In Greek mythology, the hero Heracles is best known for his invincible lion skin, which serves as both a symbol of his valor and a protective armor. Yet, when confronted with truly life - threatening adversaries, he must discard this cumbersome old hide and expose his vulnerable flesh and blood to engage in battle.

On December 26, 2025, as I sat in the launch venue for the Honor WIN Series, I had a distinct sense that Honor, long - recognized for its "stable, balanced, and business - centric" image, has finally cast off its old lion skin. The Honor that was always dressed in a suit and played it safe has now shed its leather shoes, donned sneakers, and plunged head - first, mud - splattered, into the fray alongside the youth.

After the launch event,

Honor's Global CMO, Guan Haitao, spoke candidly at a closed - door meeting. He emphasized that Honor must have the courage to directly interact with consumers, respond sincerely to topics of concern, and use the self - deprecating humor and actions favored by the young to regain their favor.

Honor's openness yielded results that surpassed expectations. On its first day of sales, the Honor WIN Series claimed the top spot in terms of sales revenue across all brands and models on JD.com. It also secured the top position in sales volume on Tmall, Douyin, and Kuaishou. Moreover, according to official disclosures, the Honor WIN Series witnessed a comprehensive surge in sales, buzz, searches, conversions, and reputation, marking a triumph in integrated product marketing.

01

It's Not That Phones Are Getting Thicker; It's That Honor Has Found the Right Path

The move of the Honor WIN Series may seem radical, but it is actually a well - thought - out and strategic maneuver.

Over the past few years, gaming phones have been stuck in a false dilemma of trying to please everyone. RedMagic and ROG have attempted to function as mainstream devices by slimming down, only to retain their bulkiness and lose extreme performance. Mainstream flagships have tried to ride the gaming trend by adding VC cooling plates, but they struggle with thermal throttling after just ten minutes of high - load operation.

The logic behind the Honor WIN is simple, direct, and precise. Since the biggest pain point for hardcore gamers is having to play with a "power bank plugged in + cooling back clip attached," Honor decided to integrate both these accessories directly into the phone. Its 10,000mAh third - generation Qinghai Lake battery uses high - density silicon - carbon anode materials and a dual - cell parallel design, achieving an energy density of 800Wh/L while balancing the body thickness as much as possible. Paired with the industry's first Dongfeng Turbo Cooling System, featuring a 25,000 RPM ultra - compact fan and a dual 360° surround air intake design, it directly touches the chip's heat source, boosting cooling efficiency by 30%, reducing peak chip temperatures by 7°C. Combined with a 3D Butterfly Wing VC Cooling System and aerospace - grade thermal materials, it constructs a dual active - passive cooling matrix.

For college students and hardcore gamers who stare at screens for over 8 hours a day, the "thinness" in hand feel is far less important than the sense of security from "no overheating, no battery drain." More thoughtfully, the series' exclusive charge separation function bypasses the battery to directly power the motherboard during gaming, reducing heat and delaying battery aging—addressing core pain points in gaming scenarios. As Guan Haitao put it, Honor previously tried too hard to be a "jack - of - all - trades" machine, wanting to please everyone, only to end up looking bland. The emergence of the WIN Series shows Honor's willingness to "offend" business customers seeking thinness in order to firmly embrace the most discerning young gamers.

02

From "Component Stacking" to "Symbiosis": Redefining Gaming Boundaries

However, relying solely on "big battery + fan" component stacking can only lead to temporary victories. The Honor WIN must transcend hardware - centric thinking and build a "high - performance terminal ecosystem."

Guan Haitao mentioned "ecosystem collaboration" at the closed - door meeting, which is a crucial signal. Future gaming phones should not merely be gaming tools but "portable computing centers."

1. Peripheral Ecosystem "Console - ization": Honor should not just sell phones but create a Switch - like experience around the WIN Series. Can it launch dedicated modular gamepads? Can it achieve low - latency PC streaming via Type - C? When the WIN Series can play not just mobile games but 3A titles via streaming, it will encroach on the territory of PC emulators.

2. "Invisible Pain Point" Moats: While competitors focus on frame rates, Honor sees pain points beyond them. For instance, network stability—can it ensure "never dropping out" in complex signal environments like dorms or subways? For eye protection, the severe vision anxiety among hardcore gamers makes Honor's acclaimed Oasis Eye Care Technology an absolute necessity.

These "invisible" areas are where Honor's technological accumulation (MagicOS, communication tech) can truly outmaneuver competitors.

03

Shedding the "Huawei Derivative" Label: Honor Needs Another Breakthrough

Honor's external perception is that its products excel in performance but lack a distinctive design.

Five years after its independence, Honor's premium phones still struggle to escape the "Huawei Mate Series shadow": centered large circular camera modules, leather - like materials, and business - style color schemes. This design appeals to politicians and businesspeople but feels too "old - school" for the young. The instant recognition of Nothing Phone's design is what Honor currently lacks.

Yet, Honor is not short on "substance". The WIN Series supports IP69 dust and water resistance, offers a 5 - year fan cleaning service, and boasts stable, smooth performance from Magic OS 10, coupled with top - tier specs like the fifth - gen Snapdragon 8 Supreme Edition + LPDDR5X Supreme Edition memory, plus a 185Hz ultra - high refresh rate gaming screen and 480Hz global touch sampling rate—fully capable of competing head - on with rivals in performance. But aesthetically, Honor needs a complete overhaul. The WIN Series should not just be a feature - packed machine but look like a monster from the cyberpunk world.

04

Four "Tough Love" Suggestions for Honor

Combining Guan Haitao's mentions of brand reinvention and market opportunities, as an industry observer, here are several suggestions:

1. Product Positioning: Don't Let WIN Become the Next GT

The Honor WIN Series must learn from the mistakes of the GT Series. GT failed to sustain influence due to positioning inconsistencies: wanting to preserve performance while clinging to cost - effectiveness, aiming for versatility but falling short of extremity.

The current WIN Series must now stake its claim: It is the embodiment of "brutal aesthetics."

Honor has no shortage of all - rounder "jack - of - all - trades" machines (that's the Magic Series' territory); what it lacks is a "specialist" that excels excessively in a single area. The WIN Series should become the "Tank 300" of phones, fully committing to battery life and cooling. Don't sacrifice battery for hand feel or cut cooling for cost. Even in imaging, WIN can "keep it simple," reallocating saved space and budget entirely into gaming ecosystem optimization and cross - device ecosystems. For example, enhancing Phantom Engine's gaming optimizations, deepening cross - device experiences between PC emulators and gamepads—only by achieving "dimensional reduction strikes" in core areas can competitors be left unable to follow in these tracks.

2. Brand Aesthetics: Establish an Independent "Cyber Persona"

If product positioning is "inner toughness," then brand aesthetics are "first - impression personality." Guan mentioned focusing on the young, but the current WIN Series still appears too "obedient" and "restrained" visually.

Young people don't want a civil servant's computer in sportswear but a "performance monster" from the future.

Honor's designers should seek inspiration from battlefields in "Delta Force" or secondary - culture mechanized styles. The transparent explorer edition's mechanical beauty, sharp hardcore lines, and responsive RGB lighting effects are the "track language" in these users' hearts. This "cyber persona" must be all - encompassing: from hardcore UIs ditching rounded icons to explosive boot - up sounds, even launching a recognizable secondary - culture virtual IP. Honor WIN must not just be good but "cool beyond friends"—this brand personification is the hardest soft power to replicate.

3. Pricing Strategy: Be Confident, Don't Be Afraid to Charge More

Honor can sell phones for over $600 overseas and ship millions in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, indicating that its brand premium capability is underestimated. Domestically, don't obsess over matching RedMagic or iQOO on cost - effectiveness. The 10,000mAh battery and micro - fans represent real costs and technological barriers. As a product of "brutal aesthetics" and "extreme hardware," it should maintain high premiums, allocating profits to R&D and services rather than competing on cost. High - end gaming users are willing to pay for "extremity" but not for "cheapness."

The WIN Series might also attract "middle - aged geeks with gaming dreams." These consumers have spending power, dislike mediocrity, and buy WIN not for professional gaming but for that "unwilling - to - age, pursuit of extremity" spirit.

4. Turn "Service" into the Second Blade After Performance

Gaming users place extremely high value on long - term experiences. Honor's "5 - year fan cleaning" is an excellent starting point but insufficient.

It is suggested to upgrade services to "gaming exclusive privileges." Beyond cleaning, include game account asset inheritance, battery health discounted replacements, and even exclusive gaming benefit channels jointly launched with Tencent, NetEase, and other major developers.

Make "buying Honor WIN" equivalent to "joining a hardcore gamer club." Only when service becomes an integral part of the product will true user loyalty be established.

05

Epilogue:

The Honor WIN Series is a trailblazer that Honor launched at the end of 2025.

It's not just testing the boundaries of battery and cooling technologies but also testing whether Honor, detached from the "Huawei halo" and "business comfort zone," can truly grow its own fangs. The record - breaking sales within two hours of launch prove young users' recognition of this "extreme trade - off," but this is just the beginning.

Honor's openness is genuine and necessary. In the consumer electronics industry, it's better to be criticized for "bulkiness" than forgotten. Honor WIN's "brick" may not be elegant, but as long as it makes a sound, breaks into the hearts of the young, and adheres to its positioning while fixing design shortcomings in iterations, this breakthrough battle will truly be on the right track.