We’ve seen plenty of intriguing concept phones over the years, including some crazy ones like Motorola’s rollable OLED phone. However, Honor might have taken the cake when it showcased its aptly dubbed “Robot Phone” in a new video a few weeks back with what some commentors have speculated was AI footage mixed into the commercial for the device.
While concept phones usually remain just that -– oftentimes including features like strange displays or massive batteries that just aren’t scalable yet — Honor is apparently looking to take its Robot Phone from concept to reality, with plans to release the device to the public come 2026. That’s right, Honor CEO Li Jian has reportedly confirmed that the concept device with its little gimballed camera will become an actual product we can purchase in 2026. Not only will it feature the wacky gimbal-like camera showcased in the ad, but it will also be chock-full of AI features to help push Honor’s global efforts to become a leader in AI devices.
A phone that sees everything you see
It has become an increasingly common conspiracy in recent years that our smartphones are listening to everything we say. When it comes to Honor’s Robot Phone, we won’t need a conspiracy. Based on the video that Honor shared a few weeks back, it looks like the camera will be able to look wherever it chooses. There will likely be some kind of user control behind it all, but until Honor shares more, we can’t say for sure.
Now, there are, of course, plenty of reasons to be skeptical about this. Firstly, there’s the fact that putting an entire gimbal setup into a smartphone’s body can’t be easy. That doesn’t mean Honor can’t and won’t pull it off. Rollable TVs also seemed unrealistic when we first saw those, but now they are actually available to buy.
There are also the privacy concerns that this might introduce, through based on the designs showcased so far, it looks like the gimbal camera actually does fold back into the device, which should mean it can be stowed away somehow. Still, the fact that Honor plans to go through with making this concept a reality is likely to intrigue some smartphone buyers that want a device with these capabilities.
