Products

Honor at MWC 2026 turns the tables on the smartphone-robot

The smartphone that integrates motor skills and spatial perception through an ultra-compact gimbal system is the star of the Chinese manufacturer's presentation, which also announces the new super foldable Magic V6

by Marco Trabucchi

1 March 2026

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

BARCELONA- At the Mobile World Congress, Honor is trying to shift the axis of the narrative to 'embodied' artificial intelligence, i.e. capable of stepping out of the screen and physically interacting with the environment and the user, with a clear message: the next frontier is not just more computing power, but greater integration between digital intelligence and the real world. This was reiterated by CEO James Li, speaking of the need to 'combine capability and empathy, combining IQ and EQ', in what the company calls 'Augmented Human Intelligence': an approach that puts the user at the centre and aims to combine computational capability and empathy of use.

A push that does not stop at smartphones and traditional devices, but also extends to robotics with the company's first humanoid, which surprised the audience at the presentation event with a dance and a backflip: a dramatic way to demonstrate advanced agility and motor control. The robot is designed for three main scenarios: shopping assistance, workplace inspections and domestic companionship. A sign of the Chinese group's growing interest in consumer robotics, in a logic of ever closer integration between digital intelligence and physical presence.

The robot phone: the robot that follows the user with "embodied intelligence"

The star of the show is the Robot Phone, a device that introduces physical movement, thanks to a smart camera capable of emerging from the body of the phone. An advanced smartphone concept integrating miniaturised motors and a three-axis gimbal system that can move and orient the camera autonomously.

It is not just about advanced stabilisation. The device integrates intelligent subject tracking, automated rotational movements and shooting functions designed to bring the language of mobile video closer to that of film. The aim is to overcome the static smartphone paradigm by introducing elements of movement and a kind of 'body language' into interactions, including 360-degree framing video calls that follow the user through space.

On an engineering level, the project required significant work. Honor applied high-performance materials and know-how gained in the development of foldable devices, and succeeded in designing an extremely compact and durable micromotor. Reducing the size of the motor made it possible to integrate an ultra-compact 4-degrees-of-freedom (4DoF) gimbal system into the phone, laying the hardware foundation for near-robotic-level motion control.

The device, expected on the market by the end of the year, integrates an advanced stabilisation system for shooting and tracking functions based on 'agentic shooting', i.e. an AI capable of making autonomous framing decisions. The artificial intelligence does not just optimise the scene: it reacts with expressive 'head' movements, even going so far as to perform small choreographic movements. A demonstration of how, in Honor's vision, AI is not only software, but also mechanics and gesture.

Strategic Collaboration with Arri

In the smartphone world, alliances with the big names in optics have become a sign of positioning. Leica, Hasselblad and Zeiss have built solid partnerships with various manufacturers over the years. Honor, which has remained outside of this perimeter, fills the gap with the announcement of its collaboration with ARRI, the historic German brand of professional cinema technology.

"Today, consumer smartphones are already serious tools even in professional filmmaking, used in high-end film productions all over the world. This is why we believe the time has come to bring these two universes even closer together. For the first time, fundamental elements of ARRI Image Science are being integrated directly into a consumer device," said David Bermbach, Managing Director of ARRI.

The heart of the understanding is the transfer to consumer devices of certain principles of Image Science developed by ARRI: colour management, high light treatment, tonal coherence. Not a simple preset or an aesthetic filter, but the adaptation of a film imaging philosophy to mobile sensors and compact architectures, with all the constraints this entails in terms of space, dissipation and computing power.

The first results will debut on the Robot Phone by the end of the year. The objective is clear: to position itself in the top bracket of digital creators, intercepting those who use smartphones no longer just for social content, but as a productive tool in semi-professional and professional workflows. At stake is not only image quality, but credibility in visual language.

The new foldable V6 and other devices

Alongside robotics experimentation, Honor is consolidating its presence in the premium segment with the Magic V6, a new ultra-thin foldable (8.75 mm when closed) that is IP68 and IP69 certified. The device integrates fifth-generation silicon-carbon batteries with 25 per cent silicon content and a claimed capacity of 6,660 mAh, one of the highest values in the foldable category. Also shown at MWC was an evolution of the technology, the Silicon-carbon Blade Battery, an extremely thin battery with 32 per cent silicon content and a density of over 900 Wh/L, designed to push foldables towards the 7,000 mAh mark.

On the display front, the Magic V6 adopts two LTPO 2.0 panels (6.52-inch external and 7.95-inch internal) with adaptive refresh rates of up to 120 Hz and peak brightness of up to 6,000 nits for HDR content. Internal crease reduction and anti-glare solutions aim to enhance the mobile user experience, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor and vapor chamber cooling system aim to support extended workloads, from gaming to professional multitasking.

The ecosystem is completed with the MagicPad 4, a 12.3-inch tablet with a 165Hz 3K OLED display and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 platform, and the MagicBook Pro 14, a laptop equipped with Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and a 14.6-inch OLED screen. In both cases, the company insists on AI integration for productivity and cross-system compatibility, including interoperability with Apple environments.

Prices and availability

The prices announced by the company concern the MagicPad 4 for now, offered in Italia from 599.90 euro for the 256 GB version (699.90 euro list price) and from 699.90 euro for the 512 GB version (799.90 euro list price). For the Magic V6, availability is planned for the second half of the year in selected markets, with local details on configurations and prices still to be defined.