13+
£159.0
4.2/5
Fascinating tech
rabbit
AI Companion
3 minutes
The Rabbit R1 is a pocket-sized AI companion designed to make interacting with artificial intelligence feel more immediate than opening apps on a phone. Its bright orange hardware was created with Teenage Engineering and combines a 2.88-inch display, push-to-talk button, scroll wheel and rotating camera.
When this article was originally published, one of the most talked-about parts of R1 was its Perplexity integration. The device has changed substantially since launch and now runs rabbitOS 2, with Rabbit continuing to add AI, recording, camera and agent features through software updates.
R1 can answer questions, translate conversations, use its camera to understand what you point it at, create AI-powered content and record and summarise information. It is an unusual gadget because the aim is not to become another smartphone full of apps, but to give you a dedicated way to talk to AI.
The original 2024 launch attracted criticism because several promised features were unfinished or unreliable. Rabbit has continued developing the software since then, so the current device is considerably different from the version early reviewers tested. It remains a niche gadget rather than a phone replacement, but for anyone interested in experimenting with AI hardware it is one of the most distinctive devices around.
The Teenage Engineering collaboration gives the R1 a playful retro-futuristic look that feels completely different from a smartphone.
Its push-to-talk approach makes asking AI questions quick and deliberately removes the usual clutter of opening apps and typing.
The rotating camera lets the device answer questions about objects and scenes in front of it, adding a useful visual layer to AI queries.
Regular software updates have expanded what the hardware can do well beyond the limited feature set reviewers saw at launch.
