While announcing its Magic8 series smartphones in Beijing, China, Chinese smartphone maker HONOR has announced that it is reinventing the metaphorical wheel for smartphones. More specifically, the company intends to build a “Robot Phone” that entirely revolves around AI, as part of its “HONOR Alpha Plan” corporate strategy.
HONOR Robot Phone
Technology companies, particularly startups, have been trying to crack the puzzle that is AI companion devices. Most of the examples so far pretty much fell flat in the face – think Humane AI Pin, Rabbit R1, but that didn’t stop figures like ex-Apple Jony Ive (and OpenAI) taking their shot at it, too. So, what’s HONOR’s pitch here? In its words, “an emotional companion that senses, adapts, and evolves autonomously like a robot, enriching its users’ lives with love, joy, and wisdom.”
Based on the promotional contents shown, the Robot Phone concept is still… a smartphone, and one that looks quite similar to latest iPhones visually. Except there’s a gimbal attached to it that acts as the “eye” of the device, which – in the official video chock full of AI slop – depicts the device like a digital companion or pet of sorts. It’s no humanoid, but it’s functionally close enough if the eventual prototype at least resembles what is being shown here.
HONOR has even got the timeline ready for it: the Robot Phone is expected to be revealed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 in Barcelona. Before that though, the company invites anyone interested to register on its website and provide user feedback, which may help shape what the final device will look like, and they’ll get priority access to trials and even be the first in the world to try out the device.
Pokdepinion: I guess companies are really committing to the fact that humans somehow want AI companions by any means necessary?
