Honor has launched the Robot Phone, which it is calling a new species of smartphone that integrates key elements of ARRI Image Science and carries the “co-engineered with ARRI” designation. The product is the first commercial outcome of the companies’ Cinematic Imaging Partnership and brings ARRI’s established imaging expertise into mobile content creation.

The Robot Phone combines Honor’s mobile imaging, AI and robotic camera technologies with ARRI LogC3, ARRI Wide Gamut 3 and ARRI Looks. Its titanium agile gimbal supports stabilized movement, subject tracking and hands-free operation, while the ARRI technologies provide a consistent foundation for image capture and creative finishing.

“The Honor Robot Phone is an important milestone in ARRI’s expansion into content creation,” says David Bermbach, chief product officer of ARRI. “Together with Honor, we are translating ARRI’s perspective on image quality, color and visual storytelling into a new category. This gives more creators access to greater creative control and a stronger connection between capture and post production.”

ARRI Image Science shapes how a camera renders light, color, contrast, highlights and shadows. Adapting selected elements for a mobile device required a dedicated implementation for smaller sensors, compact optics, integrated processing and real-time computational demands. The Robot Phone supports 10-bit ARRI LogC3 recording to retain more highlight, shadow and color information for post production. ARRI Wide Gamut 3 provides a broad color space, while the selection of ARRI Looks offers distinct visual styles at the touch of the screen. When LogC3 footage is imported into professional editing and color grading applications, creators can take advantage of established motion picture workflows for their mobile content.

For ARRI, the launch advances its expansion into content creation alongside its established motion picture and live entertainment businesses. Mobile devices are increasingly central to social content, branded communication, documentary work and other forms of visual storytelling. The Honor Robot Phone will initially be available in China.