Summary of Key Points
Honor has unveiled the world's first "robotic phone," which represents a significant breakthrough in enabling AI to evolve from a "question-answering assistant" to an "operator that can control hardware to perform tasks." This includes automatically following a subject with a gimbal or rotating the camera in sync with music. The development of this phone overcame numerous engineering challenges related to space, weight, and reliability. Behind this innovation lies Honor's attempt at transforming the smartphone industry through AI in a mature market—where phones may soon shift from being mere "boxes for installing apps" to platforms for intelligent actions. Honor plans to integrate these AI capabilities into its mainstream models to see if they can be widely accepted by users, which could lead to a fundamental reconfiguration of the entire industry from focusing on software to emphasizing hardware.
1. What makes this robotic phone truly innovative?
In previous AI-powered phones, AI served as an auxiliary tool—e.g., providing weather updates or photo editing assistance. However, the Robot Phone's AI goes beyond that; it can directly command the hardware to perform actions. For instance, if you want to record a video with camera tracking, you used to have to hold the phone and move it manually. With the Robot Phone, you simply say, "Record a video that dances to the music," and the AI will understand the rhythm, control the gimbal, focus the camera, and adjust the angle automatically. In other words, while previous AI was like a "brain" (that could think), the Robot Phone combines both thinking and action, acting as a bridge between large models (for understanding data), sensors (for perceiving the environment), and hardware (for executing tasks). This marks a significant shift in how smartphones interact with users through AI.
2. How difficult was it to incorporate a gimbal into a phone?
The internal space of a smartphone is already extremely limited, with components like batteries, chips, and cameras taking up most of the space. Adding a rotatable gimbal (similar to those found in professional photography equipment) required solving several problems:
- Limited space: The team revised the gimbal design more than a dozen times, reducing its size from the initial 6.7 inches to a format that fits within the phone.
- Short lifespan: The gimbal's motor initially lasted only one year; after testing 18 different materials and reorganizing the supply chain, they increased its lifespan to five years.
- High reliability requirements: Since phones are used daily, the gimbal had to meet strict standards—68 cables (including 19 coaxial ones) needed to be designed to withstand drops, bumps, and prolonged use. Honor's CEO's statement about the challenges faced in developing this technology is not an exaggeration.
3. Why did Honor take on such a risky endeavor?
The smartphone market is now in a phase of stagnation, with users changing their phones less frequently. Competing solely on specifications and camera quality is no longer enough to attract them. AI offers a breakthrough: instead of just installing apps, it can directly control hardware to enhance user experiences. Honor believes that AI-powered devices will see rapid development in the next two to three years, and failing to explore the integration of AI with hardware could result in falling behind competitors. In other words, while others are still competing for the existing market share, Honor aims to create a new market by redefining what smartphones can do.
4. What implications does this have for the entire industry?
The significance of this phone lies not just in the inclusion of a gimbal but in the potential impact on how phones function. When AI can understand, make decisions, and execute tasks, will traditional phone designs (such as straight screens and touchscreens) still be sufficient? For instance, if AI can control more advanced features like foldable screens or smarter camera mechanisms, phones might look very different. Alternatively, they could work in conjunction with other smart devices (watches, glasses), with AI coordinating all hardware functions. As Li Jian said, "All intelligence ultimately needs to interact with people through devices." Whoever masters the integration of AI and hardware will gain a competitive advantage in the next generation of smart devices.
5. Honor's next challenge: Making advanced technology accessible to everyone
Creating a pioneering robotic phone is not the hardest part; the real challenge is making this AI technology widely accepted by consumers. Honor's plan is as follows:
- The Magic9, expected to be released at the end of September (a mainstream straight-screen phone), will utilize the Robot Phone's AI and imaging capabilities but without the gimbal. This will test whether users' habits can truly change with a more user-friendly and intelligent interface.
- If the Magic9 is successful, this technology can be scaled up for other models. Only when most users find such features useful and indispensable will the trend of AI-powered devices become mainstream.
In conclusion
Honor's robotic phone marks a shift in the smartphone industry from focusing on hardware specifications to emphasizing AI-driven capabilities. Future phones may no longer require direct user interaction but will instead understand users' needs and take proactive actions on their behalf. Although it's difficult now, this could be the starting point for a transformative change in the industry in just two to three years.