China’s approach to building smartphones is now fueling a new industry: humanoid robots. Major companies that once focused on mobile devices are transforming their factories to produce robots that can assemble the next generation of consumer electronics. This shift is happening fast, with plans to scale up robot production dramatically in the coming years.

The Connection Between Smartphones and Robots

Many of China’s biggest tech suppliers started out making parts for smartphones. Companies like Lingyi iTech, Lens Technology, and AAC Technologies have specialized in precision components such as screens, structural parts, and tiny motors. Now, they are repurposing those same factories to produce humanoid robots. The technology and manufacturing processes overlap significantly, making the transition smoother than it might seem.

For example, a robot called the Honor D1 recently completed a half-marathon in Beijing, both under remote control and fully autonomous. It finished faster than other robots in the race, thanks to liquid-cooling tech originally developed for smartphones. The structural parts came from Lens Technology and AAC Technologies, which are used to make phone screens and other components. This shows how existing supply chains and factories are being adapted to create robots instead of phones.

Major Players and Industry Growth

One key player is Lingyi iTech, based in Shenzhen. They supply parts to Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi, and now plan to produce 10,000 humanoid robots annually by the end of 2026, aiming for 500,000 units per year by 2030. Meanwhile, UBTech has partnered with Foxconn to deploy robots like the Walker S1 on iPhone assembly lines, with the next version, Walker S2, entering mass production in early 2026. Foxconn itself is setting up robot manufacturing lines in Vietnam, with plans to start production later this year.

Many of these companies are not startups; they are established factories with decades of experience in electronics manufacturing. They are simply shifting their focus from phone components to robotics, using their existing infrastructure and supply chains. This industrial approach means the growth in robot production could be rapid and large-scale, unlike the slower development seen in many tech startups.

China’s robot industry is booming. Shenzhen alone produced over 240 billion yuan worth of service robots in 2025, accounting for nearly half of the country’s total robot output. Costs are falling fast—about 20% annually—mirroring early smartphone manufacturing when component prices dropped as production scaled up. Experts predict the global humanoid robot market could reach $5 trillion by 2050, with tens of millions of robots working worldwide by the mid-2030s.

Western companies like Tesla are also eyeing China’s manufacturing strength. Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory is considered a key site for producing its Optimus humanoid robot, benefiting from China’s supply chain dominance. However, Chinese manufacturers are already ahead in terms of volume, planning to produce tens of thousands of robots in the next few years. The difference isn’t ambition but manufacturing readiness and supply chain maturity.

While global competitors like Siemens and Meta are testing humanoid robots in factories, China’s existing infrastructure gives its companies an edge. The focus now is on scaling up production efficiently, lowering costs, and expanding the robot market rapidly. Morgan Stanley forecasts that by 2026, China’s robot sales will nearly triple, driven by the same supply chain efficiencies that made smartphones affordable and popular worldwide.

As the industry grows, costs for humanoid robots are expected to decrease significantly. Production costs are falling about 20% a year, making robots more accessible for various industries. The growth of China’s robot industry reflects a broader trend: the industry is not starting from scratch but building on a foundation laid by years of smartphone manufacturing. This enables faster, larger-scale deployment of robots across different sectors.

In summary, China’s smartphone supply chain is becoming the backbone of its emerging humanoid robot industry. With large manufacturers shifting focus and leveraging existing factories, the future of robotics looks set to accelerate rapidly. This industrial pivot could reshape not only manufacturing but many aspects of daily life and work worldwide in the coming decades.

Inspired by

• https://thenextweb.com/news/china-smartphone-factories-humanoid-robots

Sources

• scmp.com