You’ve probably already heard the news about Honor’s latest Magic 7 Pro flagship smartphone, but did you know that there’s an ultra-premium Porsche version of the camera phone too, that looks slightly different? Tobias Hüttl, Head of Design Studio at Porsche, kindly sat down with me to answer a few questions on this automotive design collaboration for Honor's new Magic 7 series.
Honor and Porsche have collaborated for three generations of smartphones now, starting with the Honor Magic V2, followed by the Porsche Design Magic 6. The newest Honor Magic7 RSR from Porshe Design however takes this to new levels, yet continues the iconic hexagonal camera design trend that we’ve seen on previous Porsche X Honor handsets.
I was invited by Honor to the stunning resort of Bled in Slovenia this week to see first-hand the new Magic 7 AI devices (including the indestructible Magic 7 Lite), and to experience the company's innovations in advanced durable AI technology. This Porsche handset is not only exquisite, but ignites an existing trend of merging premium sports car-inspired design with the latest tech. Tobias Hüttl shares the Magic7 RSR colour selection and design process.
Do you have a favourite aspect of the RSR 7 phone? A favourite design element?
I like the fact that you can hold it in your hand and it feels premium and special, right? Without needing a visual of it. So I think that's very nice. And I also like the sharp edges that you can feel around the camera unit at the back, I think that's adding this very central quality that helps people appreciate the project.
Can you tell me a bit about the colours of the Honor Magic7 RSR Porsche design?
The two colours that we have are Agate Grey and Provence. With those colours, we hoped to differentiate quite strongly between customer choices. Provence is much more subtle than the Frozen Berry Metallic [this was a colour option available with the Magic 6] which is more vibrant, and as the name suggests, more like an ice cream. But the Provence is something that’s toned down, less reflective, with less saturation. I think it's also a little bit more bluish compared to the Frozen Berry.
We've tried different directions, and then the choice finally fell on the Provence. We think it's a bit of a mystery colour, and it's something that's still subtle, but at the same time, I think that's something that we like a lot about it. It's not resembling a super strong race car colour or anything. It's elegant still, even though it's something that people can recognize and see as something special.
Is there a reason why you didn't opt for turbonite as a colour choice for the phone?
[This is the popular grey Pantone hue that was made exclusively for Porsche].
So the turbonite is interesting because it's dedicated to Porsche's turbo collection, right? So with our phone not being a turbo phone, it would not have been a very consistent story.
Read more: Porsche's turbonite is the most surprising colour trend of NYFW
Is this handset trying to sell a smartphone to a Porsche owner, or a Porsche to Honor customers?
It can work both ways. I mean, in the end, I think that the product should stand for itself. It should have a quality for itself, character for itself. There is a connection, for sure, with everything that's in the Porsche cosmos and with the Porsche DNA as well. We think that it's grown up enough to hold its own justification and attraction as a product.
How did you work with Honor over decisions such as colour, material, and form?
In the beginning, with the ideation phase, we're very broad. So we are looking into all different kinds of directions and ideas, but then there are certain colours which work in certain settings and maybe not in others. Some things make sense with the design of the car but not so much within the phone world.
With Honor, we kind of sit down and discuss together what's the common denominator within our understanding of aesthetics, and then we find the right material for the right product. Materials are always something that we are interested in. If you look at the phones, materials are one of the differentiating factors.
Did you seek any feedback from customers and fans of the brand?
There's lots of input from all kinds of dimensions. So there are customer inputs, and there's also market inputs that we have within our broader corporation, but eventually, we made a decision with what colour to go with on an informed basis.
Were there any big design decisions that you couldn't agree on?
It's always like that. I think that’s the nature of design. You come up with a lot of ideas, but then again, I think it's very important to also have restrictions in the design process. So it was the balance between something that people think of without any kind of limitations, and that's what's possible on the other side, and in the end, you find the best solution with a product that's feasible and aesthetically pleasing. There are mostly technical limitations. Things like user habits and economics people have that we have to take into account.
Did Porsche Design have any input on the software within the Magic 7 series?
So what was important for us on the software part is that we have one design, for hardware and software, and we had a strong impact on the graphics for the user interface buttons as well, to make it a homogeneous experience as a user. There are new software features [compared with the Honor Magic 6] within the new iOS, so we've also taken that into account for the design elements.
Do you feel that the crossover between automotive design and global fashion trends will eventually have the same weight in the smartphone industry?
That's very interesting. I think that people hold phones very dearly, and I think that's something that everyone has to deal with. So naturally, I think phones and cars are things that people will consider a very attractive product in their minds. So to think about the relationship of those two things is always important.
Is there a colour that you absolutely would not consider for this particular brand of phone?
I think it's always content-specific. It has to fit with the nature of the product and in this case with the RSR 7, I think the two colours that we have address a lot of customer needs. So you can have a buyer who is the subtle type, and the other one might be a bit more of the extrovert type. And I think it's a good mixture of colours. So I would say we keep this open. I wouldn't include all the colours. But logistically it's interesting.
The new Honor Magic7 RSR phone design incorporates some of Porsche's signature elements, including the hexagonal shape of the camera unit (resembling sports car headlights) and the seamless integration and nods to the aerodynamic aesthetics of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S sports car.
When I asked Tobias which phone colour he preferred out of the two options, he suggested, "personally, I would just get both".
If you're interested in owning this ultra-premium smartphone for yourself, expect to spend a staggering £1,549. This exclusive and limited smartphone will be available soon, but to be notified and register your interest, be sure to head to the Porsche website for all the details.
