| Image: respect |
Chinese technology startup Honor has unveiled a CGI video teaser showcasing a concept smartphone with a gimbal-mounted camera. Honor has dubbed it a “robot phone” and said it will share additional details at Mobile World Congress in 2026.
Honor says the Robot Phone combines the mobility of a smartphone with the intelligence of an AI-powered robotic camera. So far, the company has only revealed CGI videos, with no information given about the actual hardware. It may simply represent conceptual exploration; However, this shows that Honor is thinking of new solutions for smartphone photography and videography.
It’s not the first phone with a pop-up camera, but it’s certainly taking a different approach. Current versions of this idea, such as the OnePlus 7 Pro and Oppo Reno 2Z, feature a small pop-up selfie camera to do away with the notch on the display. However, the robot phone is a much larger looking camera mounted on a gimbal. It is being compared to the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, although it is integrated into a smartphone rather than functioning as a standalone device. In fact, it looks remarkably similar to the popular vlogging camera and could be an interesting option for vloggers.
The teaser video also brings to mind characters like Wall-E. The video features Disney-like music and brings the camera to life as the device pops out of a person’s pocket as they walk around. The robot phone also screams while skydiving, nods while helping someone choose an outfit and plays peekaboo to cheer up a child.
 |
| Image: respect |
Although this phone doesn’t exist yet, the concept video made by Honor shows its potential if engineering challenges don’t materialize in reality. The real challenge lies in fitting a 360-degree multi-axis rotating gimbal within the limited space of the camera bulge on the back of a compact mobile phone, while still accommodating everything else.
Fitting this technology into a smartphone is a tough task, as people have come to expect, given the motherboards, circuitry and batteries big enough to last a day. However, if Honor is successful, it could prove to be a useful device for content creators.
While the phone may not have the Wall-E personality depicted in the video, it hints at exciting possibilities. We should know more soon as Honor aims to showcase something at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next spring.
Until then, interested users can sign up for progress updates and even participate in early testing and evaluation Honor website,
