Bold headline-worthy reality: ByteDance’s Doubao-powered phone is already selling out at $495, while second-hand prices soar well beyond the official price. Here’s what happened and why it matters.
The Nubia M153 engineering prototype – the first smartphone to showcase ByteDance’s Doubao AI assistant in a preview build – sold out on ZTE’s official online store at RMB 3,499, roughly $495. Limited production immediately kicked the market into a premium tier: on the second-hand platform Xianyu, unopened units are listed up to RMB 4,999 (~$706). That’s about RMB 1,500 ($210) above the official price.
This model was a collaboration between ZTE Corp and ByteDance. ByteDance’s Doubao unit drove the product definition and user experience for the AI assistant, while ZTE’s Nubia brand handled hardware design, development, and manufacturing.
Specifications note: the phone is offered in a single configuration of 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and features a 6.78-inch LTPO display. [TechNode reporting]
