Nobody saw this coming.
Dreame — yes, the robot vacuum company — has
officially announced its entry into the smartphone market, and they didn't show up quietly. The company unveiled a dual-series flagship lineup at AWE2026, and frankly, the specs and positioning are aggressive enough to make you take this seriously.
Hands-on previews were available at the show, but detailed testing is still locked down. So first impressions only — for now.
Key Points
- Dreame entered the smartphone market with a dual-series lineup: an imaging flagship and a high-luxury custom series
- The imaging flagship features a detachable magnetic 1-inch sensor lens that works independently via Wi-Fi
- Luxury models are handcrafted by 100+ designers using gold inlays and cultural heritage techniques, priced up to 100,000+ RMB
- Both devices run Dreame's self-developed Chixiao 01 chip with 200 TOPS of AI computing power
- A C2M customization model lets buyers personalize their device through the Aurora App or retail stores
A Camera Phone With a Detachable Lens
The imaging flagship is where things get genuinely interesting. The primary camera runs a 1-inch sensor, which is already a statement. But Dreame went further — the lens module is magnetic and fully detachable, meaning you can physically remove it and use it as a standalone camera unit. It connects back to the phone via Wi-Fi from several meters away.
That's not a gimmick. That's a real workflow change for anyone who shoots seriously with a phone. Whether the image quality lives up to the hardware ambition is something we can't confirm yet, but the concept is solid and the execution looks considered.
Gold Inlays and Handcrafted Luxury
The second series goes in a completely different direction. Dreame's high-luxury line incorporates jewelry, gold inlays, and traditional cultural heritage craftsmanship — each unit handmade by a team of over a hundred designers. Pricing reflects that. Standard flagship starts at $999, while the custom luxury versions run between 70,000 and 100,000+ RMB depending on materials.
That's not a phone. That's a statement piece.
The Chip Nobody Expected
Both lines run on Dreame's self-developed "Chixiao 01" processor, which delivers 200 TOPS of computing power and is built specifically for large-model AI interactions. A vacuum cleaner brand building its own flagship chipset is a sentence I didn't expect to write, but here we are.
Dreame also introduced a C2M customization model — users can personalize devices through the Aurora App or in physical retail stores. The phones themselves are notably heavy and visually striking, which checks out given the materials involved.
This is a serious play. Whether Dreame can execute at scale is the real question. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.