Doubao Phone Sold Out; Next Restock May Not Arrive Until Late 2026
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ByteDance’s first Doubao AI phone has sold out and may not enter large-scale production, as the company shifts focus to developing its second-generation model with ZTE, slated for release by the end of 2026.
Following the official announcement that the first-generation Doubao phone has sold out, sources say the device may no longer enter large-scale production. According to supply chain insiders, ByteDance and ZTE have already begun developing the second-generation model, which—barring any unexpected changes—is expected to ship by the end of 2026.
People familiar with the project noted that ByteDance’s current strategy is not to engage directly in hardware manufacturing, but rather to work with established partners to validate its product model. The company chose the smartphone form factor because it considers phones a critical entry point for AI experiences.
ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo said in February 2025 that “exploring new UI interaction paradigms” is one of the company’s three major AI goals. The internal hardware team, Ocean, has already integrated members from PICO VR, Ola Dance smart earbuds, and other hardware initiatives, as the company continues to explore a unified ecosystem of large language models, super-app experiences, and hardware devices.
