Atlas (Electric) vs Iron: which robot wins?
Boston Dynamics's Atlas (Electric) against XPeng's Iron — price, capability, availability, and a verdict you can act on.
| Atlas (Electric) | Iron | |
|---|---|---|
| EST. PRICE | Not for sale | Not yet priced |
| HEIGHT | ~5′9″ / 175 cm* | ~5′8″ / 173 cm |
| WEIGHT | ~89 kg* | ~70 kg* |
| PAYLOAD | 25 kg* | Factory task class* |
| RUNTIME | Swappable battery | Undisclosed |
| DEXTERITY | Full-rotation joints, superhuman range | ~60+ total DOF; humanlike gait* |
| AVAILABILITY | Industrial only | Coming |
| WHICHBOT SCORE | 8.8 / 10 | 7.5 / 10 |
| OUR TAKE | The gold standard of humanoid engineering, reborn electric. Its 360-degree joints move in ways humans cannot — and Hyundai factories get it first. | China’s answer to Optimus — an EV maker converting its car-factory muscle into humanoids, starting on its own production lines. |
* Prices are estimates from public statements and filings. Availability changes weekly.
Detailed comparison: Atlas (Electric) vs Iron
Atlas (Electric) scores 8.8/10 in our independent evaluation; Iron scores 7.5/10. That 1.3000000000000007-point gap reflects real differences in capability or value, but Iron may still win if its strengths match your priorities.
Atlas (Electric) is best for: Watching where the engineering ceiling is — and where factory humanoids are headed. Iron is best for: Tracking whether the Tesla playbook works twice — this time from Guangzhou.
Our scoring weighs five factors: autonomous capability, independent verification (third-party evidence scores higher than manufacturer claims), commercial deployment scale, price-to-capability ratio, and real-world availability today. Neither robot here is scored on marketing alone. Atlas (Electric) and Iron are both worth evaluating — the right call depends on which robot's documented strengths match your actual workflow.
CHOOSE THE ATLAS (ELECTRIC) IF…
- Watching where the engineering ceiling is — and where factory humanoids are headed.
- Decade-plus of world-leading locomotion research behind it
- All-electric redesign with beyond-human joint range
CHOOSE THE IRON IF…
- Tracking whether the Tesla playbook works twice — this time from Guangzhou.
- EV-manufacturer scale and supply chain behind it
- Notably humanlike gait and hands in public demos