ZTE subsidiary Nubia has drawn attention at the ongoing World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai by previewing its forthcoming handset, the NaviX Ultra. Billed as the globe’s first AI agentic smartphone, the device was shown in physical form at the company’s exhibition booth. Nubia has also disclosed that the phone received the SAIL (Superior AI Leader) excellence award during the event.
A quartet of finishes and a dedicated AI key
A series of official images published on Weibo confirm the NaviX Ultra will arrive in Black, Blue, Pink, and Silver. All four variants incorporate an orange AI button positioned on the right edge immediately below the power key. The Black and Pink editions extend the rear colour treatment to the camera island, while the Blue and Silver models depart from this unified design. Alongside the still photographs, Nubia distributed a promotional video, and a separate hands-on clip was posted by Chinese technology outlet CNMO.
Leaked internals point to flagship hardware
Nubia has remained guarded about the full specification sheet, stating only that the device will ship with ByteDance’s Doubao AI assistant pre-installed. Hardware details have nonetheless surfaced through an ITHome report. The leak lists a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a triple rear camera system built around a 50 MP main sensor backed by ultrawide and telephoto lenses, a 50 MP front-facing camera, and a 7,000 mAh battery with charging support of up to 90 W wired and 100 W wireless. None of these figures have been formally verified by the manufacturer, so they should be regarded with caution.
Competitive context and early positioning
The NaviX Ultra enters an increasingly crowded field of AI-first smartphones, where on-device assistants and dedicated hardware keys are becoming differentiators. Nubia’s decision to highlight the SAIL award and integrate Doubao AI underscores a push toward localised, agentic experiences aimed squarely at the Chinese market. With official pricing and a launch date still under wraps, the WAIC appearance serves as an early signal of Nubia’s ambition to carve out a distinct space in the premium segment.
Sources: weibo.com, weibo.com, weibo.com, weibo.com, www.ithome.com