The Chinese manufacturer has unveiled the Robot Phone, the first smartphone with an integrated robotic arm and three-axis gimbal developed in collaboration with legendary ARRI. For now, the device is only available in the Chinese market.
In the Chinese city of Guangzhou, Honor's Robot Phone was officially unveiled on Wednesday, a device that completely redefines the concept of a smartphone. It is the world's first phone to integrate a motorized robotic arm with a three-axis gimbal and camera, developed in partnership with German professional film equipment giant ARRI.
Unlike all previous phones with a classic fixed camera module, the Robot Phone's main camera physically extends from the back of the chassis, tilts, and automatically tracks the person in front of it. "The industry needs the courage to step beyond the flat, static screen. Creators should never have to choose between mobility and professional-grade stabilization," said James Li, CEO of Honor.
At the heart of the device is a system with four degrees of freedom. The camera has a dedicated tilt motor, motorized arms for horizontal panning and rotation, and an additional flip mechanism for extending and retracting the entire assembly into the chassis. The whole mechanism consists of more than 100 components, and Honor highlights that the gimbal system is 65 percent smaller than typical external gimbals.
The gimbal motor weighs just 2.6 grams and can change position at speeds of up to 360 degrees per second. The motor responsible for extending the camera has a torque density of 120 newton-meters per liter. The combination of these miniature motors allows the camera to position quickly, deliver excellent image stabilization, and automatically track subjects.
The Robot Phone is powered by Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, and with its 6.31-inch LTPO OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate from 1 to 120 Hz and a declared peak brightness of 6800 nits, it looks like any other premium Android device from the front. The real magic is revealed only when you turn it over.
The rear camera system is led by two 200-megapixel cameras. The main Agile Gimbal camera uses a 1/1.28-inch sensor and an f/1.6 aperture lens, while the periscope telephoto camera also has 200 megapixels, a 1/1.4-inch sensor, and 2.7x optical zoom. The third is a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera with a 122-degree field of view.
"Our collaboration with Honor brings selected elements of ARRI Image Science technology and professional production processes into a new mobile context, giving creators greater consistency, control, and creative flexibility from capture to post-production," said Harald Brendel, Director of Image Science at ARRI.
The main camera supports 10-bit recording in ARRI LogC3 format, and Honor's H1 image processing chip enables an 8-decibel signal-to-noise ratio improvement with the help of artificial intelligence. The system can capture a dynamic range of 14 stops, and video output is available in 10-bit LogC3 and 4:2:2 formats.
The phone offers six dynamic camera modes, including AI SpinShot, which allows the gimbal to rotate 90 or 180 degrees with the press of a button during recording. There are also three smart tracking modes: gimbal tracking, smart tracking, and predefined framing.
Beyond the hardware revolution, the Robot Phone also brings advanced AI capabilities. The built-in voice assistant Yoyo AI can autonomously perform tasks-a CNET journalist tested it by ordering boba tea from a nearby shop in Shenzhen. All he had to do was tell Yoyo what he wanted, and the assistant entered the app, placed the order, and paid. Within less than 20 minutes, the tea was delivered.
When the gimbal is open, the phone can perform a dozen different gestures-from nodding and curious peeking to dancing synchronized with music. The display can simultaneously show more than 100 emoji options, turning the device into a sort of robotic pet.
Honor used a titanium alloy for the gimbal construction, and the entire assembly is made from extremely durable materials. The device is powered by a silicon-carbon battery with a capacity of 7060 milliamp-hours, supporting 120W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.
"They are showcasing the art of the possible with a highly differentiated product that will attract a lot of attention among tech enthusiasts," commented Ben Wood, Chief Analyst at CCS Insight, adding that this device "represents the ambition Honor has."
The Robot Phone is currently announced exclusively for the Chinese market, and Wood believes we will see many more such moves from Honor: "You'll see a lot more from Honor in terms of their relentless attempts to push boundaries and build the brand in the face of huge dominant competition."
The journey from concept to finished product took several months-a mock-up was first shown at CES in January 2026, an early working demo at MWC in February, and the first public showing followed in March at Mobile World Congress 2026. The device was also demonstrated at the Cannes Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival, clearly signaling the target audience-video content creators.
The price and exact start date of sales have not yet been announced.
