A Phone With a Robot Arm? I Got a First Glimpse at Honor's Quirky Camera Phone

At CES 2026, I finally got to see in person one of the oddest phones in recent memory: the Honor Robot Phone. Where other phones embed all their cameras into the body, the Robot Phone mounts the camera system on a robotic arm and gimbal that flips out.

Three months ago when the unusual phone was announced, I said I'd have to see it and hold it to believe it's real. Now I'm at least halfway there.

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I wasn't allowed to touch or manipulate the phone or its arm, but I watched as a member of Honor's team moved the camera between different positions. It was interesting to see how neatly the arm packed away, leaving the black phone looking -- at a glance -- almost like any other generic device with a particularly expansive camera module. But I can't deny that I'm still keen to get my hands on it to see how well the robotic element of the phone actually operates.

There's some real depth to the Robot Phone.

Katie Collins/CNET

Fortunately, I don't have long to wait. At Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona in March, Honor will allow me to touch and hold the phone. At that point, the robotic arm will be working, so it won't have to be manually adjusted. We know frustratingly little else about the phone at this stage, beyond its design, but its full specs will also be announced at MWC.

When it finally launches, the Robot Phone is likely to be a niche product that appeals mainly to content creators. But it will also inject a much-needed dose of design daring into an industry that's struggled to show much imagination over the past decade. 

The Robot Phone from the back, with the camera tucked away.

Katie Collins/CNET

Tech journalists have long complained about the homogenous designs of most smartphones, urging companies to take more risks and give us something to really get excited about. The introduction of foldable phones has been a breath of fresh air, but the Robot Phone is a next-level example of thinking beyond the conventional boundaries of phone design.

I can't wait to see -- and hold -- more.

If Honor can pull this off with a moving robotic arm, I'll be impressed.

Katie Collins/CNET