Ubtech Robotics: 13,361 Pre-Orders for U1 Humanoid, but a Sexism Row and Stiff Demos Test the Hype

Ubtech Robotics' Frankfurt shares jumped 12.38% after unveiling its UWORLD consumer humanoid, but the stock remains down 18.62% YTD amid gender pricing backlash and looming competition.

Ubtech Robotics saw its shares surge 12.38% in Frankfurt on Friday, closing at €11.80 after unveiling its first consumer humanoid robot in Shenzhen. The company reported 13,361 cumulative pre-orders for the U1 series, a figure that briefly masked the deeper challenges facing the stock: the shares are still down 18.62% year-to-date and trade 30.59% below their 52-week high of €17.00 set in January.

The new UWORLD brand spans three models — the U1 Lite, the full-body U1 Pro, and the flagship U1 Ultra — with pricing starting at 119,800 yuan (roughly $17,650) and stretching to nearly 1 million yuan for the top-end configuration. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in September, and Ubtech has promised to donate 100 customised units in 2026 as part of a mental-health initiative. Those “companion robots” will use 3D facial reconstruction, voice identity replication, and an on-device emotion AI running on a Rockchip RK3588 processor to mimic deceased loved ones. The company frames the project as a structured psychological support tool, with Chief Brand Officer Michael Tam arguing that companion robotics could evolve into its own consumer category.

Yet the launch was dogged by criticism from the very start. Chinese observers noted that the live demonstrations appeared stiff, with noticeable interaction delays. More damaging was the pricing gap between male and female versions of the robot — a disparity of 110,000 yuan — which drew accusations of gender discrimination. Unrelated to the social project, the price difference has become a flashpoint that threatens to overshadow the technology itself.

Financially, Ubtech remains deep in the red even as revenue climbs. The company booked a 53.6% revenue jump to 2,167.68 million Hong Kong dollars in its latest fiscal year, while the operating loss narrowed 35.08% to 810.1 million HKD and the annual net loss shrank 37.4% to 762.63 million HKD. In yuan terms, a separate figure from the company shows a net loss of roughly 703 million yuan, underscoring the heavy cash burn. The stock trades at a price-to-sales ratio of 22.4, though a valuation model by SWS suggests a 17.5% undervaluation. With 30-day annualised volatility at a blistering 85.57%, the shares remain acutely sensitive to any headline.

On the Hong Kong exchange, Ubtech’s stock leaped 7.5% to HK$102.8 earlier that week on the strong order numbers. But the competitive landscape is already shifting. Chinese rival Unitree could soon undercut on price, and Tesla is clearing production lines at its Fremont factory — halting two older EV models to make room for its Optimus humanoid, with 5,000 units planned between July and August. Analysts warn that a price war in the consumer humanoid segment is a real risk once big players enter the market.

Technically, the stock is hovering near its 50-day moving average of €11.96 and below its 100-day average of €12.12. The relative strength index at 51.2 points to neutral momentum, with no overheating signal. The 52-week range stretches from a low of €9.42 on March 31 to the January high. For now, Ubtech’s fate hinges on whether those 13,361 pre-orders convert into actual revenue after deliveries start in September — and whether the goodwill from its mental-health mission outweighs the backlash over pricing and performance.