When Honor first introduced its quirky Robotic Telephone again in October, I said I’d have to see it and hold it to consider it is actual. Three months later, I am no less than midway there.
At CES 2026 I bought a primary glimpse of a prototype of the cellphone, with its pop-out DJI Osmo-like digital camera and gimbal. A part of the cellphone’s physique is given over to housing these parts after they’re folded away, so it is understandably not among the many cohort of ultrathin devices we have seen over the previous 12 months or so.
There’s some actual depth to the Robotic Telephone.
I wasn’t allowed to the touch or manipulate the cellphone or its arm, however I watched as a member of Honor’s crew moved the digital camera between totally different positions. It was attention-grabbing to see how neatly the arm packed away, leaving the black cellphone wanting — at a look — nearly like every other generic gadget with a very expansive digital camera module. However I am unable to deny that I am nonetheless eager to get my arms on it to see how nicely the robotic factor of the cellphone really operates.
Thankfully, I haven’t got lengthy to attend. At Cellular World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona in March, Honor will enable me to the touch and maintain the cellphone. At that time, the robotic arm will likely be working, so it will not need to be manually adjusted. We all know frustratingly little else concerning the cellphone at this stage, past its design, however its full specs can even be introduced at MWC.
The Robotic Telephone from the again, with the digital camera tucked away.
When it lastly launches, the Robotic Telephone is more likely to be a distinct segment product that appeals primarily to content material creators. However it’ll additionally inject a much-needed dose of design daring into an business that is struggled to point out a lot creativeness over the previous decade.
If Honor can pull this off with a shifting robotic arm, I will be impressed.
Tech journalists have lengthy complained concerning the homogenous designs of most smartphones, urging corporations to take extra dangers and provides us one thing to actually get enthusiastic about. The introduction of foldable telephones has been a breath of contemporary air, however the Robotic Telephone is a next-level instance of considering past the traditional boundaries of cellphone design.
I, for one, cannot wait to see — and maintain — extra.
