ByteDance stepped up its push into agentic AI, unveiling a smartphone built with ZTE that embeds its AI-powered voice assistant Doubao at the operating system level, Reuters reported.

Powered by ByteDance’s large language model, the assistant enables users to voice activate tasks including content searches and ticket booking.

ZTE’s Nubia M153 smartphone will be the first device to feature the new tool, positioned as a prototype device priced at CNY3,499 ($495). The handset is available for pre-order in limited quantities.

According to South China Morning Post, the Android device features a 6.78-inch display, a 50MP rear triple camera system and runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. A dedicated side-mounted AI button activates Doubao.

However, ByteDance and ZTE cautioned the software “cannot guarantee the functional completeness of a mature mobile product” and may lag behind flagship devices. The pair committed to fortnightly updates through March 2026.

According to Reuters, ByteDance said it has no plans to develop its own smartphones and is in discussions with multiple vendors to integrate its AI assistant across additional models in the future.

TikTok-parent ByteDance has emerged as a leading AI player in China on the back of its chatbot Doubao, which reportedly recorded 159 million monthly active users in October, well ahead of rival offerings from Tencent and DeepSeek.

Last year, Apple held preliminary talks with ByteDance and Tencent to explore integrating their generative AI capabilities into iPhones sold in China.