Unitree Defends Robot Sales as Rival Claims Market Crown
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Unitree G1 humanoid robot. Photo: VCG
Unitree Robotics disputed rival sales reports on Thursday, asserting it shipped over 5,500 humanoid robots in 2025 amid rising competition in the rapidly evolving sector.
The disclosure highlights a broader industry challenge: the absence of unified standards for what constitutes “mass production.” As the market shifts from stunt-driven prototypes to scalable commercial deliveries, companies are scrambling to define leadership. While some industry definitions of “embodied AI” encompass robotic arms, wheeled units or dexterous appendages, Unitree stressed that its tally strictly includes humanoid robots delivered to end customers — excluding unfulfilled orders and non-humanoid models. It said its total production surpassed 6,500 units for the year.
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Explore the story in 30 seconds
- Unitree Robotics claims over 5,500 humanoid robot shipments in 2025, surpassing rival Agibot’s reported 5,100.
- Sector faces lack of unified standards and remains small scale; in 2025, China shipped 284 million smartphones but only thousands of humanoid robots.
- Capital investment is rising; Figure AI valued at $39 billion in the US, yet industry revenues remain modest compared to high valuations.
AI generated, for reference only
Who’s Who
- Unitree Robotics
- Unitree Robotics, a Chinese company, claims to have shipped over 5,500 humanoid robots in 2025, with total production exceeding 6,500 units for the year. This statement aimed to counter rival sales reports and establish its leadership in the rapidly growing humanoid robotics sector. Unitree Robotics has also begun IPO counseling in late 2025, indicating its pursuit of public listing amid increasing capital deployment in the industry.
- Agibot
- Agibot is a rival to Unitree Robotics in the humanoid robot market. In January 2026, Agibot claimed to be the global market leader in 2025, with over 5,100 units shipped and a 39% market share, according to a report by Omdia. This claim was disputed by Unitree Robotics. Agibot has also pursued listings through acquisitions.
- UBTech Robotics Co. Ltd.
- UBTech Robotics Co. Ltd. (优必选科技) is a Hong Kong-listed company in the humanoid robotics sector. In December, it projected an annual output of 10,000 humanoid units by 2026. The company also reported deals worth over 1.1 billion yuan ($158 million) in 2025, including deployments at data-collection centers in Sichuan and Guangxi.
- Booster Robotics
- Booster Robotics is a company known for its competition-grade humanoid robots. By late 2025, it had cumulatively shipped almost 1,000 units globally. This places them among the significant players in the rapidly developing humanoid robotics market, which is seeing increasing competition and a shift towards commercial scalability and higher production volumes.
- Robotera
- Robotera is a startup in the "embodied AI" space that raised over 1 billion yuan in private market investment. The company claims its total order volume exceeded 5.1 billion yuan, with approximately half originating from overseas markets.
- Galbot
- Galbot (加尔博特) is a robotics startup that successfully raised over 1 billion yuan in the private market. In December 2025, Galbot announced a strategic partnership with Zhejiang Baida Seiko Co. Ltd., intending to roll out more than 1,000 units.
- Zhejiang Baida Seiko Co. Ltd.
- Zhejiang Baida Seiko Co. Ltd. (浙江百达精工股份有限公司) is a company that has entered a strategic partnership with Galbot. This partnership aims to produce over 1,000 units of robots. This information highlights Zhejiang Baida Seiko Co. Ltd.'s involvement in the burgeoning humanoid robotics sector.
- BridgeDP Robotics
- BridgeDP Robotics is mentioned in the article in the context of the challenges facing humanoid robot production. Its CEO, Shang Yangxing, states that while leading manufacturers have introduced basic assembly lines, wider automation remains cost-prohibitive due to limited scale and design variability in the industry.
- Deep Robotics
- Deep Robotics began IPO counseling in late 2025, indicating their intention to go public. This move reflects the intensifying capital deployment within the robotics sector, as companies seek to secure funding and expand operations.
- X Square Robot
- X Square Robot is a startup in the humanoid robotics sector that successfully raised over 1 billion yuan in private market investment. This significant capital deployment highlights the intensifying investment trends in the industry, even as the sector grapples with defining "mass production" and achieving wider automation.
- Figure AI
- Figure AI, a humanoid robotics firm, saw its valuation skyrocket to $39 billion as of September 2025. This reflects a broader trend of escalating valuations within the U.S. humanoid robotics sector. Despite surging valuations, an industry insider cautioned that revenue for many "embodied AI" companies remains limited, suggesting valuations might be ahead of current fundamentals.
- Skild AI
- Skild AI is a humanoid robotics firm based in the U.S. As of January 2026, its valuation surpassed $14 billion, reflecting a significant increase in the valuations of companies within the "embodied AI" space.
AI generated, for reference only
What Happened When
- As of September 2025：
- Figure AI was valued at $39 billion.
- mid-2025：
- The sector’s focus shifted from viral videos to production volumes and revenue.
- late 2025：
- Booster Robotics reported nearly 1,000 cumulative shipments globally.
- 2025：
- Unitree Robotics claimed it shipped over 5,500 humanoid robots and produced more than 6,500 units for the year.
- 2025：
- Agibot claimed (based on Omdia report) to have shipped over 5,100 units, stating a 39% market share and estimating Unitree’s shipments at 4,200.
- 2025：
- UBTech reported deals worth over 1.1 billion yuan, including deployments at data-collection centers in Sichuan and Guangxi.
- 2025：
- Robotera reported total order volume exceeded 5.1 billion yuan, with about half from overseas.
- 2025：
- China shipped about 284 million smartphones and produced more than 34.5 million vehicles.
- 2025：
- Unitree and Deep Robotics began IPO counseling in late 2025.
- 2025：
- Agibot and UBTech pursued listings through acquisitions.
- 2025：
- Startups X Square Robot, Robotera, and Galbot each raised over 1 billion yuan.
- December 2025：
- UBTech Robotics projected it would reach an annual output of 10,000 humanoid units in 2026.
- December 2025：
- Galbot announced a strategic partnership with Zhejiang Baida Seiko Co. Ltd. to roll out more than 1,000 units.
- January 2026：
- Skild AI surpassed a $14 billion valuation.
- On Jan. 9, 2026：
- Agibot cited the Omdia report ranking it as global market leader for humanoid robot shipments in 2025.
AI generated, for reference only
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