Honor Robot Phone, Wall-E in your pocket?

At the Mobile World Congress held from March 2nd to 5th in Barcelona, Honor unveiled its Robot Phone, a smartphone equipped with a new type of retractable camera. A smartphone with a retractable camera—this mechanical gimmick attempted to break into the market a few years ago, without much success, mainly due to obvious fragility issues. It's uncertain whether Honor's new model will change the game, but it has the advantage of embracing the latest significant advances in robotics and AI. Housed on the back of the smartphone, the 200MP lens extends from the top of a robotic arm, a small gimbal with four degrees of mobility and three axes of stabilization. The device operates with the world's smallest micromotor, according to Honor, 70% smaller than available alternatives. The Honor Robot Phone, with its Wall-E-style articulated arm, offers advanced camera movements such as automatic panning and rotation, in addition to stabilizing. It can also track objects, recognize voices and gestures, thanks to AI. Finally, it can respond to the user via "emotional body language," including nodding or shaking its head "no." It also bobs to the beat of music. The Robot Phone will be available in China in the second half of 2026. No word yet on availability elsewhere in the world.