China’s StepFun claims it has unveiled the world’s first AI smartphone

Tencent-backed firm launches the AI-native StepX Neo smartphone, challenging US tech giants amid Apple-OpenAI legal clashes 2 -MIN READ2 -MIN Listen Minxiao Changin Shenzhen Published: 8:30pm, 14 Jul 2026 As Apple’s latest legal battle with OpenAI complicates the Silicon Valley race to reshape the consumer tech market, one Chinese start-up is taking a leap forward after unveiling what it claims to be the world’s first agentic smartphone. At a launch event in Shanghai on Monday, Tencent Holdings-backed StepFun introduced the StepX Neo. The device runs on Step AOS, an operating system designed specifically for artificial intelligence agents, and was launched…