Ni Fei, President of ZTE's Terminal Business Division and Nubia Technology, announced on Monday that the company's AI agent smartphone, previously teased as the M153 in December, has now taken a major step forward. With the Nubia NaviX Ultra officially receiving its network access license yesterday, the journey from concept to mass production for this AI-powered device has reached its most critical stage. Ni acknowledged that there is no established path to follow, with every step requiring exploration and strong support from partners.
In a significant update, Ni confirmed that the "Doubao Phone," which is expected to be the Nubia NaviX Ultra, is scheduled to go on sale in September. The device will come equipped with the Doubao AI assistant, according to reports from IT Home. Citing earlier information from LatePost, the phone has adjusted its collaboration strategy with major super-app providers like Alibaba and Tencent, choosing not to read the screen or simulate user clicks to operate applications—a technique known as GUI technology—even with user authorization. Instead, the Doubao assistant will only integrate via MCP (Model Context Protocol) services when these apps voluntarily provide open data access and allow external control. The Doubao assistant team is currently in negotiations with leading app developers to secure APIs or service capabilities that can be invoked by AI.
The Nubia NaviX Ultra will be available in Blue Horizon, Dream Fantasy, Black, and White color options, featuring a distinctive orange "AI Key" and a horizontally positioned rear camera module. The device is engineered around four core capabilities: understanding natural language, executing tasks, remembering context, and ensuring security. It supports full-scenario natural language comprehension and can autonomously chain actions across multiple applications to complete complex, multi-step tasks such as price comparison shopping and itinerary planning. All core large-model computations are processed locally on the device, ensuring user data never needs to be uploaded to the cloud. This, combined with official generative AI filing qualifications, significantly reduces the risk of information leaks.
Based on previous rumors, the phone is likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 flagship processor and feature a massive 7000mAh silicon-carbon anode battery. Charging capabilities are expected to include 90W/100W wired fast charging as well as wireless charging. For photography, the device is anticipated to sport a 50-megapixel main camera, an ultra-wide-angle lens, and a periscope telephoto lens, complemented by a 50-megapixel front-facing camera.