Chinese AI startup StepFun has previewed the StepX Neo, a smartphone it describes as the world’s first agentic phone built around a native large language model (LLM).
Tipster Ice Universe also highlighted the device in an X post, saying StepX had officially unveiled the StepX Neo as the world’s first agentic phone powered by Step AOS and a built-in AI agent called Amoo.
StepFun has not yet revealed the phone’s full hardware specifications, price, launch date, or global availability.
The StepX Neo runs Step AOS, which StepFun describes as an agent-native operating system.
Instead of using AI only as a chatbot or a separate app, StepFun says the system is designed to let an AI agent understand user requests, plan tasks, work across apps, and complete actions on the user’s behalf.
The built-in assistant is called Amoo. Users are expected to interact with it in natural language, similar to a chatbot, but the company claims it can go beyond answering questions by executing multi-step tasks.
StepFun says Step AOS focuses on three major challenges for AI agents: memory, decision-making, and execution.
The company claims the system uses a long-term memory structure that can remember and recall relevant user information when needed. It also says memory retrieval can take as little as 15 milliseconds, although the company has not provided enough public testing data to independently verify that claim.
For task execution, Step AOS can reportedly divide work between on-device models and cloud models. Simple tasks can run locally, while more complex jobs can be sent to the cloud. StepFun says this setup is designed to protect personal data while still allowing the phone to handle heavier AI tasks.
The phone uses Step Edge, StepFun’s on-device AI model.
StepFun claims Step Edge ranks first among similar edge AI models across 29 benchmarks. However, the company has not clearly listed all those benchmarks or explained which rival models were used for comparison.
That means the performance claim should be treated cautiously until independent testing is available.
StepFun has announced several Chinese app and service partners for the StepX Neo ecosystem.
The first group includes Alipay, Meituan, Amap, Didi, JD.com, Baidu, Ctrip, WPS, CapCut, Weibo, and other local platforms. These integrations are intended to help Amoo complete tasks involving payments, travel, ride-hailing, shopping, maps, office work, and content creation.
The real test will be whether these integrations allow the AI agent to reliably perform useful actions across apps, rather than simply opening services or giving instructions.
StepFun says Step AOS includes safeguards for agent actions.
According to the company, AI actions are auditable, permissions are granted only when required, and mistakes can be reversed. It also says agent operations run inside a trusted execution environment.
These claims are important because an agentic phone would need deeper access to apps, files, settings, and personal data than a normal chatbot. However, StepFun has not yet provided enough public details to show how these protections will work in daily use.
StepFun has shown the StepX Neo’s design, including a rear dot-matrix LED area that resembles the style used by Nothing phones.
However, the company has not disclosed the chipset, display specifications, camera sensors, battery capacity, charging speed, storage options, or durability ratings. It has also not confirmed when the phone will actually go on sale.
Chinese outlet 36Kr also reported that StepFun’s chairman Yin Qi described the event as not being a formal launch, meaning the StepX Neo is currently closer to a preview than a complete commercial release.
StepFun is a Shanghai-based AI company founded in 2023 by former Microsoft vice president Jiang Daxin.
The company develops general-purpose foundation models and has worked with companies including OPPO and Geely. It is also backed by investors, including Tencent and Chinese state-linked investment vehicles.
Until now, StepFun has mostly been known for AI models and software integrations. The StepX Neo marks its move into consumer hardware.
The announcement has attracted attention because it comes before OpenAI has officially revealed any rumored AI hardware of its own.
By showing the StepX Neo early, StepFun appears to be trying to claim the first-mover title in the emerging “agentic phone” category. However, the company still needs to prove that the device is more than an AI branding exercise.
For now, the StepX Neo should be treated as an early preview of a phone built around AI agents. Its real value will depend on the final hardware, software reliability, privacy controls, app support, price, and whether Amoo can actually perform useful tasks better than today’s smartphone assistants.
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