AI-first devices have become increasingly common since the generative AI boom, but the concept has yet to fully make its way into smartphones. While companies such as HONOR have teased concepts like its Robot Phone, none have made it to the market yet. That may soon change, as the ZTE sub-brand nubia is claiming that it will launch the world’s first AI-agent smartphone.
In a post on Weibo, Ni Fei, ZTE Senior Vice President and President of ZTE Mobile Devices, announced that nubia will unveil what it claims is the world’s first AI agent smartphone. He said that the device will debut at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2026 in Shanghai, China. The event will take place from 17 to 20 July.
For added context, nubia showcased the nubia M153 at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026 earlier this year, after the device was first launched in China in late 2025. The company positioned it as the world’s first “AI Native” smartphone, with ByteDance’s Doubao AI assistant at its core. Industry speculation now suggests that the handset Ni Fei is referring to is a second-generation M153 being developed in partnership with ByteDance.
What separates the M153 and its supposed successor is that the AI agent is integrated at the operating system level, according to nubia. According to the company, this allows it to understand natural language requests and carry out multi-step tasks across multiple apps on the user’s behalf.
The system relies on an on-device Large Language Model (LLM) and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) agent. Together, nubia says these allow the AI to interpret and interact with the phone’s interface instead of relying solely on app APIs. The company also says its in-house CoClaw intelligent scheduling technology enables smoother coordination between apps and ecosystems, allowing for more complex automation.
(Source: Weibo, via Gizmochina, Gadgets 360)
