China Certifies First AI Agent Smartphone Without App Store
China has certified the Nubia NaviX Ultra, described as the world’s first AI agent smartphone, which received its network access license from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Built by Nubia in collaboration with ByteDance, the device replaces a traditional icon-based interface and app store with Doubao (豆包), ByteDance’s AI agent — users interact via voice or text through a dedicated hardware button, and the agent navigates services and executes multi-step scenarios on their behalf.
The phone’s local large language model passed a cybersecurity audit, and the device features flagship hardware: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, a 7100 mAh battery, a 6.78-inch AMOLED display, and three 50 MP cameras. Nubia president Ni Fei said the company has “completed the full compliance process for an AI agent phone, from model filing to terminal access.” The NaviX Ultra is expected to launch in September 2026.