At this 12 months’s Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Chinese tech model Honor unveiled its first-ever humanoid robotic, marking a daring enlargement past smartphones and laptops into full-scale robotics.
The unnamed humanoid robotic walked on stage alongside human dancers and carried out a choreographed routine to “Believer” by Imagine Dragons. In a second that caught the gang unexpectedly, it executed a moonwalk and even tried a backflip.
While the robotic doesn’t have a proper identify but, Honor’s imaginative and prescient for it’s clear. The firm isn’t aiming for industrial manufacturing facility work. Instead, they need these machines in our houses and workplaces. According to Honor, the robotic is being developed for 3 particular roles: purchasing help, office inspections, and “supportive companionship.”
Speaking on the shift from digital to bodily AI, James Li, CEO of Honor, instructed the viewers on the occasion: “If the smartphone is an extension of our minds, the robot would be an extension of our hands. It connects us to a whole new world of services.”
The robotic telephone: A ‘new species’ of smartphone
The humanoid wasn’t alone on stage. It appeared alongside Honor’s much-talked-about Robot Phone, an idea system first previewed earlier this 12 months.
Described by the corporate as “a new species of smartphone,” the Robot Phone includes a motorized 4DoF gimbal digicam system designed to introduce what Honor calls embodied AI interplay. The telephone can observe movement, keep visible consciousness, and bodily alter its digicam place.
Demonstrations confirmed the digicam module transferring in sync with music and following topics throughout video seize. Features embrace AI Object Tracking and AI SpinShot, which allow 90-degree and 180-degree rotational motion.
The system is constructed round a 200MP sensor and a stabilized gimbal system meant to slender the hole between smartphone video and professional-style storytelling. While earlier demonstrations have been non-functional previews, Honor confirmed at MWC {that a} working model is now on show. The firm has indicated a launch window within the second half of 2026 for the Robot Phone.
Magic V6 and a broader AI ecosystem
Alongside its robotics push, Honor additionally launched the Magic V6 foldable smartphone. The system measures 8.75mm when closed and includes a 6,660mAh silicon-carbon battery. It runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and carries IP68 and IP69 scores for water and mud resistance.
The Magic V6 sports activities twin LTPO shows, 6.52 inches on the surface and seven.95 inches when unfolded, with refresh charges starting from 1Hz to 120Hz. Honor additionally expanded its lineup with the MagicPad four pill and the MagicE-book Pro 14 laptop computer, reinforcing what it describes as an AI-driven ecosystem that stretches past smartphones.
Last 12 months, Honor introduced a $10 billion funding in AI. At the time, a lot of the main focus gave the impression to be on software program. This week’s unveiling makes it clear the corporate’s ambitions prolong additional, into robotics and embodied AI.
For now, pricing and industrial availability particulars for the humanoid robotic haven’t been introduced. Specifications additionally stay restricted.
For extra on how humanoid robots are transferring from stage performances to potential battlefield roles, learn our protection of the US army’s curiosity in robotic weaponization.
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