Honor reveals a new smartphone with a fold-out robotic camera arm

BEIJING — Chinese smartphone company Honor on Wednesday announced it is developing a smartphone with a camera that folds out of the device using a robotic arm.

The company said it plans to share more details at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona early next year.

The new device would be the latest Chinese consumer electronics product to shake up a decades-old hardware design in an attempt to integrate AI. Earlier this year, Beijing-based Roborock started selling a robot vacuum cleaner with an arm that folds out from the top, and combines AI with sensors to detect obstructions for the arm to remove.

Honor is calling the product a “robot phone” and said it will incorporate artificial intelligence, but did not provide specific details.

The company said it is rolling out AI tools that help its smartphone users scan Chinese e-commerce sites for personalized shopping deals, quickly hail a taxi or get tips on how to better position the camera for a photo. The move is part of Honor’s plan to spend $10 billion over the next five years for a transformation into an AI device company.