Goodbye, micro-curved flagships!

With the launch of the Honor Magic8 RSR Porsche Design on January 19, the release cycle for China’s new-generation “Ultra” flagship smartphones has temporarily paused.

Both the vivo X300 Ultra and OPPO Find X9 Ultra are gearing up for release, but have confirmed they will debut after the Lunar New Year. The vivo X300 Ultra is expected to arrive in the first quarter of this year, tentatively scheduled for March.

Looking at the broader landscape of next-generation Chinese flagships, Honor stands out. Models such as the Xiaomi 17, Huawei Mate 80, vivo X300, and OPPO Find X9 all adopt flat displays. In contrast, within the Honor Magic8 lineup, only the standard version features a flat screen, while the Pro and RSR variants retain a quad-curved design.

That may soon change. Industry sources suggest that Honor is preparing to pivot toward flat displays as well. According to a well-known tech blogger, the Magic8 RSR could be the last curved-screen flagship from a top-tier manufacturer, with the next-generation Magic series expected to adopt a larger flat panel.

Earlier leaks also indicated that Honor is testing new display technologies, including BT.2020 color support and built-in privacy features, reinforcing expectations of a full transition to flat screens.

Despite the potential shift, the Magic8 RSR Porsche Design has delivered strong sales performance. Honor executives revealed that the model has surpassed all previous Porsche Design editions in revenue, setting a new internal record.

At the same time, it is widely seen as a farewell product. Honor engineers have indicated that the Magic8 Porsche Design represents the final chapter of the collaboration, making it likely the brand’s last curved-screen “Ultra” flagship.

The debate between flat and curved displays has cycled through the smartphone industry for years. Once a symbol of premium design, curved screens have gradually lost favor, while flat displays have returned to prominence.

Yet design trends rarely end permanently. Rumors suggest Apple’s 20th-anniversary iPhone may combine a flat display with curved glass edges to create a “pseudo-curved” visual effect. Curved aesthetics, it seems, may return in a different form.