Smartphone makers eye robotics as second growth curve
Chinese smartphone makers, including Xiaomi and Honor, are developing humanoid robots as a potential second growth curve, with Xiaomi focusing on industrial applications and Honor on consumer robotics. The industry is leveraging existing capabilities in hardware integration, supply chains, and AI to drive robotics development.
Chinese smartphone makers are rapidly developing humanoid robots as the smartphone business matures and margins tighten. Xiaomi is pushing its humanoid robots into factories, focusing on manufacturing automation, while Honor is positioning its robots for consumer scenarios like companionship and retail assistance. Huawei is building an embodied AI platform to support robotics development, and Vivo has set up a dedicated robotics lab. These companies already possess core capabilities required for robotics, including hardware integration and complex global supply chains. The industry is shifting towards a model where robots act as intermediaries, interacting with appliances and executing tasks, with the user becoming a recipient of services. The road ahead is challenging, with high costs and undefined real-world applications, but the pace of development is accelerating.
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