The Robot Phone has arrived: At the Mobile World Congress, Honor presents a prototype with AI capabilities
Honor has unveiled a prototype smartphone that combines robotic hardware with embodied artificial intelligence to create more interactive user experiences. The development was confirmed by Xu Feihong in a post on the social media platform X.
Honor, which was founded in 2013 after being spun out from Chinese technology giant Huawei, has increasingly focused on integrating AI-driven features into its devices. The new robot phone remains in the testing phase, with the company expecting a commercial launch in China in the second half of the year.
Along with the concept smartphone, Honor also showcased a humanoid robot at the Mobile World Congress. The robot is designed to perform tasks such as shopping assistance, workplace inspections and companionship.
The prototype smartphone, referred to as the Robot Phone, introduces a concept that combines artificial intelligence-based interaction with a motorised camera system. The device includes a small robotic arm attached to the back of the phone, topped with a gimbal-based 200-megapixel camera.
According to the company, the motorised gimbal allows the camera to stabilise footage and automatically track subjects, enabling smoother video capture even while the device is moving. The system is designed to support AI-assisted video calls and content creation, allowing the camera to reposition itself autonomously to maintain proper framing and visual awareness.
Demonstrations shared by the company show the device performing gestures such as gazing, nodding, dancing and shaking its head, indicating a more human-like interaction style powered by artificial intelligence. The AI system is designed to recognise sound, track motion and maintain awareness of its surroundings.
Honor had first teased the concept in October, when it demonstrated a prototype responding to voice interactions through the company’s AI assistant. During that demonstration, the phone’s camera module appeared to nod while interacting with the user.
In China’s smartphone market, Honor ended last year as the sixth-largest smartphone vendor with a market share of just over 13%, according to Counterpoint Research. In Europe, the company held about a 3% market share in 2025, according to research from Omdia.
Meanwhile, competition in China’s smartphone market remains intense. Devices produced in China, including those assembled for Apple, faced challenges in 2025 due to tariffs linked to the ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China. The tariffs prompted Apple and its suppliers to move a larger share of devices intended for the US market to alternative manufacturing locations, with India emerging as an important production hub.
Despite these challenges, Apple regained the top position in China’s smartphone market in January after shipments of the iPhone increased by 28% during the holiday quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. For the full year, Apple finished just behind market leader Huawei, with both companies holding roughly 17% of the market.
Apple’s shipments in China grew 7.5% in 2025, reflecting continued demand for its flagship devices. However, the company experienced weaker consumer response to the iPhone Air, which launched later in China than in other markets and struggled to gain significant traction.
