The smartphone market has consolidated over the last few years.LG exited the businesscompletely, while HTC is no longer a key player in the industry. And while Huawei has managed to survive despite the US trade sanctions, it is no longer a big name outside of China. With smartphone sales declining, you’d think most companies would be wary of entering the market. But Polestar — the Swedish automotive brand owned by China’s Geely — has announced plans to launch its smartphone in December this year.
In an interview withCNBCat the IAA Mobility auto show in Munich, Thomas Ingenlath, the company’s CEO, revealed it is working with Xingji Meizu to launch a Polestar-branded phone in China. Geely also owns Meizu, with Polestar entering into a joint venture with the latter in June 2023.
The automaker is not making its own smartphone to take on Apple, Oppo, Xiaomi, or Huawei. Instead, the CEO says it would be a way to show the world how Polestar’s vehicles are essentially computers on wheels. Linking the two worlds together will allow for a “seamless transition” that’s currently not possible.
Apparently, the Polestar phone will run a customized version of Meizu’s Flyme OS. The latter is also building a customized version of the OS for Polestar vehicles, enabling seamless integration.Polestar EVs currently feature Android Automotivepowered directly by the in-vehicle hardware.
While Meizu makes mid-range phones in China, the Polestar-branded phone will carry a premium price tag. Based on Ingenlath’s statement, the Polestar phone will likely stand out for its integration with the company’s vehicle rather than its price or hardware specs.
Polestar is not the only company with plans to launch its smartphone in China. Nio, a Chinese EV startup, also intends to launch its branded smartphone later this month. What remains to be seen is just how successful these companies are in their attempt and whether they can offer a level of integration between their smartphone and vehicles that is unheard of so far.
