HONOR has cut the ribbon on its ALPHA Global Flagship Store at Shenzhen Bay MixC, calling it an “AI Smart Living Innovation Hub”. The opening lands on 1 October 2025 and leans hard into the brand’s AI device ecosystem push. Expect a calm, open layout, themed demo zones, a YOYO assistant showcase, and even a small café for talks and meet-ups.
What this store is (and isn’t)
It’s a physical home for HONOR’s “ALPHA PLAN” — the strategy to move from “phone maker” to full AI device ecosystem. The Shenzhen site turns that plan into rooms, demos and devices you can touch.
- Launch date: 1 October 2025, at Shenzhen Bay MixC
- Positioning: “AI Smart Living Innovation Hub”
- Purpose: bring HONOR’s ALPHA PLAN to life, with open, partner-friendly vibes
- Design notes: calm, open space that mixes tech with culture
- Public access: yes — it’s open now
HONOR first talked up the ALPHA PLAN at MWC Barcelona 2025; this flagship is the proof point. The company frames it as open and collaborative, not a closed showroom. The interior takes cues from the bay outside, aiming for a quiet layout rather than a blaring gadget wall. And importantly, it’s not a limited invite-only lab — it’s open to the public.
The All-scenario Experience Zone
Devices are organised by “how you live” rather than by product shelf — travel, entertainment and more — to show AI helping in context.
- Layout by living scenarios, not spec sheets
- Categories span smart travel to entertainment
- Aim: make AI benefits obvious without a sales pitch
Instead of parking phones in one place and laptops in another, the All-scenario zone groups kit around everyday tasks. The idea: you move through a day and see how the system links devices, rather than hopping between brand silos. It’s simple, but it beats spec placards and buzzwords.
The YOYO Zone: AI you can prod
This is the hands-on area for HONOR’s AI assistant, YOYO, grouped into four themes: lifestyle, assistance, content creation and companionship.
- Four demo themes cover daily help and creativity
- Core skills: visual perception, memory, task execution
- Example: YOYO remembers “I prefer seats with a view” and applies it later to plans or bookings
The showcase focuses on how an assistant should behave: remember preferences, use the camera intelligently, and actually do things. HONOR’s example is low-key but telling — YOYO recalling your seat preference and applying it on the next itinerary or restaurant pick. It’s a good litmus test: memory + action, not just chat.
Café, talks and community
There’s an “AI Inspiration Café” for meet-ups, with launch-week activities and performances to make it feel less like a shop and more like a tech-culture spot.
- Social space with coffee and conversations
- Programming: creative performances and interactive activities (launch period)
- Audience: technologists, creators, families passing by
This is becoming a pattern for tech brands: mix a showroom with a community room. HONOR’s version is modest, but it gives the store a reason to exist after you’ve seen the demos. Expect talks, casual gatherings, and the usual selfie-with-latte moments during launch.
Why UAE readers should care
HONOR’s Shenzhen flagship signals how its AI devices will be presented globally — and the UAE is very much on that map. We’ve already seen the push here, from foldables to PCs, and October is stacked with regional activity.
- Context for UAE buyers: HONOR’s AI ecosystem and foldables are active in the region
- Useful reads:
- Our quick look at Magic V5 AI call translation (for context on HONOR’s AI features) — see our piece on real-time translation.
- Best foldable phones in the UAE (2025) if you’re cross-shopping Magic V5.
- MagicBook Art 14 (2025) for HONOR’s AI-leaning laptops sold in the UAE.
- HONOR’s plan for GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai (13–17 Oct) — local presence matters.
This store doesn’t change prices or SKUs in the Emirates, but it does telegraph how HONOR will sell the “AI ecosystem” story everywhere — including the GCC. If you’ve been eyeing the Magic V5 or HONOR’s latest laptops, the store’s scenario-based approach is what you’ll likely see at pop-ups and partner stores here too.
