ByteDance’s “Doubao Phone” Just Launched, Geely’s Progress Revealed: 200-Person Team Built in First Month, Poaching from Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor

Honghao Wang

— 3 min read
ByteDance’s “Doubao Phone” Just Launched, Geely’s Progress Revealed: 200-Person Team Built in First Month, Poaching from Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor

ByteDance and ZTE Launch AI Smartphone — But the Real Prize Is AIOS

ByteDance and ZTE barely announced their partnership before releasing their first-generation AI smartphone, priced at 3,499 yuan.

The Key Selling Point

The phone integrates ByteDance’s self-developed large-model Agent service.

  • ByteDance told Yicai the Doubao Phone Assistant (currently in tech preview) is built on the Doubao app.
  • Developed jointly with the phone manufacturer at the operating system level, it functions as an AI assistant software.
  • Doubao itself has no plans to manufacture phones.

Interpretation: ByteDance’s primary focus is not phone hardware but the AIOS (AI Operating System) space on the software side.

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A New AIOS Contender: Zhiyue Qianli

Almost simultaneously, QbitAI spotted a low-profile newcomer betting heavily on AIOS — Zhiyue Qianli, founded in August this year.

image
  • Directors: Dong Huan and Hao Jianguo.
  • Legal Representative: Hao Jianguo (holding 50% stake since August 11).
  • Hao Jianguo previously invested in Wuhan Xinghe Shengjing Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd., connected to Su Jing (former CEO of Xingji Meizu Group).

Meizu–Geely Connection

  • July 2022: Geely gained control of Meizu Technology.
  • March 2023: Xingji Times merged with Meizu Technology → Xingji Meizu Group, targeting integration of consumer electronics & smart cars.
  • Meizu’s Flyme Auto debuted in Geely’s Lynk & Co 08 model.

Su Jing's Career Timeline

  • 2022: Co-founded Xingji Times as CFO.
  • 2023: Became co-founder, executive director, CFO of Xingji Meizu Group.
  • May 2024: CEO of Xingji Meizu Group.
  • June 2024: Stepped down.
  • September 2024: Launched overseas venture in Berlin — micro EV, companion robot, smart glasses.

Additional Connections

  • Hao Jianguo holds 13.0853% in Hubei Xingtu Times Management Consulting LLP.
  • Managing partner: Shanghai Yili Technology Development Center (owned by Shen Ziyu — former CEO of Xingji Meizu Group).
  • Shen Ziyu: Key Geely figure in intelligent transformation, co-founder of ECARX Technology.

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Zhiyue Qianli’s Focus & Positioning

  • AI for Phone and AI for Terminal.
  • Slogan: “Redefining human–machine interaction, building the foundational ecosystem for the AI terminal era.”
  • Unlike ByteDance’s software-centric approach, Zhiyue Qianli is developing:
  • AI large models
  • AI Agents
  • AIOS
  • Hardware products (smartphones, XR glasses, etc.)
image

△ ChatGPT AI-generated image

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Recruitment & R&D Activity

Hiring Focus:

  • Human–computer interaction
  • Industrial design (ID)
  • User research
  • PDT project management

Hardware Development Scope:

  • Full device engineering
  • Battery & structural design
  • Display & materials selection
  • Component debugging
  • Architecture simulation
  • Project management

Observation: The company appears to aim for complete in-house hardware capability, avoiding dependency on outsourced manufacturing.

Growth Pace

  • Offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen.
  • Founded in August → already ~200 employees that same month.

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AI Terminals: Market Context & Strategic Outlook

ByteDance and Zhiyue Qianli exemplify software–hardware co-evolution in the AIOS era.

This AI-native terminal wave aims to:

  • Combine large models, operating systems, hardware
  • Create new user interaction models and service loops

Definition of AI Terminals

AI terminals go beyond devices — they are:

  • Flexible, compatible computing hubs
  • Breaking traditional product formats and competition rules
  • Connecting model capabilities to daily scenarios (smartphones, PCs, tablets)
image

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AI Terminals in Automobiles

AI terminals aren’t limited to handheld/wearable devices; they also appear in:

  • Smart vehicles
  • AI-powered cockpits — recognized as a major industry direction

This trend mirrors strategies from Huawei and Xiaomi:

  • Huawei: Ecosystem across smartphones, automobiles, home AIoT
  • Xiaomi: People–cars–homes fully connected vision

Now, ByteDance is in play, Geely is expanding, and competition is intensifying.

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Content Ecosystems in the AI Terminal Era

As the AI terminal market evolves, content ecosystems will be critical.

Open-source platforms such as AiToEarn官网 enable:

  • AI content generation
  • Multi-platform publishing (Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Rednote, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X/Twitter)
  • Analytics and AI model rankings (AI模型排名)

Open-source repo: AiToEarn开源地址

Benefit: Bridges device-side AI with multi-platform creative economies, helping creators monetize AI creativity efficiently.

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Final Takeaway

Combining all clues:

> Zhiyue Qianli’s end goal is to build a terminal ecosystem for the AI era.

Driven by “on-device AI,” the fusion of AI and endpoints is deepening — creating a new competitive space where hardware and software are iteratively co-designed to reshape human–machine interaction.

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Would you like me to create an industry positioning chart comparing ByteDance, Zhiyue Qianli, Huawei, and Xiaomi in the AI terminal space? That would make this analysis even more visual and actionable.

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