- Honor release AI video of concept Robot Phone
- Suggested to feature advanced AI tools and gimbal-mounted fold-up camera
- Honor hopes to reinvent smartphones as “more than just a tool”
Honor has just released details of its new concept smartphone, dubbed the ‘Robot Phone’, and it’s all kinds of strange.
In an announcement video that has all the makings of a teaser trailer for a Disney animated movie, complete with a sweeping score, the Chinese manufacturer revealed a CGI rendering of its new phone concept. The so-called Robot Phone features a gimbal-mounted camera assembly that folds out from the back of the device and swings through 180 degrees, to enable selfie capture and photography from a range of other angles.
This arm has a striking resemblance to the rumored DJI Osmo Pocket 4, but with the convenience of being integrated into the body of a smartphone.
In the video, Honor sells the AI element as a curious and child-like camera lens that almost seems to have a mind of its own. The camera pivots up and down, sweeping across a variety of scenes, while the unit gives off cute noises of awe, possibly in an effort to reassure us there isn’t a malevolent AI entity hiding behind the attractive facade.
From this short cinematic introduction, it seems the Robot Phone is more interested in watching fireworks, skydiving, and stargazing than fighting Tom Cruise. While details are a little scarce at this stage, it seems that Honor has attempted to evolve the idea of an AI assistant by giving it more of a personality, perhaps in the hope of encouraging greater willingness to interact with it on the part of the user.
Not everyone enjoys the idea of talking to a piece of software, not least photographers who like the idea of being in control of their own creative process. The irony is, the demo itself appears to be AI generated, but if the Robot Phone tickles your interest, this is unlikely to bother you.
A truly revolutionary design?
The gimbal is certainly an interesting idea for a smartphone camera, which could prove popular in this video-centric world of content creation. Being able to smoothly capture footage as well as stills, using a compact device that fits in your pocket, opens up tremendous possibilities for filmmakers.
Pro smartphone users need only the best phone gimbals, which usually require additional investment. While we’ve seen pop-out cameras on phones before, such as the Honor 9X and the OPPO Reno series, this motorized design gives a much wider range of motion. There is, of course, the matter of how robust the arm is in the final production device, but for that we’ll have to wait and see.
“Honor envisions the future phone as more than just a tool” says the company. With its striking resemblance to the DJI Osmo Pocket 4, it seems that Honor is hoping to appeal as much to the vlogger as to the smartphone user. Of course, the genuine usefulness to serious photographers and videographers will depend on the actual specs of the sensor and lenses; stabilized images and AI features will mean nothing if the phone can’t output crisp, low-noise files.
I’m also curious to find out how the gimbal camera impacts battery life. If the corporate hyperbole is to be believed, the Robot Phone could prove to be among the best smartphones for photography, but charging it three times per day is a regressive step I wouldn’t personally be willing to compromise with as a photographer.
So far, all we have is a snazzy AI-rendered model, but let’s hope the Mobile World Congress, to be held in Barcelona in 2026, will give Honor the chance to properly flesh out its plans for the Robot phone. Will it be a truely revolutionary device or merely a hyped-up re-work of existing ideas? Watch this space.
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