Honor Robot Phone: the mobile device with a robotic arm that aims to reinvent the smartphone in the era of AI
For years, smartphones have remained in the same format: a rectangle with a screen and rear cameras. But Honor has decided to break that monotony with a concept that seems to come from a science fiction movie.
The Honor Robot Phone, presented in an official video, behaves as if the phone itself. At first glance, it looks like a conventional mobile phone, but when the glass covering the cameras opens, a robotic arm with a lens at the end emerges, capable of moving, rotating, and reacting to its surroundings.
The result is a device that interacts with the user: it can observe, follow movements, stabilize recordings, and, according to the video, even “assist” in everyday tasks. In one scene, it is seen looking from a pocket, helping to choose clothes or calming a baby.
The project seeks to answer a question that obsesses the industry: While Humane failed with its AI Pin and OpenAI (along with Jony Ive) continues to develop its mysterious “AI iPhone”, Honor has opted for a less radical approach: evolving the current mobile phone without replacing it.
The Robot Phone does not remove the screen or buttons, but adds a physical extension so that AI can “see” all the time, an essential capability for systems that learn from the environment.
In addition, the robotic arm could function as a stabilizer or recording assistant, similar to an integrated gimbal, allowing for more natural and controlled captures.
Although the device shown is not real – the entire video is generated by AI – the concept is part of the Honor Alpha Plan, a strategy through which the brand will invest $10 billion in mobile artificial intelligence.
At first glance, a mobile phone with a robotic arm seems like madness. But in an industry that has been repeating the same designs for years, the search for something truly new has become urgent.
The failure of devices like the AI Pin has made it clear that . Instead, Honor proposes a balance between the familiar and the innovative: a smartphone that maintains its classic form, but with an intelligent and expressive physical interface.
According to the company, we will learn more details at the Mobile World Congress in 2026, where they could showcase the first functional prototype. If confirmed, we would be taking the first step towards a new generation of devices that are hybrids between a phone, a robot, and a personal assistant.
The Honor Robot Phone is not just aiming to be a flashy concept, but a statement of intent: artificial intelligence should not only be inside the phone but also interact with the real world.
If the company manages to materialize this vision, we could see the birth of a completely new category: autonomous smartphones, capable of observing, learning, and reacting as a physical extension of the user.
For now, it remains a promise. But one thing is clear: Honor has achieved what many manufacturers have been trying for years… to make us excited about the future of mobile phones.
