These brand-new AI-powered smartphones

The mobile phone industry is undergoing a major transformation driven by the frenetic race for « agent smartphones »—devices supercharged with artificial intelligence capable of executing complex tasks, such as ordering a meal, planning a trip, or drafting messages, based on a simple voice command.

Unveiled in large numbers at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai in July 2026, these innovations—championed by models like Nubia’s NaviX Ultra (powered by ByteDance’s Doubao AI) and a phone from the US startup Brain Technologies (marketed in Japan via SoftBank)—promise to revolutionize our daily habits.

However, this autonomy delegated to virtual assistants has sparked a backlash from digital ecosystem giants like Alibaba, Tencent, and JD.com, who are anxious to avoid losing direct contact with—and data from—their users to a third-party intermediary.

As experts from the firm IDC point out, broad access to proprietary platforms is the main sticking point for this technology: faced with the systematic blocks encountered by early versions of these devices, manufacturers are now compelled to move away from confrontation in favor of strategic alliances.

They are forging official partnerships with key services such as Alipay and Didi to ensure the smooth operation of their automated features without compromising the security or sovereignty of partner applications.