HONOR Robot Phone goes on sale in China today with motorised 200MP gimbal camera

HONOR's extraordinary Robot Phone officially goes on sale in China today, August 18, starting at RMB 9,999. Its defining feature is a mechanically articulated three-axis gimbal containing a 200MP camera. The module can physically extend and move to stabilise shots, track subjects and frame video autonomously rather than relying entirely on electronic cropping. HONOR has partnered with ARRI on imaging features intended to bring more cinema-style colour and capture options to the device.

Underneath the unusual camera sits thoroughly flagship hardware, including Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and a 7,060mAh battery with 120W wired charging. A 16GB RAM and 1TB storage configuration is also available at a higher price. Mechanical complexity is the obvious compromise: a moving camera creates more potential points of failure and makes water resistance and weight more difficult than on a conventional slab phone.

Even if the Robot Phone remains a niche product, it represents one of 2026's boldest pieces of smartphone engineering. Today's first retail sales should reveal whether consumers are willing to pay flagship-plus pricing for physical camera innovation.