The camera pops out of the back of the phone as if waking up. It looks around, tilts the lens, tries to frame the shot. What is this? Honor presents it during the launch of the Magic 8 and Magic 8 Pro models in China: it is the Robot Phone, a concept that hides behind the rear panel a articulated mechanical arm with integrated gimbal camera.
When needed, the arm pops out and positions itself. The idea is reminiscent of the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, but here the handle is replaced by a smartphone. Honor describes it as a device that fuses multimodal intelligence, advanced robotics, and next-generation imaging. An emotional companion with his own personality, like Pixar's Wall-E, but in a pocket-sized version. I already said “what is this?”
How Honor's robotic arm works
The mechanism is hidden behind a sliding glass panel on the back of the phone. When activated, the arm extends bringing the camera over the top of the deviceThe lens can rotate along multiple axes, offering a three-axis gimbal stabilization similar to that of professional devices. In the promotional video, Honor demonstrates various applications: the Robot Phone pops out of a jacket pocket and observes its surroundings, it positions itself on a table during a fireworks display to autonomously capture the best scenes, and it takes group photos by finding the perfect angle.
The camera can automatically track faces using built-in AI, record time-lapses of the night sky without manual intervention, and even suggest whether an outfit matches the required dress code. As already seen with Honor Magic 6, the Chinese company is not afraid to experiment with unusual technologies for human-machine interaction.
An integrated gimbal arm offers concrete advantages over software stabilization. It can compensate for movements on multiple axes simultaneously, keeping the lens stable even when shooting moving scenes. For night photography or dynamic videos, the difference is substantial.
Gimbal technology is already established in external devices such as DJI Osmo Mobile o Zhiyun Smooth, but integrating it into a smartphone requires extreme miniaturization and significant structural compromises.
The problem of internal space
Every added component takes up valuable space. A motorized robotic arm with sensors and actuators takes up space that would normally be used for a battery, heat sink, or electronic components. Honor Magic V5, the world's thinnest foldable, demonstrates the company's ability to handle extreme space constraints. Here, however, the challenge is different: it's not just about slimming down, but about incorporating a complex moving mechanism without compromising basic functionality.
The promotional images show a sturdy-looking phone, likely thicker than standard models. The question remains: how much does it weigh? How much battery does it have? And most importantly, does the motorized mechanism consume power even when not in use? Details that Honor has not yet revealed and that we will know in a few months.
Concept or real product
Honor calls the Robot Phone a concept, leaving open the possibility that it will never reach market. During the presentation event on October 15, 2025, the company announced that More details will be revealed at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, scheduled for March 2-5. It is unclear whether this will be the presentation of a working prototype or a finished commercial device.
Secondo sources close to the companyThe Robot Phone is part of Honor's five-year, $10 billion plan to transform itself into an AI device company. The goal is to integrate artificial intelligence into every aspect of the user experience, from online shopping suggestions to advanced photography assistance. The robotic arm would therefore be part of a broader strategy, not just an isolated experiment.
Leaks indicate that there is a working prototypeAn insider posted images showing a less refined model than the official renders, suggesting that Honor is indeed testing the technology.
If the device passes live demonstrations at MWC 2026, it could represent an important test of whether the concept holds up in practice.
Not just Honor: the smartphone gimbal market
The idea of integrating gimbal stabilization into smartphones is not new. Living he experimented with the Gimbal Camera 2.0 on the X60 Pro series, offering multi-axis optical stabilization directly in the main lens. The solution worked, but still required compromises on the size of the camera module. Honor takes the approach even further, making the entire camera movable relative to the body of the phone.
Honor isn't alone in exploring unusual hardware. Xiaomi showed a concept with a detachable camera module that connects wirelessly to the phone, while Roborock It integrated a robotic arm into its vacuum cleaner to recognize and move objects. The trend is clear: Chinese manufacturers are experimenting with hybrid designs that combine traditionally separate functions.
Will it work? March 2026 will tell us whether Honor has created something usable or just a showcase experiment. In the meantime, the Robot Phone remains suspended between visionary marketing and real engineering. Better to wait for the live demos before drawing conclusions.
