The market has expanded in 2026. Here are the five humanoid robots that really deserve attention this year.

1. Unitree G1 — Accessible consumer

£13,000 to buy, £340/month lease. 35 kg, 23 DOF, 7.2 km/h. The robot that democratised humanoids. Open SDK, active community, ideal for early adopters, R&D and education. Caveats: 3 kg payload, 2 h battery. Don't take it for real handling.

2. Figure 02 — Industrial reference

£1,500/month business lease. 70 kg, 28 DOF, 20 kg payload, 5 h battery. Backed by OpenAI and BMW. Built for factories and warehouses. Lock-in: no public SDK, closed ecosystem. If you're an industrial SME, it's probably your best bet.

3. Tesla Optimus Gen 2 — Consumer ambition

£18,000 target price, 2026-2027 production. 57 kg, 28 DOF, 20 kg payload, 8 h battery. Tesla is going for the consumer market with aggressive pricing. Vertical integration (cells, motors, AI) could break the price barrier. Risk: Tesla's timelines historically slip.

4. 1X NEO — The home humanoid

£420/month subscription, EU rollout 2026. 30 kg, 28 DOF, fabric-covered for safety, silent custom actuators. The first humanoid truly designed for the home. Targeted tasks: folding laundry, tidying, gardening. Backed by OpenAI. Our top pick for domestic use.

5. Apptronik Apollo — The industrial challenger

Not on direct sale yet, Mercedes-Benz partnership for industrial pre-orders. 73 kg, 25 kg payload, 4 h battery. Apptronik targets automotive factories. One to watch for 2027 when the offering broadens.

Off-ranking but worth watching

  • Sanctuary Phoenix (Canada) — going for general-purpose humanoid, very fine manipulation. Price not available.
  • Fourier GR-1 (China) — direct Unitree competitor, R&D and demos.
  • Agility Digit (US) — already in production at Amazon warehouses. Not consumer.

Our overall advice

To test without commitment: Unitree G1 on lease. For a home humanoid: 1X NEO subscription. For an industrial use case: Figure 02. To bet on the consumer future: wait for Tesla Optimus Gen 2.

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