Buying guide

Adam vs XPeng IRON in 2026

Comparing 2 humanoid robots across availability, pricing, capabilities, and verified deployments. Current as of 2026.

Key differences

On DEPLOY's record, XPeng IRON is further along: at the pilot stage versus Adam at the research stage, as of 2026.

XPeng IRON has more verified real-world deployments (1 vs 0).
Adam is at the research stage; XPeng IRON at the pilot stage.

Attribute	Adam View full model page →	XPeng IRON View full model page →
Manufacturer	PNDbotics	XPeng Robotics
Form factor	humanoid	humanoid
Maturity	research	pilot
Autonomy	◐ not independently verified	◐ not independently verified
Availability	preorder-openpreorder	internal-onlyenterprise
Price	$45,000 (manufacturer target)	Not announced
Capability claims	Picks and packs (claimed-only, claimed)	Picks and packs (claimed-only, claimed)
Brain	—	VLT (XPENG VLA / VLA 2.0) (foundation-model)
Verified deployments	0	1Baosteel Group
Privacy practices	—	—
Sources on file	7	10

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Adam

XPeng IRON

Editorial summaries

Adam

Adam, from China's PNDbotics, is a full-size humanoid (~1.6-1.67 m, ~60-63 kg) in several variants (Adam Lite, Adam/Adam SP, the teleop/research Adam-U, Adam Pro), with quasi-direct-drive actuators and five-finger hands. The research-focused Adam-U is offered to research institutions on pre-order at about $45,000; other variants have no published consumer price.

DEPLOY classifies its maturity as research. A China deployment partnership (Tianyong) is stated, not yet a verified deployment.

XPeng IRON

XPeng's IRON (from the Chinese EV maker XPeng) is a roughly 175-centimeter, 70-kilogram research humanoid, an automotive-OEM entrant into humanoids, the cross-OEM positioning that parallels Tesla Optimus emerging from a carmaker. DEPLOY records it at research maturity with no verified deployments. XPeng has shown IRON in staged demonstrations and stated consumer and industrial intentions, but the verification posture is demonstration, not verified autonomous deployment or commercial sale, and DEPLOY cap-flags aggregator 'autonomous' or 'shipping' framing. As a research platform it has no consumer price.

Common questions

How do Adam and XPeng IRON differ?

On DEPLOY's record, XPeng IRON is further along: at the pilot stage versus Adam at the research stage, as of 2026. XPeng IRON has more verified real-world deployments (1 vs 0). Adam is at the research stage; XPeng IRON at the pilot stage.

What is the difference between Adam and XPeng IRON?

Adam and XPeng IRON are both humanoid robots on the DEPLOY registry. They differ in maker, maturity, price, verified deployments, and how much of their autonomy is independently verified. See the table above for the full head-to-head; each figure is sourced.

Is Adam or XPeng IRON more autonomous?

On the DEPLOY registry, neither Adam nor XPeng IRON has capabilities independently verified as fully autonomous yet; their recorded capabilities are teleoperated-assisted, demonstrated, or vendor-claimed. See the table for each capability's verification status.

Which has more verified deployments, Adam or XPeng IRON?

XPeng IRON has more verified deployments (1) on the DEPLOY registry than Adam (0). DEPLOY counts a deployment only when confirmed at a named site with a primary source.

Recent coverage

PNDbotics Adam humanoid climbs 1 meter box, post claimsAdam · Humanoid.guide · 2026-10-15
Xpeng Iron humanoid targets 2027 sales after internal trialsXPeng IRON · Humanoid.guide · 2026-10-13
XPENG IRON Autonomously Walks Off Production LineXPeng IRON · CleanTechnica · 2026-09-08

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Which humanoid robots can you actually buy in 2026?Answer The verified list.Humanoid robot prices: every verified figureAnswer The verified list.All humanoidsRegistry Every verified record in the category.AdamModel The full model page.XPeng IRONModel The full model page.PNDboticsRecord The maker's verified record.

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