Honor's Bizarre ‘Robot Phone’ Is a Glimpse into the Future of Smartphones

Back in October 2025, Honor shared a teaser for a radical concept smartphone. Dubbed the Robot Phone, this is a full-fledged smartphone fitted with a mechanical, self-aware camera that can move all on its own. Now, the brand is officially showcasing the device at the ongoing CES 2026 and it is as real as it can get.

Honor's futuristic Robot Phone blurs the line between fiction and reality

The latest edition of the Consumer Technology Association (CES) is the perfect platform for brands to showcase their wackiest tech innovations for the year and Honor has managed to grab a lot of eyeballs. The gimbal-fitted Robot Phone has made its physical appearance for the first time. However, attendees are not able to fidget with it.

The smartphone is encased behind a protective glass cage and the brand has revealed how the gimbal mechanism of the phone will actually work. It is immediately clear how much engineering has gone into this concept phone.

At first glance, it looks and feels exactly like a regular slab phone, until it's time for the gimbal to extend out of the phone's body and reveal itself in all its glory. The free-flowing camera uses a mechanical arm to pivot and move. Since the camera is motorised, it can perform actions like tracking subjects, scanning objects and even performing playful actions like waving or interacting with its surroundings.

However, it's not all mechanical gizmos. There's AI as well.  Honor describes the device as offering the "mobility of a robot" and the "intelligence of AI". This means that the Robot Phone will be able to perform different context-aware actions and in turn, can become the perfect smart companion robot.

Now, gimbal camera contraption is not the only thing about the Robot Phone. It is a smartphone after all. So, when not in use, the camera can slide back into its housing and stay safe thanks to a physical shutter that keeps the camera away and hidden.

As for how much of a smartphone it exactly is, Honor has not shared any details about it at the time of writing. While the concept is finalised, the other hardware components are still being decided upon. The smartphone will go official at the MWC 2026 event scheduled to take place in Barcelona in Spain. So, we might know about the Robot Phone, then and when exactly it is going to become a real product that people can buy.