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

Jul 14, 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 under StepX – which the firm billed as...

Frontal Report

Frontal Report is an emerging leader in all forms of media. We aim to be the leading news brand for readers around the world.