Nubia to Debut Global First AI Agent Smartphone at WAIC 2026; 300+ Products Set to Launch

According to Zhitong Finance, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) will take place in Shanghai from July 17–20, with over 300 products launching globally. Nubia, a ZTE subsidiary, will unveil the world's first AI agent smartphone at the conference on July 17, marking a shift from AI-enhanced phones to native intelligent agents that proactively understand user needs. Nubia's senior executives previously revealed the device on social media, emphasizing that the next generation of AI phones will move beyond feature stacking to true autonomous AI agents.

Honor will host a physical AI robotics forum at WAIC, showcasing its Robot Phone and embodied intelligence technology. Separately, Jiestep, a domestic large model developer, will launch its own terminal brand and AI agent phone, also unveiling its Agent operating system at the conference. Chinese policymakers disclosed plans to achieve over 90% adoption of next-generation smart terminals and AI agents by 2030. Key publicly traded firms linked to this trend include Huaqin Tech (3296.HK), handling production for Jiestep's AI phone, and Baidu Group-SW (9888.HK), which will present its full AI agent suite at WAIC.