At MWC, smartphones fold, change colors, and even have robotic arms.

While every manufacturer is touting an AI smartphone, Chinese phone maker Honor is taking things a step further with a camera that physically extends from its Robot Phone via what the company calls the "industry's smallest 4DoF gimbal system."

Almost resembling a Pixar lamp, a small arm unfolds from the back of the phone and swings out to broaden the phone's view of its surroundings. Honor is pitching four key benefits:

• AI assistance: A wider field of view provides added context for more useful AI responses.
• Image stabilization: Like a traditional gimbal, it helps keep photos and videos steady.
• AI object tracking: The camera can lock onto a moving subject, which is useful for shooting content or video calls.
• Entertainment: The robot camera can bob its "head" to the beat of music, which is gimmicky but clever.

I demoed all four features, and the best way to describe the experience is simply fun. Object tracking worked as promised, the robot did bust some moves, and the AI assistant performed comparably to most standard chatbots, with the added charm of a Pixar lamp "head" swiveling toward you.

Beyond the fun factor, however, the practical case for the phone is harder to make — particularly at what will likely be a steep price. The exact cost has yet to be announced. What it does illustrate, though, is a broader truth about the smartphone industry: companies are going to extraordinary lengths to stand out in today's AI and robotics hype cycle.

Our Deeper View

Since AI exploded in popularity, companies have raced to incorporate it into their devices, with plenty of big promises and ambitious announcements, but relatively little change to the actual smartphone experience. So it's exciting to see a manufacturer think beyond the screen. I don't expect everyone to be carrying a robot phone anytime soon, but I do hope Honor's bold move inspires other companies to break from the standard slab form factor and seriously explore what AI-driven hardware could look like.