Honor launches a phone with a robotic camera, teasing a humanoid robot

Honor showed off the capabilities of its robot phone on Sunday as the Chinese electronics firm stood out from Samsung and some of its larger rivals. Apple.

The company, which was spun off from Huawei in 2020, also launched its latest foldable smartphone, the Magic V6, as part of its event at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday. In addition, Honor teased a humanoid robot, but with very few details.

The releases come in the wake of ongoing shortages and unprecedented price hikes for memory chips, which device makers expect to drive up prices and demand for smartphones in 2026.

Honor first teased the robot phone in October. It has a camera on a robotic arm that protrudes from the main body of the device. For those into video work, it appears to be inspired by the Osmo product line from Chinese dronemaker DJI.

The camera, powered by a small motor, can lock onto an object or person and track it as it moves. Users can talk to Honor’s AI assistant, and the camera can then answer yes or no by nodding.

Honor said it aims to make the phone commercially available in China in the second half of the year.

The Robot Phone shows how companies like Honor can stand out in a sea of ​​similar-looking smartphones and give users a compelling enough reason to upgrade or switch from their current device.

The device is expected to be expensive and it will continue Honor’s push into the high-end area of ​​the market looking to challenge Samsung and the likes. AppleEspecially in overseas markets like Europe.

In China, Honor ended the year as the sixth largest smartphone player with a market share of just over 13%, according to Counterpoint Research. But it is a minor player overseas, where it is trying to establish a brand presence. According to Omdia Research, its market share in Europe in 2025 was 3%.

Honor entered the list of the region’s top five biggest players for the first time at the end of the year, though its profits were largely fueled by sales of its low-cost devices.

Francisco Geronimo, vice president of data and analytics at IDC, told CNBC that the launch is more of a “marketing push” to create buzz around the brand as it looks to build market share outside of China.

“There’s some innovation in it and they need that kind of innovation to show their capabilities,” Geronimo said. “It gets everyone’s attention. Whether that translates into sales when they launch it, it’s going to be a hard sell, especially if it’s a high-priced or bulky phone.”

While Samsung dominates the foldable smartphone segment with its Galaxy Z Fold line of devices, Honor is trying to make inroads into the premium segment with its foldable V series of devices, featuring ultra-thin batteries.

Launched on Sunday, the Honor Magic V6 is 8.75 mm thick when closed, which the company says is smaller than its predecessor’s 8.8 mm to 9 mm size. That’s the same thickness as the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The Honor Magic V6 has one of the largest batteries in a smartphone in the market and has Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform, one of the latest processors from the US firm.

The Magic V6 will go on sale in China in March, followed by international markets in the second half of the year. The company has not yet revealed the price.

Meanwhile, Honor teased its first humanoid robot on stage at its MWC launch event. While few details about the device have been given, it shows how Chinese companies in particular are expanding into the field of robotics. Chinese electronics giant XiaomiFor example, it has developed its own humanoid robot called Cyber ​​One. Meanwhile, electric car maker Xpeng also has its own humanoid robot prototype.

Several Chinese companies have developed humanoid robots, and analysts expect the country to ramp up production of the devices this year.

Honor’s robot will focus on providing shopping assistance, workplace inspections and supportive companionship, the company said on Sunday.