I put Honor's Robot Phone against a pocket gimbal camera — here's which one I'd buy

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Tom's Guide) The Honor Robot Phone is no longer just a concept. We went hands-on with the final version of the Honor Robot Phone, and it's officially going on sale in China starting August 20 for RMB 9,999 (around $1,480), putting it roughly in the same price bracket as the iPhone 17 Pro Max in the country.While I compared the Honor Robot Phone with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, one question has been on my mind ever since I first used the device: Is it actually better than a dedicated pocket gimbal camera?I tested the Honor Robot Phone alongside the Insta360 Luna Ultra to find out, and the answer surprised me. The dedicated gimbal is still better overall, but Honor has gotten so close that you might not need to carry one anymore.Honor got surprisingly close to a dedicated gimbal on its first try (Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Tom's Guide)The most impressive thing about the Robot Phone is just how similar the shooting experience feels to using an actual pocket gimbal camera. Honor has mounted a 200MP f/1.6 camera on a physical arm that can move around to stabilize footage and follow subjects.Of course, the form factors are completely different. The Luna Ultra is designed specifically to be held as a camera, so it's naturally more comfortable when you're recording for longer durations.But the core idea is pretty much the same on both. Even on the Robot Phone, you're getting pretty much the same moving gimbal setup as the Luna Ultra, except it's built into a standard slab smartphone that doesn't feel ridiculously thick. Honor Robot Phone vs Insta360 Luna Ultra (Test Video) - YouTube Watch On There are a few small differences, though. In my testing, I found the Luna Ultra slightly faster to get up and running. You can pull it out and start recording almost immediately, whereas getting into the Robot Phone's gimbal camera takes an extra second or two.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Interestingly, both devices also share the same limitation when it comes to vertical video. Neither physically rotates its main sensor when you switch to portrait recording. Instead, both crop into the horizontally oriented sensor, meaning vertical footage tops out at roughly 2.8K rather than native 4K. (Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Tom's Guide)Speaking of similarities, the software experience on both devices is surprisingly close as well. Both offer subject tracking, letting you lock onto a person and have the gimbal automatically follow them to keep them in the frame.In my testing, I expected the Luna Ultra to have an advantage here, but it really doesn't. I tried tracking a person in a busy Shenzhen bay area while walking alongside them, and the Honor Robot Phone easily matched the Luna Ultra at keeping the subject in frame.The difference only really becomes noticeable when the subject moves quickly toward the edge. During normal movement, though, the Robot Phone had no trouble staying locked on, even with other people moving around the scene.The Robot Phone also offers a Super Steady mode that adds another layer of stabilization on top of the physical gimbal, something the Luna Ultra doesn't offer. That said, I don't think you're missing much without it. Footage from both devices already comes out incredibly stable. (Image credit: Future)One software advantage the Robot Phone does have is Honor's partnership with ARRI. If you're into filmmaking or more serious content creation, you can use ARRI's cinematic color science while shooting video, which isn't something you get on the Luna Ultra.On the other hand, newer pocket gimbals like the Luna Ultra and DJI Osmo Pocket 4P have dedicated zoom hardware. Honor doesn't have that on its gimbal-mounted camera, but the 200MP sensor gives it plenty of room to crop in, offering up to around 4x zoom. So you're not completely missing out there either.I'd still buy the dedicated gimbal, but Honor got incredibly close (Image credit: Future)On the whole, if I had to spend my money, I'd still probably go with the Luna Ultra. There are a few small things it simply does better. It's quicker to launch, more comfortable to hold for longer shoots, has dedicated zoom hardware, and I found the subject tracking to be ever so slightly better.Plus, you can actually buy it in the U.S., whereas the Robot Phone remains limited to China for now.But then again, the Robot Phone isn't just a camera. For the same money, you're getting the gimbal hardware inside a full-fledged flagship phone with a 7,060mAh battery, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, 512GB of storage, and a flagship display.And I think that's where Honor has really surprised me. I went into this comparison expecting the Luna Ultra to easily come out on top because, well, that's literally what it's built for. It still does, just not by the margin I expected. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. More from Tom's GuideI’ve been living with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for 3 weeks — and I was wrongInsta360's gimbal camera has just hit shelves, and there's one factor that has me lining up to purchase one statI’ve tested a ton of cameras and drones in 2026 — and these are my 5 favorites (so far) from DJI, Canon, Leica and more Sanuj is a tech writer covering smartphones, tablets, and wearables for Tom's Guide. He also contributes to Android Central, Android Police, and Pocket-Lint. He started his tech journey with a Nokia Lumia before diving into both Android and iPhone. When he's not testing gadgets, he's usually sipping tea, watching football, or playing cricket.