HONOR is about to have a very ambitious week in Barcelona, Spain.

The company that spent the last year climbing the global charts as the fastest-growing major smartphone maker isn’t just bringing new handsets to Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, but also a roommate.

On Feb. 23, HONOR announced it will headline MWC with its “Believers in AI” keynote on March 1, and that’s where it plans to unveil its first humanoid service robot — a move that officially kicks its “Alpha Plan” into high gear, shifting the narrative from a challenger that makes clever phones to a brand building an ecosystem of “Physical AI.”

For those following HONOR, this shouldn’t come as a total shock. Late last year, it teased the HONOR Robot Phone, a device with a three-axis gimbal that could autonomously track subjects and interact with users through AI-driven movement. While that felt like a high-concept experiment at the time, we now see it for what it actually was: a bridge.

✨Something revolutionary is about to step out of the shadows.
We’ve combined cutting-edge robotics with the ultimate mobile experience. The result? Something you have to see to believe. The adventure starts on March 1st in Barcelona! Stay tuned for more updates on HONOR… pic.twitter.com/Q1X2CxRitC

— HONOR (@Honorglobal) February 23, 2026

March 1 global launch teaser

The new humanoid robot is designed for consumer services, with HONOR specifically pointing toward roles like shopping assistance. It’s a direct play into a market that International Data Corp. says grew by more than 500% in 2025. While U.S.-based robotics companies have largely focused on industrial applications or high-end research, Chinese firms like Unitree and now HONOR are aggressively targeting the consumer space.

HONOR claims it is the first of its immediate smartphone peers to step into the humanoid ring. While everyone else is busy putting AI agents inside a screen, HONOR is putting the AI in a body. Despite the robotics push, though, it’s not abandoning the hardware that got it here. The MWC showcase will also feature:

• The HONOR Robot Phone, of course: We will finally see the first working version of the device.
• The HONOR Magic V6: The next evolution of its flagship foldable. If the rumors of a 7,200mAh silicon-carbon battery and a 200-megapixel camera hold true, HONOR is trying to solve the “compromise” problem that has long plagued foldables.
• Agentic AI integration: Expect a deep dive into how its proprietary AI agents will sync across your phone, your tablet, and your new robotic assistant.

HONOR is currently riding a wave of 11% year-over-year shipment growth, led by its expansion into premium markets. But 2026 is looking like a tough year for the industry. With “memory headwinds” and rising component costs, most manufacturers are playing it safe with incremental spec bumps.

HONOR is doing the opposite. By leaning into a $10 billion investment in research and development over five years, it’s betting that the only way to survive a market crunch is to offer something that feels genuinely next-gen. If you can convince a consumer that an HONOR phone is part of a larger, helpful robotic ecosystem, a premium price tag becomes a much easier pill to swallow.

As HONOR looks to prove its ascent from challenger brand to industry leader is sustainable, the stakes in Barcelona couldn’t be higher. We at REVU Philippines will be on the ground as part of the company’s media delegation to give a first look at how these new technologies perform in person. Stay tuned for our coverage from the MWC floor.

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