ZTE denies smartphone sale rumors hinting at ByteDance involvement
ZTE has denied reports that it plans to transfer its smartphone business into a joint venture with a major internet company and local state-owned investors, amid online speculation identifying ByteDance as the potential partner. ZTE told The Paper on November 3 that the reports were seriously inconsistent with the facts and said it reserved the […]
ZTE has denied reports that it plans to transfer its smartphone business into a joint venture with a major internet company and local state-owned investors, amid online speculation identifying ByteDance as the potential partner. ZTE told The Paper on November 3 that the reports were seriously inconsistent with the facts and said it reserved the right to take legal action.
The reported proposal involved packaging ZTE’s handset operations into a new venture. While the media report did not name the internet company, social media discussion pointed to ByteDance, which already works with ZTE on AI smartphones.
The companies jointly developed the Nubia NaviX Ultra, launched on September 16 with the Doubao Phone Assistant. The device integrates system-level AI agents designed to execute tasks across applications. [The Paper, in Chinese]
