Pocket-size AI: Powerful phones star at China

Tech companies are pushing a new generation of smartphones that use artificial intelligence to carry out tasks with voice commands, from ordering food to composing messages, as the industry tests how far “agentic” phones can go in reshaping everyday mobile use.

At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai this weekend, at least three companies were showing devices built around this idea, according to a monitored public feed based on Dawn Tech reporting. The products point to a broader race in China to bring AI agents into handsets, with manufacturers pitching phones that can act more like digital assistants than traditional app launchers.

Among the devices on display was Nubia’s NaviX Ultra, powered by Doubao, the AI chatbot made by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Nubia said online that “a new era of AI agent smartphones begins,” sharing images of the handset. The company appears to be betting that phones can shift from responding to taps and swipes to handling tasks directly through conversation.

That direction has already been tested. A limited run of a prototype known as the “Doubao Phone” reportedly sold out quickly in December. The device was designed to follow basic voice instructions and move across apps to perform actions such as ordering food and comparing prices. But the experiment quickly ran into resistance: major Chinese platforms including Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com restricted the assistant’s access to their services days after release. That effectively shut down the phone’s AI agent in some uses, including when payments were involved, prompting ByteDance to limit the tool in certain situations.

The challenge, analysts say, is not just technical performance but also access. Kiranjeet Kaur, associate research director at market intelligence firm IDC, said gaining broad entry into other companies’ apps remains a major hurdle for AI agent devices. Platforms want to keep direct contact with their users, she said, warning that otherwise they “lose control to another party.” She added that while “agenting is everyone’s dream,” the technology still has uneven performance.

Other firms are taking different approaches. Honour presented an AI system for its “Robot Phone,” which features a camera mounted on a small robotic arm. The company says the device is built around a “companion-centric” design and can read gestures, move to the rhythm of music, and help with selfies and steadier video. Honour said an agent using several AI models, some developed with Alibaba, will be integrated when the phone goes on sale later this year.

Shanghai-based startup StepFun also introduced what it described as an “AI agent-native smartphone,” the STEPX Neo. In a sponsored article in Xinhua, StepFun chairman Yin Qi said the company had formed “deep partnerships” with platforms including Alipay and ride-hailing service Didi. The publication said the phone could support travel bookings, everyday purchases, local services, office productivity and video editing.

The move toward AI-first phones is not limited to China. Google is adding more advanced AI functions to smartphones, while US startup Brain Technologies launched its “Natural AI Phone” in Japan in April through a partnership with SoftBank. A demonstration to AFP showed the phone sending a message on command, though it did not always complete requests successfully.

Marc Einstein of Counterpoint Research said there is “no clear winner” in the race yet, but predicted that the phone experience could look very different within five to 10 years. If that happens, he said, it could reshape the digital economy and disrupt current business models.

This report is based on