Figure 03 vs Figure 02: The Short Answer
Figure 03 is the newer, lighter, faster-sensing robot, and Figure 02 is the retired platform that proved the company could hold a real factory job.
Figure 02 ran an 11-month pilot at BMW's Spartanburg plant from January to November 2025, supporting production of more than 30,000 X3 vehicles with roughly 90,000 parts loaded at 99% accuracy, according to Figure's own announcements. It was retired once that pilot ended.
Figure 03 is the current production robot. Figure AI's own launch material describes actuators running twice as fast as Figure 02's with better torque density, a chassis 9% lighter, and a soft textile-and-foam covering instead of a hard shell, a change the company frames as a home-safety requirement rather than a styling choice.
The two robots are not interchangeable buyer options today. Neither has a public consumer price, so this comparison is about what changed technically and what that means for the next deployment decision, not about which one to order.
| Dimension | Figure 02 | Figure 03 | What it means for a buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Retired after its BMW pilot ended November 2025 | Current production robot, active pilots | Figure 02 is not orderable at any price; Figure 03 is the only live option |
| Weight / actuator speed | Baseline generation | 9% lighter body; actuators run about 2x faster with better torque density | Faster task cycles and less strain on the drivetrain per Figure's own claims |
| Outer covering | Hard shell | Soft textile and foam covering | Figure frames this as a home-safety change, not a cosmetic one |
| Vision system | Earlier camera stack | 2x frame rate, one-quarter the latency, 60% wider field of view, plus palm cameras and fingertip force sensing to about 3 grams | Better real-time grip correction before an object slips |
| Battery | Traditional plug-in charging | 2.3 kWh battery, about 5 hours at peak, wireless recharge at 2 kW through coils in the feet | No cable-plugging step in a home or fleet-charging setting |
| AI stack | OpenAI partnership era | Runs entirely on Figure's in-house Helix model after the OpenAI partnership ended February 2025 | Figure now owns the full software stack, for better or worse if something breaks |
| Proven deployment | 11-month BMW Spartanburg pilot, 30,000+ vehicles, ~90,000 parts at 99% accuracy | First BMW demonstration for parts-sequencing work completed June 2026 | Figure 02 has the longer public track record; Figure 03's deployment history is still short |
What Actually Changed Between Generations
The real headline is that Figure 03 was redesigned around sensing and home safety, not around a single dramatic capability jump.
Figure's palm cameras and fingertip force sensing are the most buyer-relevant addition. Force sensing down to roughly 3 grams, light enough to register a paperclip, is aimed squarely at catching a slipping object before it drops, which matters more in an unpredictable home than on a fixtured factory line.
The soft covering is a genuine design commitment, not a marketing detail. A hard-shelled Figure 02 made sense on a factory floor; Figure AI states the switch to textile and foam on Figure 03 responds to safety requirements for a robot meant to eventually work around people at home.
The AI-stack change is the part buyers should weigh most carefully. Figure 03 running entirely on the in-house Helix model, after the OpenAI partnership ended in February 2025, means Figure now carries full responsibility for the model powering every demonstrated task. That is a meaningful bet the company is making on its own research, not an incremental patch.
Price And Availability: Neither Is a Normal Purchase
Neither Figure 02 nor Figure 03 has a public consumer price, and that has not changed between generations.
Figure 02 is retired and was never sold to consumers; it operated exclusively as an enterprise pilot unit at BMW. Figure 03 currently ships to enterprise partners under private agreements, with company price targets pointing under $20,000 for a future consumer version, while third-party estimates for commercial deployments run $30,000 to $50,000.
That means the practical question for most readers is not Figure 03 vs Figure 02 as a purchase decision. It is whether Figure 03 is worth watching for a future order path, which is a different question covered in the Figure 03 alternatives guide for anyone who wants a humanoid they can order today.
Is The Figure 03 Upgrade Worth It
For a business evaluating a pilot, Figure 03 is the only live option, so the comparison question is really 'what evidence does Figure 03 need to show before I trust it the way BMW trusted Figure 02.'
Figure 02's 99% part-loading accuracy over an 11-month run is a real, citable deployment number. Figure 03's June 2026 BMW parts-sequencing demonstration is a first showing, not yet a comparable multi-month track record, so treat Figure 03's capability claims as promising rather than proven until a similarly long deployment is published.
Across the 24 robot makers The Bot Scout tracks for its ongoing humanoid-robotics research, this is a consistent pattern at generational launches: the spec sheet improves immediately, but the deployment evidence takes a full pilot cycle to catch up. Judge Figure 03 on the same clock, not on launch-day demo footage.
Run both in your evaluation if you already operate a Figure 02-era workflow: keep the validated Figure 02 process documentation as your baseline, and pilot Figure 03 in parallel rather than assuming a like-for-like swap, since the covering, sensing, and AI stack all changed at once.
Bottom Line
Figure 03 is a real generational upgrade over Figure 02: lighter, faster-sensing, wrapped for home safety, and running Figure's own Helix model instead of a third-party AI partnership. Figure 02 proved the company could hold a genuine factory job for 11 months at 99% accuracy; Figure 03 is still building that same track record. Neither robot has a public consumer price, so the near-term decision for most readers is whether to watch Figure 03's pilots closely, not which generation to buy. Read the full Figure 03 review for specs and buyer fit, track the price status on the Figure 03 price page, and see how it stacks up against a robot you can order today in 1X NEO vs Figure 03.
Compare Figure 03 against robots you can actually order today in the Figure 03 alternatives guide, or read the full Figure 03 review for specs and buyer fit.
FAQs
What is the difference between Figure 02 and Figure 03?
Figure 03 is 9% lighter with actuators running about twice as fast as Figure 02's, a soft textile-and-foam covering instead of a hard shell, palm cameras with fingertip force sensing to about 3 grams, a 2.3 kWh wirelessly-rechargeable battery, and Figure's own in-house Helix AI model. Figure 02 ran on an earlier camera stack and the company's prior OpenAI partnership, and it is now retired.
Is Figure 03 better than Figure 02?
On paper, yes: faster actuators, lighter weight, better sensing, and a safer covering for close human contact. On proven track record, Figure 02 is still ahead, with an 11-month BMW pilot loading more than 90,000 parts at 99% accuracy. Figure 03's public deployment evidence is still shorter.
Can you still buy or use Figure 02?
No. Figure 02 was retired after its BMW Spartanburg pilot ended in November 2025 and was never sold to consumers. Figure 03 is the company's current production robot, though it also has no public consumer checkout path.
Why did Figure switch away from OpenAI for Figure 03?
Figure's partnership with OpenAI, which supported earlier Figure generations, ended in February 2025. Figure 03 runs entirely on Figure's own in-house Helix model instead, which the company frames as full ownership of its AI stack rather than a lack of confidence in the earlier partnership.
Does Figure 03 vs Figure 02 matter if I can't buy either one?
It matters for judging how fast Figure is actually improving, since neither generation has a public consumer price yet. The generational jump in sensing and covering is real evidence the platform is maturing toward the eventual home-safety bar Figure has stated as its goal.