Post updated November 7th, 2019 at 05:32 pm
ByteDance, the brand behind the popular TikTok app, has officially launched its very first smartphone in China. The smartphone is known as the Smartisan Jianguo Pro 3 and comes after the company acquired smartphone manufacturer Smartisan earlier this year.
The phone’s arrival and existence comes as a bit of a surprise; just yesterday, Kakao, the South Korean brand behind the KakaoTalk app, launched its own smartphone as well. With nearly identical hardware to boot.
On a light-hearted note, the phone’s name, Jianguo, can either mean “nation-building”, “frying pan” or “nut”, depending on how the name is written in Chinese. In this case, the characters point to the latter, with the phone also having been referred to as the “Nut Pro 3”.
Specs-wise, the phone appears to come in two configurations: you get Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 855+, between 8GB and 12GB RAM, and the main quad-camera comprising a 48MP sensor, 13MP wide-angle, an 8MP telephoto, and a 5MP macro lens. On the outside, the phone sports a 6.39-inch Full HD+ AMOLED notched display, with said notch housing the phone’s 20MP selfie camera.
Powering the phone is a 4000mAh battery and as you would expect from TikTok, the phone will most definitely come pre-loaded the titular app at purchase.
At this point, the Smartisan Jinguo Pro 3 is currently only available in China and retails from 2,899 Yuan (~RM1712). Whether or not the phone will be available on a global level, ByteDance did not announce any plans.
(Source: Abacus News via The Verge // Image: Smartisan)
