We Europeans have integrated into our culture that copying is something negative, an act of theft, according to tech industry figures like John Ive. In China, the chance culture tells us the opposite: learning and repeating what the best teachers do is the best way to reach (or surpass) their level of knowledge.
In China, the logic is different. Shanzhai culture is based on a much more pragmatic premise: learning by copying the best is the fastest – and most effective – way to reach their level or even surpass it. Over the years, Chinese brands copying giants like Apple have drawn ridicule on social media. Until the country’s technological progress made the result inevitable: copycats that no longer just imitate, but also technically improve the products they are inspired by.
Honor Magic 8 Pro…Air. Apple sets the conceptual pace for where industry trends will go. And although Samsung was the first with its Galaxy Edge, Apple started the race to create ever thinner flagships with the iPhone 17 Air. A model that doesn’t work very well on a commercial level, precisely because of the sacrifices that supposedly entail creating such a thin mobile phone.
- It has only one camera.
- This is the iPhone with the worst battery life of the entire iPhone 17 family
- Practically, it is inferior in some key aspects to the basic iPhone
The most talked about mobile phone this week is the Honor Magic 8 Pro Air, the information about which we received leaks on the JD page, and whose presentation date and part of the design have already been confirmed by Honor itself. We will meet him on January 19 in China.
Don’t take away my basics. “I’m willing to lose two cameras and suffer with the battery in exchange for a thinner phone.” No one said, never. According to the leaked information, it is Honor
- It has three cameras
- It has a 5500 mAh battery
- The rest of the specs will be what you’d expect in any high-end range
Honor power 2. The Honor Magic 8 Pro Air won’t be the only Honor model “inspired” by Apple in 2026. Recently, the company introduced the Power 2, a mid-range device that is only 8 mm thick and weighs only 216 grams.
In addition to the specs bordering on the top of the line, it’s practically a battery-wise humiliation for all of its competitors: it has 10,000 mAh, the same as the batteries I have at home when I travel.
It’s not the player’s business. Xiaomi even renamed its star flagship from Pro to “Pro Max” in a model where even the iPhone 17 Pro Max case fits almost perfectly. Differences with the Apple model?
- Battery… 7,500 mAh. In a smaller thickness.
- A screen with a higher peak brightness.
- Double the base memory.
Three keys. China This is one of the best moments to lead the smartphone race.
- A generational leap in batteries leaves Western manufacturers behind.
- The maxim is clear: add all the hardware that fits into the phone’s body.
- Volume oriented strategy.
Giants like Apple or Google need to achieve their flagship model to make their mobile division profitable. Chinese manufacturers maintain their profitability thanks to wider catalogs with dozens of models covering all price ranges.
Market of traditions. The counterpoint data for Q3 2025 makes one thing clear: the lack of technological innovation is not affecting Samsung or Apple. The two leading companies maintain their positions, followed by Xiaomi, which is practically traditional in markets such as Europe.
Despite this, China demonstrates something key in the market that it aims to conquer in the coming years. He not only knows how to copy: he knows how to improve what is already there.
In Xataka | China has a replica of 12 European cities with Parisian neighborhoods and part of the Alhambra. And it belongs to Huawei
