AI phone spotlight
Nubia is preparing to show a new AI-powered smartphone at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2026building on the company’s earlier work with the Nubia M153 and its Doubao AI Assistant. The new device is expected to push Nubia’s “AI-native” phone strategy further, with deeper assistant integration rather than just adding AI as a software layer.
The M153 already established the template by combining natural-language command handling, cross-app task execution and a system-level AI assistant. That makes the upcoming conference debut especially important, since Nubia appears to be using the event to show how far it has moved toward agent-style smartphone interaction.
What it may do
If Nubia follows the same direction as the M153, the new phone could focus on understanding complex instructions, completing multi-step tasks and coordinating actions across different apps. That would make it feel more like an AI assistant built into the operating system than a normal smartphone with a chatbot attached.
Reports around the M153 also highlighted premium hardware such as a Snapdragon 8 Elite platform, 16GB RAMand 512GB storagesuggesting that Nubia’s AI ambitions depend on serious processing power. The new model could keep that same high-end approach if it is meant to demonstrate flagship-level AI performance.
Why it matters
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference is a fitting stage for Nubia because the company has been trying to define itself as an AI-native phone maker. Rather than framing AI as a gimmick, Nubia is positioning it as the core smartphone experience.
That matters because the smartphone industry is moving beyond simple voice assistants and toward devices that can actively carry out tasks for users. Nubia’s strategy puts it among the more aggressive brands experimenting with this future.
Bigger picture
The new launch could also help Nubia test how much demand exists for phones that are designed around AI agents from the ground up. If the conference model builds on the M153, it may be a sign that the company wants to move from a limited Chinese rollout to a broader international AI phone push.
