In a long post published on the social network Weibo, the Chinese company talks about its upcoming experimental smartphone. Honor Robot Phone won’t be just a concept that comes to life, but it’s likely we’ll be dealing with a real series of devices.
The phone was designed specifically to revolutionize mobile video recording, offering something different (but aiming for stable performance). And it seems there is already talk of a successor, although for the moment it seems more like an idea than a tangible project.
No, Honor Robot Phone won’t remain an isolated experiment: there’s already room for the second chapter
The debut of Honor Robot Phone is scheduled for the third quarter of the year: price and release date are not yet known, but it’s still a device to keep an eye on. At the time of the announcement it seemed almost like a concept phone and nothing else; in reality the phone will see a commercial release and, consequently, the curiosity around the final product is high.
Meanwhile the manufacturer continues to tease enthusiasts by offering some details about the smartphone and the philosophy behind its creation. Robot Phone – as specified in the opening – is born for video imaging and includes tools typical for professionals, such as the support for C-Log and LUT. It also allows using advanced features, including autofocus lock, white balance and exposure.
The main strength, clearly, is the robotic arm: the camera has been freed from the physical limits of the phone body, in order to offer new shooting and stills capabilities. The phone mounts a 200 MP sensor but there are no other details, for now.
The device aims to make cinematic quality accessible to everyone thanks to artificial intelligence, which automatically handles subject tracking and camera movements via preset models, enabling even those without technical experience to obtain smooth footage.
Despite its unusual structure, Honor Robot Phone is equipped with drop resistance on par with a classic flagship. Water resistance will need improvement, and here comes the confirmation: the Chinese brand intends to continue to invest to refine its creation.
The future of this new format
The phone is not intended as an isolated experiment, but as the start of a long-term journey: Honor will continue to optimize the device and the new format does not represent a one-off marketing gimmick, rather a deep and lasting development direction for the brand.
Developing the Robot Phone was extremely complex, requiring a year of work and five different versions before reaching the final prototype. Engineers had to develop customized miniaturized motors and calibrate the balance of the gimbal to manage stability and rotation.
So all this effort serves as a foundation for what will come: clearly we are not yet talking about Honor Robot Phone 2 and it’s likely we will have to wait for commercial feedback as well. However, we can speculate that in the future the mechanical arm could also appear in the main Honor Magic series, always specialized in mobile photography.
