Gimmick or game changer? Chinese smart device maker Honor launches ‘robot phone’

Gimmick or game changer? Chinese smart device maker Honor launches ‘robot phone’ The launch comes as Chinese tech firms race to bring AI into everyday devices, while smartphone makers search for new features to differentiate themselves from rivals. GUANGZHOU: Chinese smart device maker Honor on Wednesday (Aug 12) launched a smartphone with a motorised robotic camera, as it turns to artificial intelligence to stand out in a fiercely competitive market. The company calls the device the world’s first "robot phone", with prices starting at 9,999 yuan (US$1,480). Honor says 400,000 pre-orders were made in just two weeks. A NEW SPECIES OF SMARTPHONE The handset features a retractable gimbal camera that can track a user’s movements and keep them in frame. It can also rotate up to 180 degrees, allowing users to capture shots from different angles. A “super steady” mode is designed to keep subjects centred even during large movements, such as for livestreaming and sports shooting, with Honor saying the system is powered by AI and “robot-grade” motion control. Honor describes the device as a “new species of smartphone”, saying the technology could offer a glimpse into how AI can increasingly be integrated into consumer hardware. “We believe it is just the start because this is only the first generation, but we will continue to work on this prototype and make it more stable and powerful,” said Honor AI product expert Thomas Bai. “We believe that in the future, many other brands will come up with the same idea and … there will definitely be a trend for the next generation of AI devices.” The launch comes as Chinese tech firms race to bring AI into everyday products, while smartphone makers search for new features to differentiate themselves from rivals. However, consumer reaction to Honor’s latest concept has been mixed. One Shenzhen resident said the idea was novel but questioned whether consumers would want AI to take greater control of photography. “This kind of phone is indeed very new,” he added. “The idea is quite novel but it still needs time for people to accept it.” Another expressed concerns about durability and the potential cost of repairing the moving camera mechanism. “I wouldn't consider it, because I think it might be quite fragile,” he said. “If you knock or drop it during daily use and the gimbal stops working, the repair cost would be very high.” THE NEXT SMARTPHONE SHIFT? Smartphone makers have repeatedly experimented with new form factors to attract customers. Apple’s first iPhone in 2007 helped popularise the touchscreen slab that has since become the industry standard. In 2019, Samsung launched a foldable smartphone, a design later adopted by other manufacturers. Honor is now betting that robots could help drive another shift in smartphone design. But rivals may wait to see whether the concept proves commercially viable before following suit, analysts said. “We are not seeing the other OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) try to build similar things, because they need some time to prove if this concept can work or not,” said Ivan Lam, senior analyst at global tech market research firm Counterpoint Research. “It's similar to years ago when the foldable phone first came out, a lot of OEMs actually moved very late, waiting for the key components to be mature enough for mass production.” Major brands would find it challenging to immediately adopt such an unconventional design given the scale of their existing businesses, he added. “But of course, internally they may do the research.”