"Honor, a Chinese phone brand that primarily sells its devices in Europe and Asia, announced a new smartphone in its Magic series this week, dubbed the Magic8. It's notable because it's one of the first phones to be powered by the recently unveiled Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-that's the flagship processor that will power many of the top Android phones in 2026."
"That'd be the Robot Phone. This is a concept, but Honor says it plans to reveal more details about it at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona next March. Based on the accompanying launch video-which appears to have been largely created using generative AI-the Robot Phone features a camera module that flips out, functioning like a pan-and-tilt camera on a gimbal. It doesn't just take photos of subjects, but also reacts to people, and even plays peekaboo with a (fake) baby."
"While we haven't seen a phone with a flip-out camera on an arm, there was a time when pop-up selfie cameras were all the rage. Devices like the OnePlus 7 Pro had an uninterrupted display with zero notch or in-display camera; instead, a camera mechanically popped out from the top edge of the phone. Honor's concept Robot Phone is much more advanced. But even more advanced are the purported capabilities of this little robot camera."
Honor announced the Magic8 smartphone equipped with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and a 7,200‑mAh silicon‑carbon battery cell. Honor also revealed a Robot Phone concept with a flip‑out camera module that behaves like a pan‑and‑tilt gimbal, reacts to people, and performs playful interactions. The Robot Phone launch video appears to use generative AI and promises further details at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona. The concept recalls earlier pop‑up selfie mechanisms like the OnePlus 7 Pro, though the touted robot camera capabilities may exceed what a final product can realistically deliver.
Read at WIRED
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