Honor has confirmed that Circle to Search will begin rolling out to two of its most popular smartphones, the Honor Magic V3 and Honor 200 Pro, in the coming months, signaling an end to the feature’s exclusivity for Samsung and Google Pixel phones.
The AI-powered Google tool – which allows users to search the web for anything they see on their phone screen with a simple circle, scribble, or tap – debuted on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series in January, before trickling down to the Google Pixel 8 line in February. Google then expanded Circle to Search to mid-range Samsung and Galaxy phones in August.
The feature is available now on the Honor Magic V3 foldable, though Honor 200 Pro owners will have to wait until “later in the year” for access. A recent tip hinted that Circle to Search could be coming to the Tecno Phantom V Fold 2 soon, too, so it’s safe to expect that flagship devices from all manner of manufacturers – think OnePlus, Xiaomi, Motorola, and so on – could likewise benefit from Google’s innovative search tool in the near future.
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For Honor, this is a big deal. The best Honor phones are among the best phones money can buy in the UK and Europe, but despite their market-leading hardware, the company’s flagship devices have arguably lagged behind their flagship Android counterparts in the software department.
That’s not to say Honor’s mobile software is downright bad – the company’s AI-powered camera modes are some of the most interesting on the market, and its Magic Portal feature is similarly impressive – but Honor’s Magic OS operating system has certainly proven a quirkier beast than, say, the stock Android interface you’ll find on the best Pixel phones.
Magic Capsule in action on the Honor Magic V3 (Image credit: Future / Luke Baker)
The addition of Circle to Search to Magic OS brings a reassuring dose of familiarity to the best Honor phones, and with Honor’s Magic Capsule tool already mimicking Apple’s Dynamic Island, devices like the Honor Magic V3 now offer a potent mix of Android and iOS-like features; arguably the best of both worlds.
As for Google, this latest expansion of Circle to Search brings the company one step closer to fulfilling its internal goal of adding the feature to 200 million phones by the end of 2024. iPhones next, Google? Pigs might fly.
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