The form factor of smartphones hasn’t changed all too much since the original iPhone debuted back in 2007. Ever since, we’ve had the same old slab format that’s grown more and more tired. Apart from foldable smartphones that have struggled to carve out a major footprint, it’s all more of the same.
Now, Chinese brand Honor has come up with a curious new concept ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona next week. In a concept video, the company showed off a familiar-looking smartphone that features a small robot arm that extends over the top of the device, where it can gaze around like Wall-E, even from inside your pocket.
Another cutesy promo video shows the robot phone coming to life, flipping out of a protrusion next to the usual camera bump in the back of the device, and even meeting a humanoid robot face-to-face.
The so-called Robot Phone can swivel a motorized camera at the end of a gimbal-like robot arm to give it a surprisingly lifelike appearance — like a miniaturized Wall-E that can poke its head out of your shirt pocket as you explore the world.
Of course, Honor is teasing the concept as a way to stuff more AI into its offerings, presumably allowing would-be owners to record and analyze their surroundings, not unlike other AI wearables we’ve come across so far.
It’s also worth noting that whether the Robot Phone actually exists is anything but clear. For one, a close viewing of Honor’s video suggests that it’s predominantly AI-generated, including scenes that show entire crowds. Human features are smoothed over, details are a touch too simplistic, and something about the movement feels way off.
“How much AI do you want in the commercial?” one commenter joked. “Honor: Yes.”
Besides the strong possibility that we’re looking at pure vaporware, Honor’s concept raises plenty of other questions as well. How durable would a tiny stabilized gimbal attached to the top of a smartphone really be? How much bulk would it add?
We’ll reserve judgment until we have a chance to see what Honor will show off at MWC next week. But considering the heavy-handed use of AI slop in its marketing, there’s a good chance we’ll have to wait a long time until the Robot Phone hits the market, if it’s ever developed and built in the first place.
Besides, as PCMag points out, even if the novel phone exists, it’s unlikely to come to the US, as Honor is largely focused on its home market back in China.
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