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When Chinese phone maker Honor first teased His automated phone Going back to the end of last year, I wondered if this concept would ever see the light of day. But after interacting with… An early version of the device at the Mobile World Congress In March, I became convinced that it would actually happen. Now, it has a release date — well, almost.
Honor is set to launch the Robot Phone in the third quarter of this year in China, the company announced after taking the device out on a night out at the Cannes Film Festival last week. As for Human honor robotwhich also debuted at MWC? It looks like this may not be quite ready for a full consumer launch yet.
When I saw The robotic phone that works at MWChe – she It struck me as part of a trend As we start to see less boring phones come to the fore. But even among a sea of innovations, there’s nothing quite like this.
Watch this: Honor’s robot phone is the first of its kind, integrating robotics into a smartphone
At first glance, there might not seem to be anything unusual about the robot phone, but look again, and you’ll see that the sliding cover hides a robotic arm with a gimbal and a camera. To bring the camera out of its hiding place, simply raise your palm to the front camera, twist that same hand, and then it swings out.
Thanks to the gimbal, the camera is able to capture stable tracking shots. During my short time playing with the phone, I also saw that the robotic arm could dance in time with the movement, and that the camera could work in conjunction with the AI software to look you up and down and evaluate your outfit. (In my case, the conclusion was favourable.) But the real test of the autophone still lies ahead.
Cinematic credentials to attract creators
The robot phone appears to be designed with influential people in mind.
The obvious target audience for the Robot Phone is influencers and creatives who currently use mobile action cameras, e.g DJI Osmo Pocket. These devices are popular because they are small and versatile, while offering great image quality.
For Honor to dream of competing with mobile cameras, it must ensure that it can at least match, if not exceed, this quality. As announced at MWC, it has a secret weapon in this department: a partnership with ARRI, a company that has been making high-end cinema cameras since 1917.
“Today, consumer smartphones are already a serious tool in professional filmmaking, being used in blockbuster films around the world,” David Bermbach, managing director at ARRI, said in a press release. “That’s why we believe it’s time to bring these worlds closer together. For the first time ever, the core elements of ARRI Image Science are integrated directly into the consumer device.”
If Honor can deliver the quality ARRI is known for with its prestige phones, as well as ensuring that the Robot Phone’s mechanical features are truly durable, it could have a compelling product on its hands that encourages creatives to cast aside their standalone cameras.
Mark your calendars for fall — this could be one of the most unusual and exciting phone launches of the year.
