China’s New Breakthrough: World’s First Fully Agentic AI Smartphone Nubia M153 Launched, ByteDance-ZTE Duo Makes History
China has once again shaken the technology world. ZTE’s subsidiary Nubia, in collaboration with ByteDance, has launched an engineering prototype smartphone called Nubia M153, touted as the world’s first fully agentic AI smartphone. The device not only understands user intentions but can also independently navigate apps, process payments, and complete complex multi-step tasks without repeated user intervention. Announced on December 1, 2025, the prototype quickly went viral, especially after entrepreneur Taylor Ogan from Shenzhen shared it on X, garnering millions of views.
This launch is more than just a gadget release—it marks a new era of agentic AI. Running on a customized Android platform, the phone features ByteDance’s Doubao AI agent deeply integrated at the OS level. Doubao, a multimodal AI model popular with over 175 million users in China, can “see” the screen, click, type, and navigate third-party apps in a human-like manner. Priced at just 3,499 yuan (approximately ₹42,000 or $500), the first 30,000 units sold out immediately, and resale prices surged by thousands of yuan.
Human-Like Agentic AI
The real power of Nubia M153 lies in its Doubao AI, capable of handling both vision and text. Demo videos showed that when a user said, “Line someone up,” the AI selected the local service app, set up the task, and displayed the confirmation screen. For hotel bookings, simply saying “Book this with pet” prompted Doubao to open the Ctrip app, fill in dates, check pet policies, and lock the best deal. For robotaxi rides, it used GPS in the Baidu Apollo app to set the location and confirm the trip. Doubao even handled Meituan drone delivery orders, completing payment and responding to delivery calls independently.
Powerful Chipset and Impressive Battery
Nubia M153 also impresses on the hardware front. It features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, enabling superfast on-device vision and multi-app handling. Specifications include 16GB RAM, a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display (144Hz refresh rate), a 6000mAh battery with 90W wired and 15W wireless charging, and a formidable camera setup: 50MP main (OIS), 50MP telephoto (2.5x zoom), 50MP ultrawide, and 50MP front. While currently available only in a limited edition, ByteDance plans a second batch by the end of next year.
However, controversy emerged just a day after the launch. Doubao’s system-level permissions caused WeChat to crash, creating login issues. Experts suggested this was due to triggering WeChat’s security system. ByteDance quickly resolved the issue, highlighting the potential frictions in the AI arms race.
DeepSeek Connection: China’s Second AI
This launch followed closely on the heels of DeepSeek V3.2 models, released on December 1. DeepSeek V3.2 and V3.2-Speciale are designed for agentic tasks and deliver GPT-5 level performance on lower compute. Dubbed the “second DeepSeek moment,” it showcases China building an integrated AI-mobile ecosystem ahead of Silicon Valley. Apple and Samsung currently remain limited to partner apps.
ByteDance is now in talks with brands like Huawei and Xiaomi for Doubao integration, even as these companies develop their own AI agents. Although WeChat initially blocked Doubao, the issue has been resolved, highlighting China’s AI leadership.
Ushering a New Era of Smartphones
Nubia M153 empowers users to provide only “intent,” with the AI handling the rest. It represents a move toward de-appification, where apps become fewer and AI becomes the dispatcher. While privacy and security concerns exist, natural interactions are expected to become standard within 5–10 years. Globally, this device sets the future for agentic AI. A commercial version is expected soon, which could reshape the smartphone industry entirely.
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