ZTE NaviX Ultra: Agentic AI Phone Sells Out Fast

ZTE has introduced the NaviX Ultra, a new smartphone designed entirely around autonomous AI. This device runs ByteDance’s Doubao AI agent and moves away from the traditional app-based model. Users activate Doubao with a voice command or a button. The phone is available in black, pink, white, and blue, starting at 3,499 yuan. An initial production run of 30,000 units sold out immediately, with used models later selling for double the original price on secondary markets. Here's the thing: Agentic AI means the device executes instructions autonomously across multiple applications. You tell the AI what you need, and it works across your apps without you having to switch between them. This is a fundamental shift in how mobile devices operate. Other Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi and Oppo have also released AI-focused phones recently. This trend suggests the next big battleground in smartphones is how the device thinks, rather than just specs or design. This could change how we interact with our phones every day.