The Chinese smartphone industry is pretty crowded, with BBK enjoying a decent chunk of the market thanks to its subsidiaries likeOppoandVivo, among others. Electric car manufacturer Nio is now throwing its hat in the ring with an EV-centric phone known simply as theNio Phone. This new launch is seen as the company slowly turning its focus towardhigh-end phonesin the midst of its poor showing in the highly competitive Chinese EV business.
What caught our eye, however, is the design of this new smartphone. For starters, the rear panel is eerily similar to the long-forgottenGoogle Pixel 2, particularly the combination of lighter and darker shades for the camera island and the rest of the rear panel. The curved display, on the other hand, takes us back to theSamsung Galaxy S7 edge. But this is where the similarities end.
Nio held a conventional launch event for its phone in Shanghai, running down the long list of features supported by the device. The EV maker has designed this new smartphone specifically for owners of its EVs with some pretty cool connected features included, such as the ability to request the car to park itself automatically in a place of the driver’s choosing.
There’s an action button on the device as well, enabling users to instantly activate one of 30 car-related features. The presence of UWB (ultra-wideband) means it can cleverly lock or unlock the automobile by gauging the distance between the car and the smartphone.
If that’s not enough, the Nio Phone can be used to unlock the paired EV even if its battery is fully drained out, the company said. CEO William Li told attendees present at the launch that the decision to launch a power-packed EV-centric smartphone could encourage rival manufacturers in China to follow suit. While it may seem like diminishing revenues was a key factor behind this new phone, IDC analyst Will Wong toldReutersthat Nio’s latest venture may have less to do with upping its profits and more about collecting user data.
While the Nio Phone may have some design similarities with flagship smartphones of the past, the hardware underneath is tailored for the 2023 audience, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC running the show. The 6.81-inch curved OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate is also on par with some of the modern-day flagships available today. Buyers will find a 50MP primary camera sensor with OIS, coupled with a 50MP periscope telephoto camera (also with OIS) and a 50MP ultrawide unit on the back panel, aided by a circular LED flash module.
A total of three storage and RAM variants are available for consumers in China, starting with 512GB/12GB, followed by 1TB/12GB, and a high-end model with 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, per the phone’slanding page. There’s a 5,200mAh battery underneath with support for 66W fast wired charging and wireless charging at 50W. It can even charge other devices via reverse charging at 10W.
The Nio Phone runs an unspecified version of Android on board with the company’s custom software overlay known asSkyUI. The entry-level model, known as the Performance Edition, costs 6,499 CNY (~$890), while the mid-tier Signature Edition will go for 6,899 CNY (~$945) across China. Lastly, Nio EV owners can get the high-end Expedition Edition for 7,499 CNY (~$1,030).
