Honor launches the Robot Phone, China only

If you were waiting to buy Honor's Robot Phone, the wait ends and starts at the same time: the phone is launched, but the first generation has been confirmed as China only, produced in small quantities. Honor treats it as a tech showcase for enthusiasts rather than a normal commercial product. The base 12GB/512GB model is CNY 9,999, about $1,482.

The whole device exists for the camera arm. A 4-DoF mechanical gimbal sits in the rear module, and Honor says it shrank the system by 65 percent while making it 200 percent stronger, with a 2.6g titanium gimbal motor that moves at up to 360 degrees per second. Over 100 patents sit behind it.

The sensors are unusual too. Honor pairs a 200MP main camera on a 1/1.28-inch sensor at f/1.6 with a 200MP periscope telephoto on a 1/1.4-inch sensor and 2.7x optical zoom, adds ARRI Image Science, and claims AI dynamic range optimization reaching 14 stops.

Elsewhere it reads like a flagship: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, a 7,060mAh silicon-carbon battery, 120W wired and 50W wireless charging per Honor. It weighs 248 grams, which is heavy for a 6.3-inch phone.

The YOYO Pro AI mode runs on Alibaba's Qianwen large language model, and Honor has made the service free for life. An open Agent Skills interface lets third-party developers build on the gimbal and perception hardware.

Honor has been teasing this since last October, and showed stabilized tracking shots at the Cannes Film Festival's China Night and the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival before the commercial launch.