Honor’s Robot Phone: Innovative, yet scary

On August 12, smartphone manufacturer Honor unveiled its robotic smartphone Honor Robot Phone, which began its commercial sales on August 18. This phone features a gigantic 7060mAh silicon-carbon battery with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.   

Despite being packed with advanced technology, this phone is currently available only in China, with no confirmed wider retail availability. However, reports show that a significant number of American tech consumers are fascinated and at the same time, vocal about Honor’s Robot Phone and showed frustration as it is not available in the US.

However, serious skepticism and criticism have also surfaced as this phone features something that was never seen before - a fully motorized, 4-DoF (Degree of Freedom) gimbal system integrated into its camera module on the top of the chassis. This makes the camera physically move to capture videos with precision and avoid unnecessary shaking.

Undoubtedly, innovation skyrocketed here. That is where the scary part begins.

Honor decided to name the phone as ‘Robot Phone’ due to the mechanical part of the device. According to Honor’s official website, the phone can record high quality videos with ultra stabilization capability. Top-notch tracking ability with Honor’s own YOYO Robot Mode2 AI assistance can make the gimbal part dance with music. 

They even claimed the gimbal part will feel like ‘a real friend.’ 

Moreover, Honor added some extremely high-tech and handy camera features in this device. The tracking ability, as presented in the promo, can lock a subject at almost any angle. You might put the phone down somewhere and still the frame should be locked at the exact position you asked it to lock in.

Futuristic? Obviously. Scary? Most definitely.   

Although there is no definite claim, many consumers believe that this phone is specifically designed as a form of lucrative gesture to social-media users who wants to be a content creator. Additionally, in previous versions, AI was not given visual access - consumers had to click photos and upload it to AI agents to get whatever results they wanted. 

In Honor’s case, however, the camera module itself is driven by AI-assistance which implies that AI may be used to take even silly human decisions. Yes, the phone may not be taking decisions independently, but the suggestions it may provide will reduce critical thinking ability and make us less creative.

This heavy reliance on AI is resulting in an alarming situation where human cognitive development is being hampered, as younger generations are more accustomed to using AI-powered devices. 

Such innovations are always welcome as human beings are yet to reach the pinnacle of digital era. Still, it is our duty to save ourselves, and our younger generations from over-reliance on AI as it is harmful, probably for the sake of the existence of humanity.