Galbot’s first walking humanoid has a price, and it’s lower than a lot of people guessed. The Chinese robotics company’s ET1, sold in China as “Yinhe Xingzai” (银河星仔), comes in three versions at 79,000, 139,000 and 179,000 yuan, according to an October 2 report by the Chinese tech outlet QbitAI, which said it learned the figures exclusively. At the October 17 exchange rate, that’s roughly $11,800, $20,750 and $26,700.
The gap between those tiers is the interesting part. All three ET1s look the same and share the same 26-joint body. What you pay extra for is onboard computing, the robot’s ability to learn new moves on its own, and a pair of dexterous hands. The entry model is, in effect, a dancing, talking showpiece. Galbot hasn’t said what the hands cost on their own, how long the battery lasts or when deliveries start.
Three tiers, one body
Here’s how the three versions break down, combining the prices QbitAI reported with the hardware Galbot lists on its official ET1 page:
| Version | Reported price | About in USD (Oct 17) | Extra compute (Galbot spec) | What QbitAI says it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (基础版) | ¥79,000 | $11,800 | none listed | Dance and performance routines, natural-language conversation; 26 DoF |
| Pro (专业版) | ¥139,000 | $20,750 | Orin Nano, 40 TOPS | “Active learning” and dynamic planning; dexterous hands as an option |
| Flagship (旗舰版) | ¥179,000 | $26,700 | NX, 100 TOPS | More access for secondary development and customization (researchers, developers, businesses) |
One detail doesn’t line up. Galbot’s spec sheet lists the Pro and Flagship at “26 + 12” degrees of freedom, with the extra 12 coming from dexterous hands. QbitAI describes the hands on the Pro as an optional add-on. Neither source gives a separate price for them, so a buyer can’t yet tell from public material whether ¥139,000 includes hands or not.
The prices are also domestic Chinese figures. Galbot’s ET1 page has a “Buy Now” button that links to a JD.com store listing; we couldn’t load that listing to confirm the price because JD served a verification wall, and Galbot doesn’t print prices on its ET1 page. There’s no announced US or European price, and nothing on import duties, shipping or warranty.
What Galbot says ET1 is
The specs on Galbot’s own page are modest by humanoid standards, and deliberately so. ET1 stands 1,250 mm (about 4 feet 1 inch) and weighs 32 kg with its battery. It sees through a stereo camera and runs on RK3588 and RDK X5 processors, with an extra Orin Nano or NX compute module (NVIDIA’s Jetson family) added on the upper tiers.
Galbot says ET1 runs a “100M-scale” Transformer motion foundation model, meaning roughly a hundred million parameters, and that it “learns entirely new movement skills directly through human interaction” without motion capture or reference videos. Those are company claims. Galbot pitches four uses on the page: greeting visitors at theme parks, drawing customers in at storefronts, stage dance routines and two-person comedy performances. It’s an entertainment and retail robot, not a warehouse worker.
The robot first appeared at the World Robot Conference in Beijing on August 20, where IT Home reported that Galbot founder and CTO Wang He called it the first physical agent with autonomous learning ability, a claim we can’t verify. Pre-orders opened September 3, and Galbot told Jiemian it took more than 200 orders in the first 24 hours. That’s the company’s figure, and pre-orders aren’t deliveries.
The QbitAI report adds two things worth knowing. It says Galbot co-developed the robot with Unitree and that ET1 uses a Unitree motor solution, which would explain how a company best known for its wheeled G1 retail robot got a biped to market quickly. It also says Galbot has about a million hours of human motion data behind the model. Jiemian’s September report, based on information from Galbot, said one hundred thousand hours. We’re flagging the mismatch rather than picking one.
Where 79,000 yuan sits
For a sense of scale, Unitree’s R1, a similar-size humanoid at about 1.23 meters, listed at $5,900 on Unitree’s US store when we checked humanoid robot prices on October 7, and the G1 research humanoid at $13,500. Those are US store prices and ET1’s are Chinese prices, so the comparison is rough. Still, a base ET1 lands between an R1 and a G1, and the Flagship costs about twice a G1. (Our Unitree R1, G1 and H2 breakdown has the full spec sheets.)
What separates ET1 from those robots, at least on paper, is the software pitch. Unitree sells hardware that developers program. Galbot is selling a robot that is supposed to pick up new dance moves from watching a person, with the learning features locked to the pricier tiers. If you’re counting joints, note that the 26 DoF on the Standard excludes hands; our explainer on humanoid robot degrees of freedom covers why those totals are hard to compare across makers.
Don’t confuse ET1 with Galbot’s PASSAGE research system for walking humanoids through cluttered rooms, which we covered on October 17. That’s a separate lab project, not an ET1 feature.
What the price leaves out
The list of things Galbot hasn’t published is longer than the spec sheet. There’s no battery runtime, payload, walking speed or charging time. There’s no separate price for the dexterous hands, no warranty terms and no delivery date for the September pre-orders. And there’s no independent demonstration of the “learns by watching” feature outside Galbot’s own videos.
The first real test is delivery. When ET1s start showing up at malls and theme parks, owners will find out how long one dances on a charge and whether the ¥139,000 Pro really learns new routines on site. Until then, 79,000 yuan buys an expressive, well-marketed performer, and the learning features stay a company promise.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Galbot ET1 cost?
QbitAI reported on October 2, 2026 that the ET1 comes in three versions: Standard at 79,000 yuan, Pro at 139,000 yuan and Flagship at 179,000 yuan, or roughly $11,800, $20,750 and $26,700 at the October 17 exchange rate. Galbot’s ET1 page links to a JD.com store but doesn’t print the prices.
What’s the difference between the ET1 Standard, Pro and Flagship?
The body is the same. Galbot’s spec sheet adds an Orin Nano compute module (40 TOPS) on the Pro and an NX module (100 TOPS) on the Flagship, plus 12 more degrees of freedom from dexterous hands on both. QbitAI says the Standard handles dance routines and conversation, the Pro adds active learning and planning, and the Flagship opens more customization for developers.
How tall is the Galbot ET1, and how much does it weigh?
Galbot lists ET1 at 1,250 mm tall and 32 kg with the battery. It has 26 degrees of freedom on the Standard version, uses a stereo camera, and runs on RK3588 and RDK X5 processors.
Can you buy the Galbot ET1 outside China?
Galbot hasn’t announced a US or European price or shipping plan. The prices reported so far are Chinese domestic prices, and the official buy link goes to JD.com.
Does the Galbot ET1 come with hands?
Not on the Standard version. Galbot’s spec sheet lists the Pro and Flagship with 12 extra degrees of freedom from dexterous hands, while QbitAI describes the Pro’s hands as optional. Galbot hasn’t published a separate price for them.
When will the Galbot ET1 ship?
Galbot opened pre-orders on September 3, 2026 and said it took more than 200 orders in 24 hours, but it hasn’t published a delivery date.
Sources
- Galbot, “Galbot ET1” official product page (specifications, compute tiers, scenarios, buy link): galbot.com
- QbitAI (量子位) via Sina Tech, “银河通用消费级机器人开卖了，7.9万起售,” October 2, 2026: finance.sina.com.cn
- Jiemian (界面新闻), “银河通用人形机器人’银河星仔’全网预售，首日订单突破200台,” September 4, 2026: jiemian.com
- IT Home (IT之家), “银河通用首款双足机器人 Galbot ET1’星仔’亮相,” August 20, 2026: ithome.com
- ExchangeRate-API, CNY reference rates (1 CNY = 0.1493 USD, updated October 17, 2026 00:02 UTC): open.er-api.com
- RoboticaGuide, “Humanoid robot prices 2026” (Unitree R1 and G1 US store prices checked October 7, 2026): roboticaguide.com/
All sources accessed October 17, 2026. Dollar figures are conversions for reference, not Galbot prices.
Related: Galbot’s PASSAGE clutter-traversal system · Unitree R1, G1 and H2 prices and specs · More Robot Companies coverage
Last updated: October 17, 2026. To report an error, see our corrections page. Articles are drafted with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by an editor; see our editorial policy.
