI.”

Evolving Eye Protection Technology from Prevention to Relief

Introducing the latest advancements in eye-protection technology, HONOR launched AI Defocus Eye Protection at MWC Shanghai. Noting the global increase in cases of nearsightedness caused by long-term screen usage, this technology leverages AI to simulate defocus glasses on the smart device’s display.

HONOR Unveils Industry's First AI Defocus Eye Protection and AI Deepfake Detection 1

Wearing defocus glasses is proven to be conducive to eye health as they intentionally induce controlled defocus in the user’s peripheral visual field to help maintain clear central vision. This effect creates an altered visual perception that slows down the eye elongation process, which leads to nearsightedness. Taking eye protection from prevention to creating technology that can lead to relief for consumers, HONOR’s AI Defocus Eye Protection has been shown to decrease users’ transient myopia by 13 degrees on average after reading for 25 minutes, with some users experiencing a maximum reduction of 75 degrees.2

Mitigating Fraud with AI Deepfake Detection

Circumventing the risks presented by cloud-based “deepfake” AI technology, HONOR has introduced AI Deepfake Detection. To help prevent fraud and detect digitally manipulated content, AI Deepfake Detection examines frame-by-frame information such as eye contact, lighting, image clarity, and video playback to identify flaws that are imperceptible to the human eyes.

HONOR Unveils Industry's First AI Defocus Eye Protection and AI Deepfake Detection 2

Additionally, the AI Deepfake Detection has been trained through a large dataset of videos and images related to online scams, enabling the AI to perform identification, screening, and comparison within three seconds. If synthetic or altered content is detected by the feature, a risk warning is immediately issued to the user, deterring them from continued engagement with the potential scammers for their safety.

For more information, please visit HONOR online store at www.honor.com/global/.

About HONOR 

HONOR is a leading global provider of smart devices. It is dedicated to becoming a global iconic technology brand and creating a new intelligent world for everyone through its powerful products and services. With an unwavering focus on R&D, it is committed to developing technology that empowers people around the globe to go beyond, giving them the freedom to achieve and do more. Offering a range of high-quality smartphones, tablets, laptops and wearables to suit every budget, HONOR’s portfolio of innovative, premium and reliable products enable people to become a better version of themselves.

For more information, please visit HONOR online at www.honor.com/global/ or email [email protected]

www.hihonor.com/global/club/

www.facebook.com/honorglobal/

twitter.com/Honorglobal

www.instagram.com/honorglobal/

www.youtube.com/c/HonorOfficial

1 This feature is not for medical use and does not have therapeutic functions.

2 Data from HONOR labs. 

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 08 > Honor introduces Magic V3 smartphone to global customers as world's first phone with AI Defocus technology to help prevent nearsightedness
David Chien, 2024-08-29 (Update: 2024-08-29)