New Android phone with unique sci-fi perk revealed

If you thought folding phones were weird, wait until you see what Honor has up its sleeve for next year.

The Android phone maker revealed its latest flagship phone the Magic 8 Pro (in China only for now) alongside a much stranger looking smartphone that the firm is calling ‘Robot Phone’.

As you can see from the above images and below video, which notably are all CGI and not of a physical device, Honor has stuck a protruding camera arm into the back of a smartphone. When packed away it appears to be a camera through a transparent slider, but it can fully extend out of the casing of the phone and face forward when the phone is placed in a breast pocket.

The video trailer shows the camera taking in scenes and framing three people for a photo, taking video, giving a woman advice on her outfit, and even weirdly anthropomorphically calming down a crying baby.

Throughout the camera is given a baby- or even Pokémon-like voice as it says “aaaah” or laughs. It’s all very strange, especially as this is a teaser and Honor says it won’t fully reveal the device, what it can do or if it is a product that people will be able to buy, until Mobile World Congress in March 2026.

“This AI device will not only serve you, but grow with you, sensing, adapting, and evolving through AI,” said Honor’s CMO Dr. Ray Guo on X. “It marks a pivotal milestone in our Honor Alpha Plan, as we advance toward building a truly global AI device ecosystem.”

Honor announced its overarching ‘Alpha Plan’ earlier this year, where it promised to link together devices and services with, you guessed it, AI.

“This innovative device will integrate AI-powered multi-modal intelligence, robotic functionality, and advanced handheld imaging capabilities,” Honor said in a press release. “As a new species of AI device, the Honor Robot Phone will redefine future human-machine interaction and coexistence, positioning Honor at the forefront of AI device innovation.”

The firm said the Robot Phone could be “an emotional companion that senses, adapts, and evolves autonomously like a robot, enriching its users’ lives with love, joy, and wisdom.”