Honor CEO James Li displays the Honor Robot Phone during its launch event in Guangzhou on Aug. 12. Photo from Honor

Smartphone maker Honor Device Co., which has an intelligent manufacturing industrial park in Pingshan District, has unveiled its Honor Robot Phone, a flagship device with a motorized camera that can physically move, track subjects and respond to users through AI.

Honor describes the device as the world’s first robotic smartphone. Its defining feature is a compact mechanical gimbal integrated into the phone, allowing the camera to extend from the device and move independently rather than remaining fixed in place.

The camera can automatically follow a person while recording video, livestreaming or making a video call. Users can also control it through voice commands and gestures, while the phone’s YOYO AI assistant can adjust shooting angles and carry out certain tasks across supported apps and system settings.

Honor is positioning the device as an example of embodied AI — artificial intelligence that can interact with the physical world through moving hardware rather than operating solely through software on a screen. In practical terms, the Robot Phone gives its AI system a movable camera that can perceive and respond to its surroundings.

Imaging is another major focus of the device. Honor has partnered with German cinema technology company ARRI to incorporate selected elements of ARRI's professional image science and filmmaking workflow into the phone. ARRI said the Honor Robot Phone is the first consumer device to use selected ARRI Image Science technologies under the companies’ “co-engineered with ARRI” partnership.

The technologies include ARRI LogC3, which preserves more image information for post-production, as well as ARRI Wide Gamut 3 and a selection of ARRI Looks for color treatment. The phone's main 200-megapixel camera is mounted on the motorized gimbal, while the camera system also includes telephoto and ultra-wide lenses.

The Honor Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park is responsible for quality-control certification for new products, the production of flagship devices, and the incubation of new manufacturing processes and technologies. It also develops Honor’s artificial intelligence manufacturing capabilities. Its automated production line enables one smartphone to roll off the line every 28.5 seconds.

The Honor Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park in Pingshan District.