G1 vs Phoenix: which robot wins?
Unitree's G1 against Sanctuary AI's Phoenix — price, capability, availability, and a verdict you can act on.
| G1 | Phoenix | |
|---|---|---|
| EST. PRICE | $13,500 | Enterprise pricing |
| HEIGHT | 4"-3"- / 130 cm | ~5′7″ / 170 cm |
| WEIGHT | ~35 kg | ~70 kg* |
| PAYLOAD | 3 kg | ~25 kg* |
| RUNTIME | ~2 hrs | Tethered/battery options* |
| DEXTERITY | 23""43 DOF depending on config | 20-DOF hands — class-leading touch* |
| AVAILABILITY | Buy today | Industrial only |
| WHICHBOT SCORE | 7.2 / 10 | 7.7 / 10 |
| OUR TAKE | The cheapest way to own a real humanoid right now. Smaller and more of a developer platform than a housekeeper - but it ships. | The hands specialist. Sanctuary bet everything on human-grade fingers and touch — the hardest problem, and the one that unlocks the most jobs. |
* Prices are estimates from public statements and filings. Availability changes weekly.
Detailed comparison: G1 vs Phoenix
G1 scores 7.2/10 in our independent evaluation; Phoenix scores 7.7/10. That 0.5-point gap is real but not decisive — G1 may still be the right fit depending on your use case.
G1 is best for: Tinkerers, developers, and early adopters who want hardware in hand now. Phoenix is best for: Believers that dexterity — not walking — is what makes humanoids useful.
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. G1 and Phoenix are both worth evaluating — the right call depends on which robot's documented strengths match your actual workflow.
CHOOSE THE G1 IF…
- Tinkerers, developers, and early adopters who want hardware in hand now.
- You can actually buy it, today
- Lowest price of any real humanoid
CHOOSE THE PHOENIX IF…
- Believers that dexterity — not walking — is what makes humanoids useful.
- Arguably the most human-like hands and haptics in the industry
- Teleop-to-autonomy training pipeline generates rare manipulation data