Beneath the utterly stunning body is a clever artificial intelligence program that, along with a host of sensors and cameras, turns the already desirable device into a truly smart phone. We got a jaw-dropping demonstration of its abilities, and the great news is that although the Magic is only for sale in China, the tech is expected to arrive in an Honor phone we'll actually be able to buy in the future. Here's an example of what makes the Magic, well, magic. The front facing camera uses facial recognition technology to ensure your lock screen notifications are safe from prying eyes, with the least interference to you. After setting the Magic up to recognize my face, a text message arrived and when looked at by anyone but me, the lock screen notification simply read "text message."

Huawei CEO Richard Yu spoke on the manufacturer's concept for mobile devices of the future at the CES 2017 keynote Thursday. Going beyond mobile devices already on the market, Yu suggested that smartphones, which incorporate in depth AI abilities, might be considered "intelligent phones." Such devices may incorporate computer vision, local decision-making, robotics, air sensors, taste sensors and smart touch to communicate with the world around it. "These AI based devices provide a connection between the digital world and the physical world," Yu said. As manufacturers such as Huawei continue to develop the internet of things, such intelligent phones may become an even more integral part of how mobile devices are used as a hub for connectivity between several other smart devices.

Huawei has made a name for itself by partnering with Google on the final Nexus phone and selling affordable, feature-packed handsets in China, but now the company is looking to stand on its own in the U.S. Not only is it finally launching its 6.9-inch Mate 9 phablet to the States, it's bringing along a new friend along for the trip: Alexa. Among the features of the Mate 9--aside from its giant 1080p display--are a 4,000 mAh battery, 5A fast charging through its SuperCharge technology, and a Leica-made dual-lens camera that combines a 12MP standard camera with a 20MP monochrome one to capture more depth and detail. Also on board is Huawei's Hybrid Zoom system that delivers 2x magnification, and a 4-in-1 hybrid auto-focus that combines "laser focus, phase detection focus, depth focus, and contrast focus." The Mate 9 is powered by Huawei's in-house Kirin 960 chipset, which features an ARM Cortex-A73/A53 Octa-core CPU and Mali G71 Octa-core GPU. The company boasts that the chip utilizes a "Machine Learning Algorithm that helps deliver a fast and smooth experience, even after 18 months of continuous use."

Huawei has partnered with Amazon to bring its new phablet, the Mate 9, to the American market this week. The Chinese telecommunications company has also announced prior CES 2017 that its high-specced smartphone is arriving in the United States with the Alexa voice assistant as one of its key features. On Wednesday, Huawei released an official statement online to announce that the Mate 9 is launching in the U.S. on Jan. 6, Friday. The smartphone maker proudly stated that its device flaunts a beautiful design and performs impressively with its Kirin 960 chipset. It also boasted how the handset features machine-learning algorithm and SuperCharge technology. Huawei mentioned that it has worked hard to bring the industry-leading hardware to consumers.

At Comcast Innovation Labs, we use advanced technologies to leverage our vast content, cutting edge platforms and high speed data networks in ways that dramatically improve the experience of our customers, partners and employees.We tackle complex problems in machine learning, computer vision, deep learning, data science and large-scale distributed systems.

One of Huawei's biggest priorities when building its Mate 9 was shoehorning some handy machine learning features into to it. A machine learning algorithm designed to improve performance by finding the patterns in how you use the phone and allocating resources like RAM accordingly. Turns out Huawei's AI ambitions don't end there: a spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the Mate 9 will receive a software update that brings Amazon's Alexa to that surprisingly slick phablet. We're not entirely sure of the timing yet, but we can confirm that the update will roll out in the US (obviously) and a handful of other markets. Either way, this is a big step for Huawei and for Amazon; the former gets to sell the first properly Alexa-enabled smartphone and Amazon gets the chance to forge a partnership with one of the biggest smartphone makers in China by volume.

Apple will invest $1 billion in a fund set up by Japanese telecom company SoftBank to finance new technology that could be used in the future, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. "We believe their new fund will speed the development of technologies which may be strategically important to Apple," Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet told the Journal . The SoftBank Vision Fund, which the Japanese company is hoping to launch next year, could be one of the largest global tech investment funds, with the potential size of the Fund going up to $100 billion. SoftBank itself expects to invest at least $25 billion. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund could become the leading funding partner, with its potential $45 billion investment over five years. The money will be used to finance new technology, such as artificial intelligence, deep learning, robotics, and connected devices.

At best, most consumers know Softbank as the Japanese phone carrier that owns Sprint -- but the company is much bigger than that. Softbank has its hands in robotics, smart vehicles, processors and more. It even invests in other companies, and recently set up the Softbank Vision Fund with the goal of pouring billions of dollars into promising start ups. Now that fund is getting another investor: Apple. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple has pledged to invest $1 billion in Softbank's Vision Fund.

Intel doesn't want to get left behind in the next evolution of the mobile business. The chipmaking giant said on Wednesday it's launching a 5G modem chip, codenamed "Goldridge." Intel is emphasizing the modem's applications in areas outside of phones too, such as autonomous vehicles, drones and smart city sensors. "5G will enable billions of'things' to become smart through seamless connectivity, massive computing power and access to rich data and analytics stored at the edge of the cloud," wrote Aicha Evans, the head of Intel's communications and devices group, in a blog post about the 5G modem. Intel is expecting to sample the modem to customers in the second half of 2017 and go into production soon afterwards, an Intel spokeswoman said. Intel isn't the first company to announce a 5G modem.

Intel has a disastrous history with smartphones. It fumbled a chance to be in Apple's first iPhone, and then quit making its Atom smartphone chip to focus on modems. But the company is now set to ship a groundbreaking modem that will deliver data transfer rates many times faster than most wired internet connections. The chipmaker will start shipping its first 5G modem for testing in the second half this year. Beyond mobile devices, the modem could also be used in autonomous cars, servers, base stations, networking equipment, drones, robots, and other internet-of-things devices.