With Xiaomi, a robot named CyberOne is learning how to work. Another human-shaped robot manufactured by smartphone manufacturer Honor is preparing to participate in a semi-marathon in Beijing.
The fact that smartphone manufacturers are rapidly developing humanoid robots reflects a major change in the entire industry. According to Chinese media, at first glance, this human-shaped robot wave seems to be a natural expansion of the artificial intelligence fever. But the deeper problem lies in the financial and structural aspects. The smartphone business, once a stable growth engine, is gradually saturated.
Profit margins are shrinking. Component costs are rising. Space for creative breakthroughs in the mobile phone sector is shrinking. Each major manufacturer is currently looking for a second growth cycle.
For Honor, that trend is consumer robots. The company's robots are positioned for situations such as companionship, retail support and family interaction. The approach is quick repetition, low entry barriers and early market response. Appearing at a semi-marathon is perfectly suited to that strategy. It brings presence, validation and signals that the product is moving towards practical application.
For Xiaomi, the betting strategy leans towards the industrial sector. The company's humanoid robot is being put into factories, where standards are higher but profits are clearer. Production automation brings measurable profits, but only when reliability reaches perfection. That is why Xiaomi pays great attention to details such as the skillfulness of the robot's hand and the success rate of each task.
With Huawei, they are building an AI (artificial intelligence) platform expressed through physique, integrating many models to support robot development and have tested robots in the financial service environment. Vivo has also established a dedicated robot lab, targeting family scenarios.
The advantage of smartphone manufacturers is that they possess many necessary core capabilities. They understand the integration of hardware on a large scale. Besides, they also understand how to operate a complex global supply chain. They design chips, optimize power consumption and deploy AI on devices. From many perspectives, humanoid robots are simply the next type of design, adding mobility and physical interaction.
In a broader picture, for many years, the industry has talked about connecting "people, cars and homes", with smartphones playing a central role. But that model is starting to change, in which humans no longer do everything, instead everything is gradually shifting to robots.
Instead of humans actively controlling devices, robots can play an intermediary role. They can move in space, interact with devices, coordinate with vehicles and perform tasks. Users become less active and become more service providers.
For companies like Xiaomi and Huawei, which have been operating in the field of smart homes and electric vehicles, robots help complete the overall picture. They turn a connected system into an active system.
These things are creating a major change for smartphone manufacturers. The production cost of robots is still high, many models are still being tested, applications in the home are still being shaped... but it is opening up a promising new direction for Huawei or Honor.
