Honor launches Robot Phone with motorized gimbal camera in China

Honor has launched its unique Robot Phone in China for ¥9,999 (about $1,480), featuring a motorized 3-axis gimbal camera that unfolds from the rear of the device. The smartphone boasts flagship specifications, including a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 7,060mAh silicon-carbon battery, and a 200-megapixel main sensor developed in partnership with ARRI. While offering impressive stabilization and AI-assisted subject tracking, the mechanical design makes the phone bulky at 9.6mm thick and 248g, raising durability concerns as its IP54 rating only applies when the camera is stowed.

Honor Robot Phone China launch

• ▪The Honor Robot Phone is priced starting at ¥9,999 (approximately $1,480) in China.
• ▪Honor has stated that it has no plans to release the Robot Phone outside of China.
• ▪Honor launched its Robot Phone in China on August 12, 2026.

Motorized gimbal camera mechanism

• ▪To activate the gimbal camera on the Honor Robot Phone, users must manually slide off a plastic screen that covers the lens, which then covers the phone's other two cameras.
• ▪The Honor Robot Phone's gimbal camera features nearly 360 degrees of movement and supports tracking modes including FPV, spin shot, super steady, and AI-assisted subject-tracking.
• ▪The Honor Robot Phone features a compact, motorized 3-axis gimbal camera arm that automatically unfolds from the rear of the device when triggered by software.

Camera specifications

• ▪The Honor Robot Phone's rear camera array includes a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens and a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens alongside the main gimbal camera.
• ▪Honor partnered with camera company ARRI to allow the Robot Phone to record in various film-inspired looks and ARRI's LogC3 format.
• ▪The Honor Robot Phone's main camera utilizes a 200-megapixel, 1/1.28-inch-type sensor that serves as the primary lens even when the gimbal arm is folded away.

Video stabilization performance

• ▪Sustained video recording on the Honor Robot Phone causes the device to become noticeably hot after a few minutes of use.
• ▪A hands-on test by The Verge indicated that the Honor Robot Phone's video stabilization felt slightly less stable than the DJI Osmo Pocket 4, though still impressive for its size.

Physical design bulk

• ▪The Honor Robot Phone has an IP54 rating for dust and water protection only when the gimbal camera is fully stowed, with no water protection rating when the gimbal is raised.
• ▪The Honor Robot Phone has a thickness of 9.6mm, excluding the camera section, and weighs 248 grams.

Flagship hardware specifications

• ▪The Honor Robot Phone is equipped with up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage, and a 7,060mAh silicon-carbon battery.
• ▪The Honor Robot Phone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor.