Sharp will launch the second model in its Poketomo conversational AI character line in December 2026. The unit, model number SR-C02M-H, takes the opposite personality of the first release: where the original was an innocent, agreeable companion, this one is a blunt, stubborn oresama type. Register two of them to the same app and the robots will start chatting with each other on their own whenever they are placed nearby.
A companion that does not simply agree with you
Conversational AI products almost always lean toward affirming their owner. Say something and it praises you; sound down and it cheers you up. That is safe, but after living with it for a while the responses become easy to predict.
The second Poketomo deliberately steps away from that. Sharp describes the character as blunt and not honest with itself, yet still caring about its owner. In Sharp's terminology the owner is called a poke-nushi. Compliment this model and it will not take them gracefully, answering in a curt, offhand way. Underneath, though, it is written to be looking out for the person in front of it.
There is also a mechanism the first model does not have: the robot gradually opens up. Its behavior shifts as conversations accumulate, so the responses right after purchase are not the ones you get several months later. Compared with the first model, which starts out close to its owner, this is a product that uses time differently.
The character itself came out of a manga serialized on the official X account (@mia_to_nanami). The cheeky personality in the strip drew a response from readers, and comments such as wanting the robot to get angry once in a while, or finding constant agreement dull, fed into the decision to build it. A product defined by a comic rather than the other way around is the reverse of the usual hardware-first order, and it shows the advantage of growing the content first.
Put two together and they start talking
Alongside the second model comes automatic conversation between Poketomo units. Place two near each other and they will start chatting even when the owner says nothing. Both robots have to be registered to the same app beforehand, but any pairing works, whether that is two first-generation units or one of each.
As a way to show what happens when two different personalities sit side by side, it is a natural addition. It is also, plainly, a path toward buying a second unit. The smartphone app is shared with the first model and is scheduled for an update when the new robot arrives.
Merchandise is expanding as well. Clothes and hats for the robot, along with a pouch for carrying one around, will be sold through Cork Store, the online shop run by Cork. Sharp is also starting a Poketomo Ambassador Program that feeds owner feedback into how those goods are made.
CE-LLM and GPT-4o mini behind the conversation
The robot is roughly 12 cm tall, modeled on a meerkat, and carries a speaker, microphone and camera. Conversation is handled by CE-LLM, Sharp's own approach that combines cloud-side AI processing with processing on the device itself to keep responses from dragging. The underlying AI model is OpenAI's GPT-4o mini.
The notable part is that neither the hardware nor the model changed to create the new personality. Sharp adjusted the instructions given to the AI and the data referenced when generating output, raising a different character from the same foundation. Because the design does not have to be redone for every new character, there is plenty of room left for a third model and beyond.
49,500 yen, with a price rise for the first model too
The launch is set for December 2026. The manufacturer's suggested price is open, but the unit sells for 49,500 yen including tax at Sharp's official COCORO STORE. On top of that, the smartphone app carries a monthly fee starting at 495 yen, scaled to how much conversation the owner wants.
That price is roughly 10,000 yen higher than the first model. Sharp points to rising component costs, memory in particular, and the weak yen. The first model's price is also expected to go up when the second one ships. Memory prices driven up by demand for generative AI are now reaching small household robots.
The first Poketomo went on sale in December 2025 and has since shipped more than 10,000 units, selling in Taiwan as well as Japan. The second model is planned for Taiwan too. The robot will be shown early at Sharp's booth at Tokyo Toy Show 2026, held at Tokyo Big Sight from August 27 to 30.
Summary
The second Poketomo is a conversational AI robot built around a personality that refuses to simply agree with its owner. Automatic chatter between two units and behavior that shifts with use are both aimed at keeping the robot interesting long after it is set down. At 49,500 yen it costs about 10,000 yen more than the first model, a sign that component costs and the weak yen have reached consumer robots. It ships in December 2026.
