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Honor offered a first hands-on look at its Robot Phone during the Honor User Carnival in China, weeks before the device is due to appear at MWC 2026. The prototype brings a robotic gimbal arm to a smartphone back, blending hardware theatrics with AI-powered camera ideas.
Gimbal camera takes center stage
The Robot Phone’s standout feature is obvious: a small robotic arm that extends a gimbal camera from a recessed area inside the camera island. It’s more than a novelty — Honor suggests the gimbal will be able to move, track subjects, and interact with scenes using on-device AI. Imagine a phone that can automatically pan to follow a subject, stabilize ultra-smooth video, or reposition itself for group shots without asking for a tripod.
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Design choices: materials and colors
On the design front, Honor showed multiple iterations. The phone will reportedly come in Black, White, and Gold finishes. Depending on the color, the back plate uses either faux leather or glass, paired with an aluminum chassis and a small glass window beneath the camera island — a look reminiscent of recent premium phones.
Use cases and practical perks
- Vlogging and live streaming: a moving gimbal can keep subjects perfectly framed.
- Content creation made easier: automated motion and tracking reduce the need for external stabilizers.
- Creative photography: dynamic angles and automated adjustments open new possibilities for shots and time-lapses.
Those features point to a device targeted at creators and users who want more than fixed-lens smartphone photography. But there are trade-offs: moving parts can add weight and complexity compared with traditional camera modules.
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Launch outlook — prototype or product?
Honor hasn’t said whether the Robot Phone will be a limited concept or a mass-market product. The company previously confirmed an official reveal at MWC 2026 in March, and this preview gives a clearer sense of the physical design and potential software tricks. Expect more concrete specs, pricing, and release plans as we approach MWC.
Whether the Robot Phone becomes the next mainstream camera phone or remains a bold experiment will depend on how well Honor balances novelty with durability, battery life, and real-world AI performance. For now, it’s an intriguing glimpse at where smartphone imaging could go next.
Source: gsmarena
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