TikTok owner ByteDance added to U.S. tech titan Apple’s (AAPL) woes in China today by launching an AI tool for smartphones.
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Voice-Activated Tasks
ByteDance said the voice control tool would be first installed on a smartphone made by Chinese tech group ZTE Corp. It will then rollout to phones from other manufacturers over time.
The AI assistant, powered by ByteDance’s Doubao large language model, allows users to voice-activate tasks such as finding content, booking tickets, price comparisons and purchases through voice commands.
It will appear on ZTE’s Nubia M153 handset, currently a prototype priced at 3,499 yuan (495). It will have a dedicated AI button, a 6.78‑inch display and a triple‑camera array, running Qualcomm’s (QCOM) Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. ByteDance and ZTE say software, notably the camera, is still in development, with updates scheduled every two weeks until March 2026.
The device is available for pre-order in limited quantities.
ByteDance said in a statement it has no plans to develop its own smartphones and is in talks with multiple phone makers to roll out the AI voice assistant.
Taking Advantage of Apple
The tool will however compete with similar AI features introduced by Chinese smartphone makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi (XIACF). Industry experts said ByteDance is moving to take advantage of a window for Chinese firms while Apple Intelligence has yet to arrive locally.
Apple has faced increased competition from domestic rivals such as Huawei this year. That was boosted by Chinese government subsidy programs in January for smartphones under $820. Experts believe it is also being held back by its underwhelming AI capabilities. That matters to Apple given its revenue exposure to China – see below:
Last year, Apple held preliminary talks with ByteDance and Tencent (TCEHY) to explore integrating their generative AI capabilities into iPhones sold in China. However, it is now partnering with Alibaba (BABA) to develop those AI features instead.
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